Kudos to Katherine Raz at Gapers Block for interviewing author/explorer Max Grinnell, who (as GB put it) literally wrote the book on Hyde Park:
Anything you learned while writing this book -- a fact, a place, etc. -- that astounded you? Or, at least, surprised you?
In two words: Albany Park. I've taken my students from the University of Chicago there for years, but this neighborhood is truly a microcosm of the future of cities in the United States. There's no majority ethnic group in the community, and it's such an interesting blend of Central American, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Korean culture. I didn't really know it well enough until I started working on this book, and it is a place that all Chicagoans and visitors should visit...
What do you think is the most walkable single street in Chicago?
In terms of aesthetic appeal, I'm going to put my hat in the ring for two streets that are close to my heart: Fullerton Parkway between Clark Street and Halsted Avenue, and Hyde Park Boulevard between 53rd Street and 56th Street. During the spring and summer they have amazing trees on either side and homes that telegraph the high-toned residential architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In two words: Albany Park. I've taken my students from the University of Chicago there for years, but this neighborhood is truly a microcosm of the future of cities in the United States. There's no majority ethnic group in the community, and it's such an interesting blend of Central American, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Korean culture. I didn't really know it well enough until I started working on this book, and it is a place that all Chicagoans and visitors should visit...
What do you think is the most walkable single street in Chicago?
In terms of aesthetic appeal, I'm going to put my hat in the ring for two streets that are close to my heart: Fullerton Parkway between Clark Street and Halsted Avenue, and Hyde Park Boulevard between 53rd Street and 56th Street. During the spring and summer they have amazing trees on either side and homes that telegraph the high-toned residential architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Grinell's new book is entitled 24 Great Walks in Chicago and his website is The Urbanologist. (Photo stolen from this Chicago Chronicle article on him.)
Comments