Chicago Meeting Professionals Guide 2008 - (Page 21) Old Town With an eclectic mix of residents and a fusion of old-school architecture and modern style, Old Town is bursting with a mishmash of 19th-century buildings, swanky boutiques and bistros, hole-in-the-wall bars, classic entertainment venues and traditional eateries. This creative community bounded by LaSalle, Clark, Halsted, Division and Wisconsin Streets and North Avenue is also home to the Second City improvisational comedy group and the Old Town Art Fair, dating back to 1945. Lincoln Park/Lakeview Between the beautiful beaches, bike paths and grassy groves, and the boutiques, bars, blues clubs and world-class restaurants, Lincoln Park is a nonstop neighborhood day and night. The actual park of Lincoln Park is Chicago’s largest, sprawling six miles along both sides of Lake Shore Drive north of North Avenue. It is home to the Chicago History Museum and the admission-free Lincoln Park Conservatory and Lincoln Park Zoo. Nearby DePaul University adds a young dynamic to the mix. To the north, Lakeview, bordered by Diversey Parkway and Irving Park Road, is just as fashionable and fun as Lincoln Park with a variety of restaurants and bars. The heart of the neighborhood — Wrigley Field — is home to the Chicago Cubs and a heaping of rowdy pregame bars … and fans. Devon Avenue/Rogers Park A stroll down Devon Avenue between Oakley Boulevard and Kedzie Avenue takes you around the globe and back. Starting at the east end of the avenue, dubbed Gandhi Marg, you’ll be transported to south Asia as you walk past scores of aromatic Indian and Pakistani restaurants and shop windows with colorful saris. Continuing west, in a section of Devon Avenue dubbed Golda Meir Way, you’re suddenly in a Jewish enclave surrounded by kosher meat markets, pastry shops and Judaica stores. Soak up the vibrant sights and rich smells of this West Rogers Park neighborhood with more than 60 ethnic restaurants, bakeries and shops catering to its diverse residents — which also include people of Middle Eastern, Mexican and Russian descent. Bucktown/Wicker Park What was once a working-class neighborhood is now home to a collection of musicians, artists and young professionals. In the burgeoning bohemian neighborhoods of Bucktown and Wicker Park west of the John F. Kennedy Expressway, centered on Milwaukee, Damen and North Avenues, locals frequent the numerous coffeehouses, cutting-edge galleries, hipster restaurants and nightclubs. Also, traditional Mexican shops, taco stands and other eateries dot these streets — a reflection of the strong Latino influence in the area. Andersonville/Argyle Street Yet another multi-hued tapestry awaits visitors to this traditional Swedish neighborhood. Still Scandinavian in flavor, with Swedish sweets, glogg and salt cod readily available, popular Andersonville is also woven with influences from Chicago’s Lebanese, Japanese, Egyptian and Iranian communities. To the east on Argyle Street is a Southeast Asian retail corridor, often called the New Chinatown, where Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Laotian and Cambodian shops and restaurants hum with activity. choosechicago.com ©CCTB 21 http://choosechicago.com
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