111 Places in Chicago That You Must Not Miss Revised & Updated

by Amy Bizzarri, Susie Inverso (Photographer)

Chicago. City of the Big Shoulders. What started off as a small fur-trading settlement is today a bustling metropolis. Once considered the "hog butcher of the world, stacker of wheat, player with railroads and the nation's freight handler", Chicago's colorful past remains hidden in the nooks and crannies of this wonderful windy city.
Adventures await, from the glamorous to the gritty. Sip dirty martinis in an elegant, underground, 1920's bank vault. Paddle a kayak down the infamous Bubbly Creek of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. While away an afternoon in a salt cave, or smoke a classic cigar in the oldest family-run tobacco shop in the U.S. Snorkel a 32-acre, limestone sheet shoal, one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the Midwest. Dine outdoors in a 23rd floor Beaux-Arts cupola overlooking the Chicago River. Whether you're an out-of-towner or a diehard Chicago dweller who thinks you've seen it all, these 111 hidden places are waiting for you to discover them.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference

240 pages, Paperback

Published April 16, 2018

About the author

I'm Amy Bizzarri, a Chicago-based freelance writer. My stories have appeared in BBC Travel, Smithsonian, Lonely Planet, Somm Journal, Fodor's, Chicago Tribune, and more.

*I specialize in writing travel content for various tourism websites, including Visit U.S.V.I, Travel Illinois, and Choose Chicago.

*My Great, Great Grandparents met the night the Great Chicago Fire hit our city (1871): Walter Daker, a volunteer firefighter, caught a glimpse of Catherine's long, flowing red hair and, believing it was on fire, swooped her up in his arms to "save" her… the rest is history! I'm the author of four Chicago history-focused books: Discovering Vintage Chicago, Chicago's Iconic Dishes, Drinks, and Desserts, 111 Places Chicago, and 111 Places Chicago Kids.

*Recipient of the 2019 Silver Lowell Award for Best Travel Guide by Society of American Travel Writers for my bestselling retro road trip guide, The Best Hits on Route 66. My upcoming travel guide to U.S. Route 61 will be published by Globe Pequot in June 2023.

*Contributor to the Lonely Planet Florida 10 guide (2023) and Women's Suffrage: The Complete Guide to the Nineteenth Amendment (ABC-CLIO, 2020).

*Recipient of the 2022 best travel article for The Black Cowboys of Chicago's South Side - BBC Travel: bbc.com/travel/article/20210919-the-b...

*I lived in Italy for 5+ years and am a fluent Italian speaker with an M.A. in Italian from Middlebury College (VT). My paternal grandfather is from Castelnuovo Ne'Monti (RE). There will always be a special place in my heart for *il bel paese*, and I’m an expert on Italian travel, food, and wine — ask me anything!

*Freelance translator Italian/English; I specialize in tv/film subtitles

*My passion for wine led me to pursue WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) certification (currently Levels 1 and 2 certified/working on Level 3). I also speak French and have a passion for wine from Bordeaux

*I'm a teacher with 20+ years of experience and a Master of Arts in Education with a focus on bilingual education. I'm Reading Apprenticeship and International Baccalaureate certified.

*In 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023 I received study grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

*I've hosted television and radio segments and produced several smart walking tours with VoiceMap and EAtlas.

*I'm a PADI-certified scuba diver, and I'm proud to be a mermaid: chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/travel/...

Follow me at Instagram.com/amybizzarri to see where I am in the world today!

Reviews

[Jenn Meadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

This summer will mark my fifth year in the Chicago area. While it has been a bumpy ride, this city feels like my home. While I have my favorite spots that I frequent often, I picked up this guide book to learn a little bit more about my adopted city and come up with a bucket list of sorts for this summer. This little guide book for locals was absolutely charming! While I did learn about the interesting, quirky parts of Chicago that I should definitely make a special trip to experience, I learned a lot about Chicago's history while reading as well. Every local should pick up this book!

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emons Publishing in Cologne, Germany puts out the 111 Places series. Turns out, 11 is a lucky number in Cologne but 11 doesn’t cut it when it comes to filling out a book. So, 111 it is. Which brings me to the Chicago volume of the series, detailing the aforementioned number of must see locations in the City by the Lake. My predispositions about Chicago books always preclude me from thinking outside my own 46 year suburban residential box. Hot dogs. Beef. Pizza. Wrigley. Museum Campus. Blah blah blah. And it became quickly evident that I’m the perpetual tourist in my own beloved city. Visitation wise, I had clocked in at an underwhelming less than 10% of the 111 Chicago places that one must not miss. The author, Amy Bizzarri did a bang up job of not only covering eclectic places and experiences, but spreading the web across Chicago’s famed neighborhoods from the Gold Coast to Englewood. What was even more enriching was her ability to put a finer point on things, specifying a place WITHIN a place to go to at times (or for the more sublime, directions, a website and a pro tip added to each page). Finally, what good touristy book would be complete without photography? Photographer Susie Inverso’s subtleties of each location, imho, perfectly accompanied the entry. The views left more to the reader’s imagination to want to explore but were enough to capture charm and grace of both a city renowned for its architecture and stamped by history. Definitely a fun find.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not much to say about this one, because it has a very simple premise -- it's simply a list of 111 interesting places in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, some of them more famous and some of them less. A publication that firmly fits in the "tourist books for locals" category, it makes a great gift for any Chicagoan in your life; although if you're buying it for yourself, better to simply check it out of the library and take 15 minutes to type the list into a Word document.

