Chicago: Heartland and Comforts

If you have friends or family living in the suburbs, as I do, or have meetings in Naperville, Deerfield, Rosemont, you can still find your own personal "Walden" at some very special places listed in this journal, including:

Chicago Botanical Gardens a world-class park made up of 23 gardens and wilderness areas

The Grove Nature Center where Robert Kennicott cut his naturalist teeth and went on to explore Alaska

Ryerson Conservation Area, another historical and natural park managed by the Lake County Forest Preserve District commemorating Daniel Wright who first settled the area in 1834, and Edward Ryerson who subsequently donated the land to the District

River Trails Nature Preserve, a complex of nature trails, animals, interpretive center, bridle paths, maintained by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County

Long Grove Historical Area, a very popular day trip for Chicagoans and suburbanites where a charming covered bridge leads to a crossroads brimming with quaint shops and restaurants

Ravinia Festival, a very unique, well-known and treasured part of Chicago summers with its extensive line-up of musical performers set on gorgeous wooded grounds.

Quick Tips:

Other noteworthy outdoor venues include:

The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, offering 1,700 acres of trees and shrubs, for your inner Thoreau. Drive or hike the twelve miles of paved roads or take the Acorn Express, the open-air tram.

Cantigny is an exceptional 500 acre public park created by the estate of Colonel Robert McCormick (you've probably heard of his place in downtown Chicago) that includes two world-class golf courses, a war museum, gardens, and the McCormick Museum.

Further afield, but one of my favorite Waldens, is Starved Rock Lodge. From Naperville, it's only 54 miles to the fabulous bluffs of the Illinois and Vermillion Rivers where hiking and white water rafting are just two of the extensive outdoor adventures available. The most unexpected delights in this low-keyed haven are the affordable and authentic Lodge and surprisingly delicious café.

I've visited all of the above areas in all seasons. Though Chicago summers are divine, tramping through the new-fallen snow on a crisp December morning with that crunch beneath your boots, warm breathe lingering before you in plumes, the blazing blue sky and sun reflecting off the frozen ground, is heaven for Midwesterners.

Best Way To Get Around:

Hey, let's face it! The Suburbs were made for the automobile. Chicago's highways are reasonably easy to travel, compared to other cities I've visited. Be prepared for those toll stops, however. They come when you are least likely to have correct change. Be sure to note the exact change required at each tollbooth. The prices vary. Don't get into the I-Pass lanes unless you have a pass. Avoid travel at rush hour: anytime before 10 a.m. and after 3 p.m. can result in slow downs.

The best thing about the attractions listed in this journal is that they afford you the chance to leave your home-away-from-home (your car) for a few hours. Once you park, just put one foot in front of the other while wandering the "wilderness." Many destinations also have bridle paths and bike paths.

The Greenbay Trail which essentially runs from Evanston, through Glenview and all the way to the Wisconsin border is used primarily as bike path, but equestrians, joggers and walkers are welcomed and encouraged. Don't worry about the extreme distance. You can stop anywhere along the way, including the Botanical Gardens.

Preparing to meet a friend for dinner at Carlucci's in Rosemont, I knew right where to go since the intersection at River Road and Touhy is a landmark. There's a waterfall out of nowhere for no reason which serves as a counterbalance to a monolithic water tower that's painted to look like a giant rose looming from behind the Rosemont convention center. Since Carlucci's is conveniently located next door to the Marriott Suites, I decided I'd stay there for the night as my flight back was early the next morning and the hotel is minutes from O'Hare.

When the desk clerk told me the room rate was $179, I was stunned. For a simple, single room at a relatively simple hotel on a Sunday night, this was out of the question. Even though my husband had promised when we moved away from Chicago that I could go back anytime I like and stay anywhere I wanted, my mid-western frugality gene kicked in as it always does if I'm asked to pay for more than I either need or want (he knew that when he made the deal, I'm sure). So, a cell phone call turned up another Marriott Courtyard just one-half mile up River Road for a mere $79.

After driving past the hotel twice, as it was set back from road quite a bit and the sign is easy to miss at night, I found two very courteous desk clerks offering to make life easy for me immediately.

