Anne Ford - Peaceful Places Chicago: 119 Tranquil Sites in the Windy City and Beyond

P oet Carl Sandburg called Chicago stormy, husky, brawling alive and strong and coarse and cunning. And he wasnt even talking about driving in the Loop during rush hour. Since the 19th centurywhen Chicagos population soared from 350 to more than 1 millionthe city has borne a reputation as a fast-moving, hard-edged, muscle-bound kind of town. And if you find yourself standing on a downtown street corner beneath the citys famous elevated tracks as a train rumbles overhead and suited-up businesspeople shove past you, it can certainly feel that way.

But theres another side to Chicago, one that doesnt require earplugs and sharp elbows (the better to snag a seat on the El). Busy though it may be, the city positively blossoms with pockets of quiet, if you know where to look. Thats what this book is for: to guide you to Chicagos lovely parks, peaceful gardens, placid bookstores, hidden walks, and other places to bask in solitude and serenity.

The destinations represented here consist of places I discovered during my 15-and-counting years as a Chicago-area resident, as well as sites I encountered for the first time in the course of writing this book. It is my hope that youll not only find new places to explore but also be prompted to visit destinations youve heard of and never quite got around to trying. I cant tell you how many acquaintances of mine have confessed that theyve never gone inside the beautiful , for example, despite frequently driving past it.

And then theres a third category: peaceful spots that are tucked away inside larger, heavily visited attractions. For example, the at the Field Museum. Think of these as your secret getaways for the times you just cant take the crowds.

The good news is that most of the time, finding peace in the city takes only a little effort.

Want to see wild deer? Just take a bus to the .

Sit by a 100-year-old ginkgo tree? Then make the easy stroll from Wrigley Field to .

Flip through a first edition of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in blissful silence? All you have to do is duck into Evanstons .

Glide on a quiet ice rink more than 1,000 feet above the noisy Magnificent Mile? Head to the 94th floor of downtowns .

Once you start ferreting out moments like these in your everyday life, they seem to be everywhere. And thats when youll stop thinking of peacefulness as something you can get only on vacation and at great expense.

Anne Ford
Chicago
September 2011

P.S. This book tells you how to reach destinations by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus and rail system, Metra commuter rail, and Pace suburban bus service. It generally provides information for public transportation that arrives closest to the destinations. If not available, or where multiple transfers get so complicated that they undermine the tranquil experience, you will see n/a (not applicable).