Logan Square

城市概覽

The area now known as Logan Square was born in the boomtown days of the 1830s, when schoolteacher Martin Kimbell rejected a plot in the obviously going-nowhere Loop in favor of good, solid farmland about five miles northwest. The area remained independent from the city until temptations like water and fire departments became too much to resist, and in 1889, Chicago took over. (The streets were upgraded, but they were also renamed — most cruelly, "Kimbell" became "Kimball".) And if you were a goat farmer in the city around that time, Bucktown was the place to be. You knew that you were in a place that understood the importance of goats, and that any goats you owned would be in good company. As home to farms, factories, and immigrants who were employed by them, Bucktown never developed any major tourist attractions, but it did support plenty of bars for discussions of issues both goat-related and non-goat-related, and that preponderance of cheap bars is still intact. Logan Square, on the other hand, was named for the Civil War hero Gen. John A. Logan, and its tree-lined boulevards — one of which bears his name — are what really set the neighborhood apart from its neighbors, offering wide-open spaces for leisurely trawls by cars, bikes, and pedestrians alike. (Fittingly, Ignaz Schwinn, founder of the Schwinn bicycle company, settled in Logan Square.) The neighborhood became a destination for immigrants who'd struck it rich in Chicago, and they helped build the beautiful housing stock that survives, even after the business district collapsed in the 1950s. It's those magnificent graystones and richly detailed brick classics that draw waves of new residents to Logan Square. It's the best of both worlds: murals and community gardens decorate the streets, and new residents kick portions of their salaries to businesses run by older ones, enjoying authentic taquerias on wide, sunny boulevards that are (mostly) rich with gritty, urban character and (generally) safe. Despite th

如何抵達

By train The O'Hare branch of the CTA Blue Line has stops in Bucktown (Damen, Western) and Logan Square (California, Logan Square). It runs all night.

By bus 49 Western runs through Bucktown all night, connecting with the Blue Line at Western and Armitage. 52 Kedzie/California travels on California through both neighborhoods, connecting with the Blue Line at the California station, and on to the Far West Side. 56 Milwaukee is the key route, running from Wicker Park, through Bucktown and Logan Square, and on to the Far Northwest Side. It connects near the Blue Line at Damen, again at California, and again at the Logan Square stop. 82 Kimball runs through Logan Square till midnight, connecting with the Blue Line at the Logan Square stop (Spaulding entrance). Three buses connect Bucktown with Lincoln Park, Old Town, and the lakefront, not to mention the Red, Purple, and Brown Lines:

72 North runs a quick route between the Brown/Purple (Sedgwick) and Red (North/Clybourn) Lines and the Blue Line (Damen) at the center of the Wicker Park/Bucktown shopping district. 73 Armitage connects with the Blue Line at Western. 74 Fullerton connects with the Blue Line at California. 76 Diversey connects with the Blue Line at Logan Square.

By car I-90/94, also known as the Kennedy Expressway, runs close to Logan Square and Bucktown. Diversey Avenue is the main exit for the neighborhood. Street parking is usually not a problem in Logan Square, but check for permit-only parking on side streets — the posted hours are a bit weird, and cops go on ticket binges every once in a while. Logan Boulevard itself usually offers plentiful open parking, though.

必看景點

One of Logan Square's most celebrated features is Logan Boulevard itself, which is lined with century-old, show-of-wealth mansions. For an easy walking tour, start west of the I-90/94 underpass, and walk west to the Illinois Centenary Memorial Column, veering off to walk south on Kedzie for a few more blocks of the same. They're enjoyable by sight alone on a sunny day, but community groups like Logan Square Preservation hold occasional guided tours and garden walks.

1 Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2012 W Dickens Ave, ☏ +1-773-486-9590. Su 9AM, 10:45AM. This Presbyterian church is housed in the former Cathedral of All Saints of the Polish National Catholic Church in Chicago. A historic church building, its interior decor is painted in a style imitating Master Cracovian painter Stanisław Wyspiański, while the nave is lined with depictions of the historic crests of Polish cities. Illinois Centenary Memorial Column, Milwaukee Ave, Logan Blvd, and Kedzie Ave (Logan Square Blue Line). Not a sight to seek out, but it’s hard to miss — this column was erected in 1918 to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of Illinois’ statehood, and topped with an eagle to show the committee members weren’t messing around. It’s out of step with the rest of the neighborhood now, but hey, only a few more years until it’s time for an update! 2 John Rath House, 2703 W Logan Blvd. Nestled among the mansions of Logan Boulevard, this 1907 Prairie School house by George Maher makes a nice contrast with its elegant lines and lack of Euro mish-mash. 3 Palmer Square Park, 3100 W Palmer Blvd (Kedzie Ave, Humboldt Blvd, and Palmer St), ☏ +1-773-227-3535. Designed by William LeBaron Jenney, designer to the (Victorian) stars, and a lovely job at that — with plenty of trees, shade, and green space. When New Belgium brewery brought its Tour de Fat to Chicago in 2008, it chose beautiful Palmer Square. 4 St. Mary of the Angels, 1850 N Hermitage Ave, ☏ +1-773-278-2644. Masses M-F 7AM & 5:30PM, Sa 8AM &5PM

體驗活動

The best reason to visit Bucktown and Logan Square is the music scene, which includes several bars — see also the below.

1 Congress Theater, 2135 N Milwaukee Ave (Western Blue Line), ☏ +1-312-458-9668. Opened in 1926 and still adorned with gorgeous terra cotta, the semi-decrepit Congress Theater is now home to the twin powers of Mexican wrestling and indie rock of an occasionally exceptional caliber. It's standing room only on the floor, but there is first-come first-serve seating in the balcony. Shows $10-25. Diversey River Bowl, 2211 W Diversey Ave (76 Diversey bus from Logan Square Blue Line or Diversey Brown Line), ☏ +1-773-227-5800. Su-F noon-2AM, Sa Sept-May 9AM-3AM, summer noon-3AM. Never mind the bollocks, it's the Rock 'n Bowl. 36 lanes ensure that you won't be crowded out by league play, although there can be a long wait on weekends. The music and staff are great, pitchers of beer (cheap and classy) and pizza (greasy and, uh, greasy) are available, and old-school arcade games and photo-booths help pass the wait, and it's smoke-free. M-Th $19/hr per lane, but only $1 per game noon-5PM; F Sa $32/hr per lane, $39/hr 6PM-close. Fireside Bowl, 2648 W Fullerton Ave (California Blue Line), ☏ +1-773-486-2700. M-F 4PM-2AM, Sa 2PM-3AM, Su 2PM-midnight. Shows on Sunday nights.. There are better places to bowl an