The restaurant was closed by then, but a gregarious gang had set up shop in the lounge area where they were making their own party. All the hotel rooms surround the courtyard where a charming little lighted gazebo gives the small hotel in an urban setting the illusion of a vacation village. It was too cold to sit outside that night, or I'm sure the gang would have been whooping it up in the hot tub. I declined the invitation to join them and made use of the indoor pool and exercise room. Not surpringly, I had it all to myself.

Once in my room, I found the promised data port and high-speed internet connection, and the comfortable desk, sofa, coffee maker and ironing facilities that make life on the road bearable to frugal frequent flyers. A tape loop was playing on the TV with Mike Ditka extolling the many virtues of his fair city along with "inside" tips for where to go around Chicagoland.

This was the end of the line for me for this visit to Chicago, so I'd have to pass on the temptations offered at Water Tower Place, Michigan Avenue, Gino's East, and Steppenwolf Theater. But it's good to know that Morton's, Carlucci's, Nick's Fishmarket, Gino's, Augie Doggie's, Giordano's, and Harry Carray's are all located within one mile of the Courtyard Des Plaines/O'Hare. All this and free rides to the airport! As my friends in Chicago would say, "such a deal!"

Walker Bros. Pancake House has been recognized by the Zagat guide as, "the best breakfast in Chicago - bar none!" It's amazing to me that some folks have lived in the Chicago suburbs their entire life and never eaten at Walker Bros. Pancake House. When my in-laws admitted that to me I insisted on an early morning meeting at the Lincolnshire location (even though I'd already indulged at the Highland Park location two days earlier.)

Ten o'clock on a Thursday presented open tables and adequate opportunity to linger over a third cup of their famous Kona coffee, shipped from Hawaii, but roasted locally. The Swedish pancakes had been all I remembered them to be, tender, thin, with crispy edges, to be smeared with lingonberries and rolled into tubes. A side order of scrambled eggs, cooked expertly in 93 score butter, urged nature's perfect food even closer to its claim.

On weekends, the crowds gather early at all locations. Purposely arriving before our determined time, I took my place in line which already extended beyond the stained glass door out into the cold, Chicago wind. The crowd shivered, huddled, sustained only by the sweet scents of the famous apple pancake and Dutch baby which permeated the foyer area.

Breakfast, being a one course affair, ensures that tables turn over quickly. By the time my in-laws arrived, I'd moved to the front of the line where the manager called out, "any tables for under four?" The three of us scurried ahead of the groups to a cozy corner booth where busboys who also tend to the coffee and drinks, quickly presented de-caf Kona, orange juice sqeezed while still on the vine and iced water with lemons.

No one ordered the piece de resistance, the Apple Pancake. We had noted the nutritional facts listed on the order form that said one pancake equaled 470 calories per each of its proposed four servings. Eating one of these babies would satisfy your full caloric allotment for the day (but it is always worth it). It was better before they published these unwanted facts, when the scent just grabbed you and just didn't care how fattening it was! These days, you can buy pancakes "to go," store them in the freezer and serve them on Sundays when you don't want to go out into the cold and stand in line.

But the ambiance in Walker Bros. is part of the appeal. Every locations boasts a collection of stained glass windows that would make a European cathedral envious. Dark, polished oak booths, brass hanging lamps and the homey warmth that comes from "lovin' in the oven" adds to the pleasure of the always perfectly prepared fare.

This is the sort of place that could be franchised everywhere and be a hit. But Walker Bros. seem intent on keeping it all in the family, and unique to Chicago. That's all right. I'll be back.

Part One
On a windy, brisk, brilliant afternoon, a young mother and her toddlers ran toward the Kennicott House with a bag of breadcrumbs in hand. The girl's coat flew open as she tossed the crumbs into the wind, screeching when they blew back into her face. The guinea hens were unfazed by the commotion as they moved in closer to pick crumbs from the girl's shoes. In the interpretive center, a 5,000 square foot rough-hewn log structure built in 1989, two little fellas jumped up and down at the sight of the turtle pond. "Toor-to, toor-to" the younger exclaimed repeatedly as father restrained them from diving in with the amphibians. Another father and son duo in the next room quietly studied the extensive specimen cases filled with wonders that are quite common to the area but seldom seen outside such a center.

