Great Lakes - Eastern USA - page 1018

and shops. The only real sight is ivy-covered Wrigley Field MAP GOOGLE MAP
( www.cubs.com ; 1060 W Addison St) , named after the chewing-gum guy and home to the
much-loved but perpetually losing Chicago Cubs. Ninety-minute tours ($25) of the icon-
ic century-old ballpark are available. The area around the facility is getting a makeover
with spiffed-up amenities for visitors.

Andersonville & Uptown

These northern neighborhoods are good for a delicious browse. Andersonville is an old
Swedish enclave centered on Clark St, where timeworn European-tinged businesses mix
with new foodie restaurants, funky boutiques, vintage shops and gay and lesbian bars.
Take the CTA Red Line to the Berwyn stop, and walk west for six blocks.
A short distance south, Uptown is a whole different scene. Take the Red Line to the
Argyle stop, and you're in the heart of 'Little Saigon' and its pho-serving storefronts.

Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village

West of Lincoln Park, these three neighborhoods - once havens for working-class
central-European immigrants and bohemian writers - are hot property. Fashion
boutiques, hipster record stores, thrift shops and cocktail lounges have shot up, especially
near the intersection of Milwaukee and North Damen Aves. Division St is also prime
wandering territory. It used to be called 'Polish Broadway' for all the polka bars that
lined it, but now the requisite cafes and crafty businesses have taken over. There aren't
many actual sights here, aside from Nelson Algren's House (1958 W Evergreen Ave;
Blue Line to Damen) , where he wrote several gritty, Chicago-based novels. Alas, it's a
private residence, so you can only admire it from the sidewalk.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
BLUES FANS' PILGRIMAGE

From 1957 to 1967, the humble building at 2120 S Michigan Ave was Chess Re-
cords, the seminal electric blues label. Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Bo Diddley
cut tracks here, and paved the way for rock 'n' roll with their sick licks and amped-
up sound. Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones arrived soon after. The studio is now
called Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven (

312-808-1286; www.bluesheaven.com ; 2120 S Michigan

1) , named for the bassist who

Ave; tours $5-10; 11am-4pm Mon-Fri, noon-2pm Sat;