Avenue

My Secret City: Chicago

Dramatically situated at the edge of Lake Michigan and with over nine million residents in its metropolitan region, Chicago is a city that lives large. Alumna Ginny Van Alyea looks beyond its steel-framed skyscrapers and iconic waterfront to reveal her favourite places in the United States' ‘Second City’.

Chicago is known as a city of neighbourhoods, and even living here for 24 years I haven’t seen them all, but they do each have a personality and something to offer – from Mexican food and shops in Pilsen and Little Village to the south up to German heritage in Lincoln Square on the north side. It feels like the whole world is in Chicago.

The Driehaus Museum downtown is a very special small museum housed in a former Gilded Age mansion. It was restored inside and out in the last 20 years, and in addition to the stunning permanent collection of furnishings and art objects from the period when Chicago’s wealthy industrialists lived there, there is a very strong contemporary exhibition programme that rotates every year.

"Chicago is a self-confident city which, once you get to know it, is comfortable eluding any one single definition.”

We loved taking our kids to Maggie Daley Park when they were little, because it has such unique climbing structures and active spaces. It’s close to the lake and downtown, next to the Art Institute and Millennium Park, and is big enough to keep everyone busy for a while.

The Chicago Architecture Center offers the best of the Chicago River boat cruises. They have expert docents who give really informative tours from the deck of the boats that cruise from one end of the river to the other and out onto Lake Michigan. There are so many amazing skyscrapers along the water that make Chicago unique. It’s a wonderful history lesson as well as a remarkable view of the city’s lakefront location and skyline.

Opening Day in March or April for the Chicago Cubs baseball team at Wrigley Field is one of the biggest days of the year. I live a few blocks from Wrigley and we see up to 40,000 people stream into the neighbourhood on home-game days. It’s fun to walk around the streets near the ball park to watch everything open up – the vendors selling hotdogs, the players signing autographs and the bars open at 7am.

"Opening Day at baseball is a bit like New Year’s Day, when the season is full of possibilities and everyone is excited to wear their team gear and root for the Cubs.”

The MCA Store at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is a fabulous store for many things, including art books and hard-to-find artist-designed gifts and objects. You can stop in any time, even if you don’t visit the museum.

If I want a day away, I will go to the Chicago Botanic Garden, about 40 minutes north of the city. It offers many gorgeous natural places to walk and relax and there are interesting programmes and events offered throughout the year, from the orchid festival to special light exhibits during Halloween and Christmas time.

My food & drink hit list

We're excited about the opening of PopUp Bagels in Lincoln Park. They just sell bagels with a schmear [a cream cheese spread] – no sandwiches or anything else. They frequently sell out. Otherwise, we love to buy bagels at a place in the suburbs off the highway called New York Bagels, but that’s trickier to get to if you’re a visitor. 

Pequods Pizza in Lincoln Park has become better known because of the TV show ‘The Bear’. It has excellent deep dish pizza with a distinct thick crust and tomato sauce. They also have a good thin crust. Even though it’s not as famous as Uno or Lou Malnatti’s, Pequods has long been popular.  

In a city filled with Irish bars, The Duke of Perth is a Scottish oasis! No TVs, great Scottish ales and whiskies and live music, along with fish and chips. The Duke is owned by a Scotsman, too. 

We like Margie’s in Ravenswood for ice cream, since it’s not far from our house, though the other, original location is on Western Ave. Margie’s is local and independent, and we like the old-fashioned touches like the metal cups, the seashell dishes and the wafer cookies that accompany ice cream orders.  

There is a lovely wine store in Bucktown called Door 24. They sell a selection of unique wines and spirits you don’t find everywhere, and the owner just built a wine bar where they offer tastings on Friday afternoons.   

We love taking out-of-town guests to Twin Anchors for ribs and martinis, because it’s so classically Chicago. It has wood panelling, a great big bar, cosy booths and pictures of visiting celebrities on the wall. The ribs and baked potatoes are classics. 

This feature was first published in June 2026. All opinions expressed are the views of the author and are not endorsed by the University of Glasgow.