In the loft area, large beasts oversee the activities below. The grizzly and his friends have been captured in a permanent state of provoked ire by the look on their faces. On the main floor, water fowl and birds of all sorts are on display as are pelts from otters, beavers, and foxes. Gaze as long as you like into tanks filled with snakes or fish but don't miss the outdoor aviary where the Grove Owl lives.

Dr. John Kennicott, the original owner of the land called The Grove, started the area's first school and a replica of the building which he designed and built serves as an outdoor education classroom for local children. Most Glenview students will have the chance to spend time in the outdoors learning history, ecology, science and literature. They will take part in spinning wool, churning butter, combing flax, tending fires, coaxing syrup from a maple for starters. After experiencing in this small way what life was like when everything you ate, used or wore was the obvious result of something you had planted, raised or fashioned with your own hands, their appreciation for recycling and ecology increases ten-fold.

Special overnight programs allow visitors the opportunity to sleep in the woodsy comfort of the popular communal longhouse retreat, built in 1998 and featuring a weatherproof bark-covered exterior and bunk beds lined with fur and blankets. The antlers on the wall and firepit in the center round out the authenticity. The Redfield House, a stunning Tudor style home built in 1929 by renown architects of the Louis Sullivan school and recently furnished by the local A.S.I.D. chapter to its early elegance, is a very popular and affordable venue for special events and weddings. A circle on one of its stained glass windows captures the moon precisely at the vernal and autumnal equinoxes.

But I just like strolling the ancient woods where Robert Kennicott was first bitten with the botany bug and in appreciation, the "Frogs and Twigs" ladies "Saved the Grove" for the enrichment of us all.

Part Two

It's hard to imagine that The Grove was once very close to development and destruction, (1973) but the "Save the Grove" committee, also known as the "Twig and Frog Ladies," stepped in to rescue it after learning coincidentally about the heritage of the place. Thanks to their efforts and their subsequent organization, the Grove Heritage Foundation, they were successful in incorporating the land into the Glenview Park District, and in gaining grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. With funding and support secured, they restored the Redfield House, built an impressive new interpretive center and longhouse.

The foundation's current project involves restoring 110 acres of the Grove to its pre-settlement conditions so that species such as the red shouldered hawk, Cooper's hawk, Kirtland's watersnake and eastern prairie fringed orchid have a chance to survive.

When the Kennicott's moved to Illinois from New Orleans in 1836, they immediately exerted a strong influence on the area. Dr. John Kennicott was the area's first physician and impressed the Natives and trappers alike with acumen. His son, Robert demonstrated at an early age that he was Illinois' "foremost naturalist". He began his studies early and submitted many collections to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, where they remain today. He also influenced the trappers and hunters of the area with his collection fever encouraging many of them to send in unusual specimens to the Smithsonian. As a result of Robert's enthusiasm, many of the trappers who'd never have known better otherwise, submitted specimens until the time of their deaths.

Robert Kennicott founded the Chicago Academy of Science at the newly established Northwestern University, and made two separate expeditions to the Alaskan Territory and Canada. As a result we have Robert to thank for his influence in the purchase and annexation of Alaska to the U.S. When he died at age thirty on his last expedition, the Native American tribes who found his body passed it from tribe to tribe until it was delivered lovingly to the arms of his father in Glenview, Illinois, where he was buried. This, more than anything, says what a great and noble man he must have been.

There are so many reasons to love the Grove. It's natural beauty, educational programs, historical value are just a few. The work the Heritage Foundation does for ecology and environmental preservation has always impressed me. And personally, the Grove represents a string of memories going back to when I was the young mother tossing breadcrumbs with my toddlers, and continuing uninterrupted to the present with my meditative strolls. History increases in value as you grow older and you realize you've become a part of it.

Kris and Steve were still there when I visited, as they've been for the past twenty years. How many places will you go to twenty years from now and still bump into an old friend who seemed to be just waiting in that cabin in the woods for your visit?

