Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Walk This Way: Chicago's Underground Pedway
Rainy day? Snowy? So windy you're afraid your kids will blow away?
Take a break and cruise around Chicago's Loop through the not-so-
secret underground
Pedway.
The city started building tunnels to con-
nect subway stations in the early 1950s, and today the underground
system of tunnels covers 23 blocks that are fun for kids to explore. You'll
find stores, restaurants, and other businesses. Don't worry—if you ever
get lost, just look for an exit and go up to street level to get your bear-
ings (and you can pick up a map at the Chicago Cultural Center).
A good spot to enter the Pedway is the State Street subway station,
between Randolph and Washington streets. On the stretch west of State
Street, you'll find a newsstand selling snacks and fresh fruits, a barber-
shop, a Starbucks, a big gift store, and a food court. Beneath the
Chicago Cultural Center, your children can look through the window at
a radio station that broadcasts books for the blind. Farther along, at the
Athletic Club, kids can see a seven-story climbing wall and watch office
workers working out at lunchtime. The eastern section is the most ele-
gant—it travels under several hotels and has a shopping concourse.
Continue north along Michigan Avenue. When you reach Chicago Avenue,
just ahead of you is the
Chicago Water Tower
(not to be confused with a mall
of the same name, located kitty-corner from the real tower). Michigan Avenue's
best-known landmark is dwarfed by high-rises today but still gleams like a fairy-
tale castle. Surrounded by lawns and park benches, the tower is illuminated at
night, and street musicians often play here. Chicagoans are proud of their talis-
man, one of the few buildings to survive the Great Fire of 1871. (And it serves
a real purpose by covering an ugly, 138-ft.-high standpipe used in connection
with pumping water from Lake Michigan.) The gothic-style limestone building
now houses an art gallery and is a refreshing cultural pit stop. Across the street
the pumping station has been transformed into a tourist information center.
To conclude your walk up Michigan Avenue, step across the street to
Ghi-
rardelli's
(located on DeWitt, half a block west of Michigan Ave.) and grab an
ice cream cone. If you walk up 1 more block north, you can enjoy your ice cream
in the shaded, ivy-covered courtyard of
Fourth Presbyterian Church,
located
at Chestnut Street and Michigan Avenue—a tranquil spot just steps from the
bustle of Michigan Avenue.
2 The Loop
South Michigan Avenue is less congested than its northerly branch, the Magnifi-
cent Mile. Down here you can amble along and take in a couple of Chicago's
famous museums and two parks, including Millennium Park, which was com-
pleted in 2004, and is expected to become Chicago's second-largest tourist draw
after Navy Pier. South Michigan Avenue can be strolled in an hour or two, but if
you stop to check out building lobbies and have lunch, it can be a half-day event.
Because this walk focuses on architecture, it's best for older children and teens.
Cross the Chicago River on the Michigan Avenue Bridge and walk south, into
the Loop business district. On this easterly fringe of the Loop lie some of
