Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A Suburban Respite
If you've made it up to the Baha'i Temple, take a stroll across Sheridan
Road to
Gilson Park
for a taste of northern suburban life. Check out the
sailors prepping their boats for a lake tour, families picnicking and play-
ing Frisbee, and kids frolicking on the sandy beach. Access to the beach is
restricted in the summer (the locals like to keep the Chicago riff-raff out),
but in the fall and spring, you're welcome to wander (just don't expect to
take a dip in the frigid water).
Moments
AN ADDITIONAL ATTRACTION
Baha'i House of Worship
While you're in the neighborhood, continue your
drive up Sheridan Road in Wilmette to the most visited of all the sights in the
northern suburbs, the Baha'i House of Worship, an ethereal edifice that seems
not of this earth. The gleaming white stone temple, designed by the French
Canadian Louis Bourgeois and completed in 1953, is essentially a soaring nine-
sided 135-foot dome, draped in a delicate lacelike facade, that strongly reveals
the Eastern influence of the Baha'i faith's native Iran. Surrounded by formal gar-
dens, it is one of seven Baha'i temples in the world, and the only one in the
Western Hemisphere. The dome's latticework is even more beautiful as you gaze
upward from the floor of the sanctuary, which, during the day, is flooded with
light. Temple members offer informal tours of the building to anyone who
inquires; older children and adults with an interest in architecture will get the
most out of a tour of the interior. Not only is the temple itself really a sight, but
the drive on Sheridan Road is also one of the most beautiful in the Chicago area.
A word of caution if you're driving:
The temple seems to appear out of
nowhere as you round a particularly tight curve on Sheridan Road, and it can
distract even the most focused of drivers. Take it slow and wait until you're safely
parked before gazing skyward.
100 Linden Ave. (at Sheridan Rd.), Wilmette.
&
847/853-2300.
www.us.bahai.org/how. Free admission. Visitor
center daily May-Sept 10am-8pm; Oct-Apr 10am-5pm. Temple daily from 7am. Devotional services are held
Mon-Sat at 12:15pm and Sun at 1:15pm (with choral accompaniment). To get there from Chicago, take the
Red Line of the El north to Howard St. Change trains for the Evanston train and go to the end of the line, Lin-
den Ave. (Or take the Purple/Evanston Express and stay on the same train all the way.) Turn right on Linden and
walk 2 blocks east. If you're driving, take the Outer Dr. (Lake Shore Dr.) north, which feeds into Sheridan Rd.
WHERE TO EAT
From the lines outside the restaurant, it appears that anyone who visits the
museum is also required to stop at
Walker Bros. Original Pancake House,
located next door at 153 Green Bay Rd. (
&
847/251-6000
). The place is dec-
orated with colorful Tiffany-style lamps, warm woodwork, deep booths, and
extraordinary stained-glass art windows. Expect a wait on weekends. Top choices
are apple pancakes, which arrive bubbling hot and glazed with cinnamon, and
German pancakes, fluffy pancakes dusted with powdered sugar and served with
fruit. Kids often go for the silver-dollar pancakes in chocolate chip, blueberry, or
plain varieties. Oven-baked omelets are another favorite. The restaurant also
serves lunch and dinner, and offers chicken teriyaki, roast beef, chicken Dijon,
Reuben sandwiches, and salads. All menu items are served throughout the day;
it's open daily from 6:30am to 10pm.