Under the shade and protection of a great oak, a group of ladies passed around plastic containers of home-made specialties. Chattering away in a foreign language, their chopsticks moving to and fro with the cadence of their speech, they seemed excited to be here.

Near the entrance of the main building, the ticket kiosk for the popular site-seeing tram handed tickets to a group of senior citizens who promptly took their seats; their purses propped on their laps, in quiet contemplation of the great outdoors.

Inside, curators managed the surprisingly large crowd for this cold, Spring Thursday, issuing tickets and brochures of the myriad upcoming events at the gardens. A quick glance and I was promised an April filled with spring planting seminars, visiting chef demonstrations, tai chi and yoga classes, and antiques and garden fair. The gift shop salesclerks bustled about fetching items from high shelves, handling delicate treasures, such as blown-glass hummingbird feeders, and informatively offering suggestions on planting bulbs.

Across the way, the café, filled with a lunch crowd who appeared to come here just for the food, dished up homemade soups, foccacia sandwiches, tempting pizza, salads and French bakery style desserts for a reasonable price. Diners were already taking seats on the sun-drenched outdoor patio where swans plied the pond in an effortless water ballet.

You'd have thought from all this that it was mid-summer, but in truth, it was still downright cold. The natives didn't seem to mind. Birds were singing, herons flew conspicuously over the field of daffodils that covered the distant hill on their way back to the wet prairie. The blooming season had officially opened with a grand celebration of life.

Considering that the blooming season in Chicago is relatively short, it's impressive to consider the overwhelming support this world-class park receives. Nearly one million people visit the Chicago Botanical Gardens each year and its 23 floral display gardens situated on over 385 acres in Highland Park, Illinois. It's no wonder. The extensive programs offered along with and devoted work of volunteers ensures that this grand garden always remains well traveled and utilized to its fullest potential.

But it’s the gardens that inspire the interest and devotion. The circle garden, which excites gardeners and delights everyone else with its brilliant display of year-round blooms, the walled English garden that appears taken from the pages of a Victorian novel, the Japanese gardens with three islands, authentic teahouse and picturesque bridges all offer a sense of serenity and wonder. Nearby, the waterfall garden, which cascades down a meandering path and splashes majestically into the lake, arouses the senses again with its energetic displays.

The diversity of visitors during my visit speaks for the universal appeal of the gardens. Braving the cold, couples and girl friends, seniors and school children, people of all races and nationalities, strolled the grounds, marveling once again as I did, that spring had really returned to Chicago.

History, ecology and architecture are the centerpieces of the Ryerson Woods Nature area. Area school children come here to participate in outdoor education where they learn how to tap a maple tree and boil the sap into syrup, to look for the homes of the many woodland creatures, and much about the 150 different types of birds, 600 species of plants, and 65 varieties of trees living in the woods.

We took a stroll through the woods with a naturalist and learned we could tell directions by the growth of a tree. As if on cue at a theme-park arena, an endangered red-shouldered hawk flew overhead as we walked from the woods to the barn area.

Educational lectures, games and programs are held in the little cabins preserved from the time when Daniel Wright, the area's first European settler in 1834, built his home here. Near the oldest remaining barn in Lake County, located on the adjacent farm built by Capt. Wright's offspring in 1848, children are delighted to see pigs, chickens, cows, goats, sheep and turkeys in a true farm environment. (The oak and hickory barn is currently being restored and is not open for visitor tours inside.)

For those little ones and their parents who never want to leave, there are summer and specialty camps available to extend their educational experience. Additionally, room rentals are available in the Historic Greek Revival house built by the Ryerson's which serves as the visitor center for the reserve. Many a happy camper has celebrated his birthday here.

But Ryerson Woods is not just for kids. Six miles of flat trails wind through the old oak and sugar maple forests and are well-traveled by people of all ages either at leisure or with the accompaniment of a naturalist guide. Crushed stone paths are wheelchair accessible and some paths are set-up for the sight-impaired. Tapes, detailing the forest wonders, are also available for use. When the snow is four inches deep, cross-country skiing on the trails and routes that follow the Des Plaines river is heartily encouraged.

