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Lincoln Park
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Neighborhood Promotion and Neighborhood Map Thumbnail
Explore This Neighborhood
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Lincoln Park continued...
The lake, the park and other things
The neighborhood's eastern side, from North Avenue to Diversey Parkway, is all park and Lake Michigan shoreline. Some of the city's best beaches are along here; water temperatures may not turn swimmable before mid-July, but that doesn't discourage Chicagoans from enjoying the sand and socialization all summer long, especially at Fullerton and North Avenue Beaches. Bike paths and jogging/walking paths make it a breeze for everyone to experience not only the lakefront but gardens and public art between the lake and Clark Street (and the good stuff north and south of the neighborhood, too). Lincoln Park Zoo and, near Fullerton, the Conservatory are not only glorious but gloriously free. The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum charges most of the time, and that's OK; so does the Chicago History Museum, down at North Avenue, which will fascinate even non-locals. (Don't miss the Lincoln exhibit -- and check both museums' schedules for free days.)
Around Halsted and Armitage
Boutique-type shops abound, especially on Armitage Avenue west of Halsted, mostly for women. For all genders, there are plenty of places to grab a bite or a refreshment on both streets (and on Webster Avenue as well). The Old Town School of Folk Music, on Armitage, will sell you a ukulele and teach you to play it. If you find yourself at Webster and Halsted, walk east on Webster and soon you'll spot Dorothy (and Toto, too). That's Oz Park; author L. Frank Baum lived in the neighborhood.
For serious foodies
Alinea, on Halsted, opened in 2005 and the glow from its reviews then and since (one credible magazine called it North America's finest restaurant) could power a mid-size country. Very Expensive. Charlie Trotter's, on Armitage, has won too many honors to list without this Web site blushing. Twenty-plus years of excellence. Very Expensive. L20, on Lincoln Park West, is relatively new, super-sleek (seafood, mostly) and, of course, Very Expensive. North Pond, right in the park near Deming Place, features seasonal specials in a gorgeous setting. Not quite Very Expensive but close.
For serious foodies on a tighter budget. Mon Ami Gabi, French bistro, shares the same ownership and location (in the Belden Stratford Hotel) as L20. Cafe Bernard offers country French at a good price, on Halsted. Riccardo Trattoria, on Clark near the park, is as close to true Italian as you'll find in town.
Chicago specials
Frances Deli, on Clark Street, has been serving matzo balls and corned beef since 1938, while the Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Co., has dished out its "pot pie" pizzas since 1972. Wiener's Circle, also on Clark, offers the standard Chicago hot dogs with, at night, a side order of R-rated invective. Goose Island Brewery, on Clybourn Avenue, is known throughout the city for specialty brews tested by time -- and tasting tours so you can test on your own. Tom and Wendee's Italian Ice, on Armitage, provides a taste of Taylor Street (Little Italy neighborhood) among the boutiques. Robinson's, east of Halsted on Armitage, treats diners to prize-winning ribs and tips and other sloppy things.
Ethnics, ethnics, ethnics
Every major street has something -- but to eat your way around the world within a few blocks, hit Clark Street from Fullerton to Diversey, nibbling along the way. We're talking Indian, Japanese, Mexican, Austrian, Chinese, Argentine, Italian, Algerian, Vietnamese, Hawaiian, Celtic, kosher-style, pan-Asian noodles, Middle Eastern, New York pizza, and we're probably forgetting something.
Theater
Greenhouse Theater, with four stages and five resident companies, performs high-octane material on Lincoln Avenue. The New Leaf offers premiers and the occasional classic in an intimate space within the historic Lincoln Park Cultural Center near Clark and Armitage. And Theater on the Lake, at Fullerton Beach, presents a summertime series of crowd-pleasers launched in 1942.
Party
Especially Lincoln Avenue from Webster to Belden. Old bars, new bars, some with music, most with food, and, especially on Saturday nights, quite the scene. Also good, and not quite so collegiate: Halsted Street, from Willow north to Belden; and Clark Street, between the restaurants, from Fullerton to Schubert Avenue. And if you somehow can't find what you're looking for here, check out the chapters on DePaul-Sheffield and Old Town; this is a party that doesn't recognize neighborhood boundaries.
So that's Lincoln Park. There should be enough there to keep you busy for a couple of hours -- or a lifetime.
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