[Natalie]

I have already been to 32 places in this book, and it gave me ideas for Chicago excursions I can do once the pandemic is over.

[Michael Bolls · Rating 5 out of 5]

111 Places is a great collection of some of the quirky places you can find in Chicago.

Disclaimer: At the time of writing this review (3/30/20), I have lived in Chicago for ~1.5+ years. My reviews may be biased for the newer transplants versus a lifelong citizen.

111 Places go beyond the traps and finds deeper oddities hidden away from the crowds. Though some are obvious (Green Mill, Signature Room, etc.), I found many suggestions interesting.

I spend most of my free time exploring what I can in any city I live in. Chicago is no different. Yet, in my time exploring, I found that many guides slant towards touristy areas in the Loop and north side. That leaves much of Chicago underexplored. 111 doesn't do that. The inclusion of spots on the South and far West sides were greatly appreciated.

Amy Bizzarri does an excellent job of painting beautiful imagery with her words. Amy Bizzari's words are complemented by Susie Inverso's crafty photography. Each page is filled with beauty & a detailed explanation of why you should visit.

This is a great bucket list to-do for those new and not-so-new to Chicago. The only complaint I have is due to the book steering towards certain businesses that may seem out of place. Though appreciated, I found that it took away from the enjoyment of the book a bit.

But that's anyone, every travel guide will have things some people may not be interested in.

5/5. Enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would've otherwise. A great guide for the newly arrived and the not-so-new to the Windy City.

[William Barney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Chicago! I love you. You are the city I’ve always wanted to visit ever since I was a kid. After reading this travel guide, I have to make it my mission to visit the Windy City 🏙 Chicago is unique. It was the birthplace of the first skyscraper, it has one-of-kind cuisine (deep dish pizzas and vienna beef hot dogs galore) and the atmosphere is modern, industrial, hardworking and CHIC! Chicago, I will visit you sooner than you think 😁

Places I would like to visit in Chicago are:

1) The 606
2) Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool
3) Athenian Candle
4) Beer Baron Row
5) Body Slices
6) Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Co.
7) Cindy’s Rooftop
8) Clarke House
9) Doughnut Vault
10) Galos Caves
11) Ghost Church Facade
12) Leather Archives and Museum
13) Leopard Print House
14) Light Court at the Rookery
15) Maxwell Street Market
16) McCormick Bridgehouse
17) Optimo Hats
18) Oriental Institute
19) Osaka Garden
20) Palm Court at the Drake Hotel
21) Pickwick Alley
22) Sky Chapel
23) South Side Elevated Car
24) Trephined Skull Exhibit
25) Tribune Tower Facade
26) Vienna Beef Hot Dog Factory Cafeteria
27) World’s Columbian Exposition Ticket Booth

Chicago, here I come 🤩

[Valerie Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVE this series of travel books. Each entry in the book is basically two pages: one with the text and the other with a very nice photograph. There is a lot of focus on history and off-beat locations. Travel directions, websites and tourist information is always included. What was really helpful to me are the maps at the back showing where all 111 places are located!

I first came across this series in the New York Public Library bookstore - 111 Places in New York That You Must Not Miss -- and it followed me home. I checked this one out of our local public library right before our trip to Chicago. My big mistake was not getting it sooner - like a month before the trip so I would have a chance to delve into all the wonderful Chicago locales that I Should Not Have Missed! Even so, I enjoyed reading more of it after our whirlwind 3-day Chicago tour over Memorial Day. Look for other books in this series; I was surprised by how many have been published! Check out https://www.111places.com.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to be a tourist in my own town. In the few short years since I moved here, I had already done about 20% of the items listed and had personal interactions with several others. The other 70% of the list have me excited to make more weekend and evening plans!

Many of the suggestions come from the historical lens of the Great Chicago Fire and the era of Al Capone. As a transplant to the city, I appreciate the tidbits of historical context and information. I was happy to see the variety of indoor/ outdoor suggestions, while also disappointed to see such a heavy focus on northside neighborhoods. It would be interesting to see how this collection would be changed if curated by a lifelong South Sider.

Removing a star because I found issue with several of the navigation directions and a handful of copy edit errors.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite living in Chicago most of my life, there was plenty of places I was unaware of their existence. Of the places I knew, it was nice to read about a more in depth micro history lesson. In a positive way, it made me feel like a tourist in my own city and appreciate the diverse history and community. Worth the read.

[Lisa Daleiden-Brugman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a whole series of guide books. Based on the cool stuff in the Chicago edition, I will be checking out the others! When we can travel again.

[Hansel5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saw this title in the library and got it to learn about interesting places in my new city. It has a lot. However, the author is not very knowledgeable about architecture or urban issues. Some of the food picks are questionable. Some places have gone out of business because of Covid. But overall, it is a good survey. I put together a list of places to check out and check off.