Near the entrance to the visitors center is the beloved butterfly garden. Planted to attract the gentle creatures during their migrations and otherwise, they provide a sheltered stop for people, too. A recent Smith Symposium, an annual spring gathering of naturalists and nature lovers in partnership with the Field Museum, was hosting Dr. Lincoln Brower, a Distinguished Service Professor of Zoology who has studied the migration of the monarch extensively.

Though a proud part of the Forest Preserve district, the Friends of Ryerson Woods, a busy, devoted and passionately supportive group, manages much of the fund-raising, programming and project work of this natural gem. There is no cost to enjoy the wonders of nature that have been ensured by the generous donations of the Ryerson's and their friends and subsequently by the huge cadre of volunteers who lead tours, patrol the paths and help in restoration projects.

According to the unofficial Forest Preserve site , "Nowhere … is there such a large area of publicly owned native landscape as fine and as readily accessible to so many people," as the Forest Preserve Districts of Chicago.

River Trails, one of five nature centers in the Cook County District, is exactly what the preserves are meant to be; wild, low-key, quiet, contemplative, natural. The naturalist center is nothing more than an old log building with a small display room where animal pelts, wildlife posters, a small fish tank, and basic trail and facility information is available. Here you may see a plea that reads, "No Winged Wahoos, Please!" a reference to refraining from planting insidious plants that overtake the natural order of things, along with guidelines for avoiding poisonous oak, ivy and nettles during your hike.

A bald eagle, owl, hawk, and fox recuperate safely beside the center. A honeybee colony provides the excitement for the Fall Honey Festival, and crowds gather in spring for the Maple Syrup Fest. At River Trails you can start a journey either north or south and take your horse (or your bike or your Nikes) on a ten mile route from Lake Cook Road to Touhy Avenue bordering the Des Plaines River through the lush river forests. Or take a loop walk on the shorter hiking trails of under a mile. You'll probably be on your own.

As you should be. The purpose of the nature preserve isn't a staging ground for softball tournaments, or loud parties. There are other municipal parks ready to handle that sort of event. These woods are meant for solitude and study and the occasional picnic which is limited exclusively to designated areas, usually near the entrance to the trails.

As early as 1869, Dr. John Rausch spoke out on the emerging need to protect land corridors in Chicago and, "act in a manner that will not leave her far behind as compared with other cities … in other words, we want not alone a place for business, but also one in which we can live!" Some pretty amazing foresight on the part of many persons with influence in Chicago's early development. To have already given consideration to lands that extended so far from the city center at that time was purely visionary.

This concern for the open spaces laid the groundwork for the extensive system of greenbelts and wilderness which make up Chicago's Preserves, 68,000 acres in all, 80 percent of which is wild, 60 percent forested. Included in the acreage are: 2,200 picnic groves, 10 public golf courses, 4 driving ranges, 5 nature centers, 109 miles of bicycle trails, 200 miles of hiking and horseback trails, and 4,400 acres in the Illinois Nature Preserve special district. The Forest Preserve District accounts for 11% of Chicago's land mass, not including the lands held by the Park District.

Everyone from Chicago has a favorite Forest Preserve. Be sure to find yours.

Some people still refer to this area as Daniel Wright Woods because Capt. Wright was the first white settler to call the woodlands bordering the Des Plaines River home. In 1834 he built a pioneer cabin just west of what is now known as Ryerson Woods.

It was only later (1928) that Edward Ryerson, of the Ryerson Steel family, after spending some quality time in his friend, David Dangler's place here, brought property to create a get-away for his family. Soon, a cadre of nature-loving friends followed the Ryersons and built modest cabin type homes at a time when many other captains of industry were building huge mansions on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

It's fair to say there were no ordinary "woodsmen." Among the notable cabin dwellers were: Architect Ambrose Cramer, who worked under David Adler and later designed the Brushwood Farm homestead for the Ryersons; Painter Ivan Albright (whose work I referenced in my Barcelona journal) joined the group when he built a cabin here in 1950; Hermon Dunlap Smith, founder of the Newberry Library and Chicago Historical Society, was also a Ryerson woods devotee. His wife, Ellen, founded the woman's board of the Field Museum and authored "Birds of Chicagoland." The Smith Sympsium is named for these important benefactors to Chicagoland. Five of the original nine cabins used by the distinguished people mentioned earlier are still on site. Two have been relocated from their original locations deep within the woods and are the cabins used by for the nature programs.

After the Ryerson's summer home in Massachusetts was destroyed by a hurricane in 1938, they rebuilt a Classical Revival substitute on their Illinois property designed by friend, Ambrose Cramer. The design was taken from an 1840's Greek Revival farmhouse, similar to those on display at the Naper Settlement. Using old pink bricks from a woolen mill in Galena, floorboards and fixtures salvaged from other old buildings, they gave their 1942 home historical significance immediately. The Ryerson's home is used currently as the visitor's center and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Before building the house, the Ryerson's had already bought the adjacent farmland from descendents of the Wrights in 1938 when they feared the property would be sold to developers. Instead, they hired Brookfield Zoo architect, Edwin Hill Clark, to build them a farm. Dairy cattle, Yorkshire pigs and Arabian horses soon became the newest residents to share the acreage with the Ryersons. In their continued desire to maintain this piece of wilderness for future generations, they began in 1966 to donate lands to the Forest Preserve. The other families owning property and cabins here followed suit. As a result of their love for the land and generosity, we can show our thanks by enjoying the 552 environmentally protected acres where most of Illinois' rare high quality floodplain forest is located and is carefully protected by the Illinois Nature Preserves System.

A finely detailed tablecloth from Provence was lain with crystal stemware, fine china, silver candlesticks and flowers. Her companion opened a bottle of Barolo and decanted. Then, he took a hammer and nail and hung a fine art print. On a tree.

It's not so unusual to find this sort of ritual being performed during the three hours Ravinia is open prior to concert time. There was a time when Ravinia was totally BYO, from simple buckets of chicken to extremely elaborate gourmet meals. In time, many regulars competed in the fine art of "doing Ravinia" while the under aged smuggled in coolers of beer.

Now you can do Ravinia fuss-free as the Levy organization has stepped up to the demands of the large and often sophisticated crowd that gathers here on gay, warm, celebratory, summer evenings. Music lovers can order ahead and pick up dinners, like steak and arugula sandwiches, shrimp-feta salads, and even ice and wine for your cooler. In addition, an ice cream parlor, Mirabelle restaurant, a café and a coffee shop assure that hunger pangs will not disrupt your enjoyment of the music.

For music is what Ravinia is really about. Not only is it the summer home for the Chicago Symphony, but the line-up of attractions during the glorious period of summer, June 7 - Sept. 8th, includes jazz, pop, rock, country and new world musicians. For performers who are fun to watch, pavilion seating for 3,200 is available, but thousands more prefer sitting on the lawn, where communing with nature and fellow music lovers confirms the "festival" in the title. You can always stand at the back of the pavilion and look on, saving money on tickets (some as high as $60 vs. the lawn at $10) and reserve all options. I've had pavilion seats on hot nights and chose the open air venue instead.

Cheap seats? Don't worry. Somehow the state-of-the-art sound system assures that everyone on the grounds hears the music exactly as those in the pavilion. Listening to music this way in the wide-open, warm summer air is akin to hearing the angles sing, regardless of whether the voice is Willie Nelson or Trisha Yearwood.

In spite of the park's expansiveness, the more popular acts sell-out; even lawn tickets, many before the box office opens in June. Therefore, it's best to check the schedule as soon as it's released and buy tickets online. I've already scored tickets for the fantastic Lyle Lovett/Bonnie Rait double bill on August 31st. At the same time you can choose, the "Instant Ravinia" option and book lawn chairs and dinner. What a pleasure from the old days when schlepping half the house was part of the price you paid to fully enjoy this venue.

Getting to Ravinia is easy! Take the special bus from eight locations in downtown, or the Metra Special and be dropped off at the front gate.

Then, pick your spot and watch the stars.