This week we are heading farther south to the Kenwood and Hyde Park neighborhoods. They are easily accessed by public transportation (use the CTA Trip Planner) and sites are walkable.
 
  
KENWOOD
  
In Kenwood there are several homes of former and current prominent individuals that are all within walking distance of each other.
 
First is the Chicago residence of President Obama and his family at 5046 South Greenwood Avenue.
 
The boxer Muhammad Ali lived at 4944 South Woodlawn and just a bock away at 4901 South Ellis Avenue is the home of Lewis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam.
 
In 1924 Nathan Leopold who lived at 4754 South Greenwood Avenue and Richard Loeb from 5017 South Ellis Avenue were college classmates. They set out to plan and execute the perfect crime. Their murder victim was Bobbie Franks whose family lived at 5052 South Ellis Avenue. While Leopold and Loeb were quickly apprehended and pled guilty, the famous attorney Clarence Darrow was hired to save Leopold and Loeb from the death penalty.
 
Julius Rosenwald was the President of the Sears and Roebuck department store. His home is at 4924 South Woodlawn Avenue.

Also in the area is the Hyde Park Arts Center. Open to the public for FREE, this organization has been around for more than 100 years. Their goal is to "advance the visual arts in Chicago". Upcoming exhibits are listed on their website. As long as you are in the neighborhoods, it's worth stopping by to see.

 
HYDE PARK
 
Heading into Hyde Park and just a few blocks away from the Obama’s home, walk to the corner of Dorchester Avenue and 53rd Street. There you will see a granite boulder with a plaque commemorating the site where then lawyers Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson had their first kiss. The plaque reads "On our first date, I treated her to the finest ice cream Baskin-Robbins had to offer, our dinner table doubling as the curb. I kissed her, and it tasted like chocolate." This is now a popular place for first dates and engagement proposals.
 
Not far away is the Hyde Park Hair Salon at 5234 South Blackstone Avenue, where the barber chair President Obama used to sit in to get his hair cut is on display, enclosed in glass.
 
Walk west to Cottage Grove Avenue and you will find the DuSable Museum of African-American History at 740 E 56th Place. They offer FREE admission every Sunday.
 
Just a few blocks south stands the massive sculpture “Fountain of Time” by artist Loredo Taft. Taft’s studio was on nearby 60th Street and Ingleside Avenue. The sculpture stands at the far end of the Midway Plaisance and long green space and boulevard.
 
The Midway Plaisance traces back to the Columbian Exposition – a world’s fair held here in 1893. On this property was built the world’s first Ferris wheel.
 
Walking east on the Midway Plaisance you are in the midst of the campus of the University of Chicago. Take some time to enjoy both the old and new architecture of the school’s buildings.
 
At 5850 S Woodlawn Avenue is Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. It is open to the public from 11AM to 5pm (17:00) Tuesday through Friday during the summer and for special events on Saturdays and Sundays. All are welcome for Sunday services at 11AM during the summer term. Tours of the carillon are offered to the public Tuesdays through Fridays at 11:30AM and 4:30PM (16:30). Be prepared to climb 271 steps. A $5 donation is appreciated. Hour-long carillon concerts are FREE at 5PM (17::00) every Sunday from June 26, August 7, 2016. . 
 
Just northeast of the chapel is Robie House at 5757 S Woodlawn Avenue, considered by many the last of the Prairie Style homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
 
Now go west to 1155 East 58th Street and visit the Oriental Institute  Admission is FREE but they do appreciate a donation.
 
Just a few blocks away is the Smart Museum at 5550 S Greenwood Avenue. This art museum is always FREE. Note the museum is closed Mondays and on major US holidays
 
The Renaissance Society  at the University of Chicago offers contemporary art exhibits, events and publications. It is located at 5811 South Ellis Avenue Cobb Hall, 4th floor. The Renaissance Society  is currently closed for the summer. We will reopen on Saturday, September 10, 2016 Hours During exhibitions are: Tuesday to Friday: 10AM–5PM (17:00) Saturday and Sunday: 12–5PM (17:00). The center is closed Mondays and between exhibitions

Henry Moore’s sculpture “Nuclear Energy” commemorates the world’s first man-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction created at the University of Chicago on December 2 1942, It is on the east side of Ellis Avenue between 57th and 58th Streets.
  
Back on the Midway Plaisance, now head east and you will come to Jackson Park. There you will find the Museum of Science and Industry. This is my favorite museum in the city. There is something for everyone no matter your age.  Admission is FREE for Illinois residents 52 days each year (check their website for dates) and on the first full weekend of each month it is FREE for Bank of America customers. The building is one of only a few structures left from the Columbian Exposition – a World’s Fair held here in 1893.
 
The Museum is on the north end of Jackson Park, an expansive green space worth walking or riding through. There are two other features in the park to look for - both also trace back to the Columbian Exposition. First is the Osaka Garden just south of the Museum. Second, at the intersection of East Hayes Drive and South Richardson Drive is a replica of a gilded statue from the Columbian Exposition called “Statue of the Republic”
 
 
I hope you will spend some time in Kenwood and Hyde Park. Enjoy!
 
All information was correct at the time of this post, but before you come, please check the website to get the most up-to-date information.
 
Want to receive announcements of new posts? Just leave your email address and I will notify you of new posts on http://www.ChicagoFreeForAll.com
 
 
If you know of a free event in Chicago you’d like me to share, email me at ChicagoFreeForAll@gmail.com
 
Don’t forget to sign up for a free Chicago Greeter visit (see 1/1/2016 post) at www.chicagogreeter.com
 
Until then I hope to see you in Chicago!
 

Several blocks east of MLK Dr. at 636 E 35th Street is the tomb and memorial of Steven A. Douglas.  It dates to 1861 as is open to the public Fridays through Sundays from 9am to 5pm (12:00)

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Since 1929 the Bud Billiken Day Parade has been held in the Bronzeville neighborhood and served as the unofficial back to school celebration. It is known as the oldest African American parade in the country. The parade proceeds south on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive from 39th to 51st streets culminating with a picnic in Washington Park. The event is held on the second Saturday in August. 
 
I hope you will spend some time in Bronzeville and immerse yourself in the rich African-American experiences of the past and present.


All information was correct at the time of this post, but before you come, please check the website to get the most up-to-date information.
 
Want to receive announcements of new posts? Just leave your email address and I will notify you of new posts on http://www.ChicagoFreeForAll.com
  
If you know of a free event in Chicago you’d like me to share, email me at ChicagoFreeForAll@gmail.com
 
Don’t forget to sign up for a free Chicago Greeter visit (see 1/1/2016 post) at www.chicagogreeter.com
 
Until then I hope to see you in Chicago!

Last weekend (The Memorial Day weekend) marked the official opening of the newly improved Chicago Riverwalk. While the sidewalks along both the north and south shores of the main branch of the Chicago River have existed and open to the public for decades, it's the new Riverwalk on the south side of the river that is most popular this time of year.

The north side is a little more challenging because it is not continuous, but still worth exploring. On the south side you can walk on Upper Wacker Drive or go down to the river level. The 3 blocks west of LaSalle Street are currently under construction. Eventually, you will be able to walk the entire length of the main branch of the river all the way to Lake Michigan. And there are lots of fun things to do along the way.

First, taking a stroll and enjoying the magnificent architecture along the river is worth your time. As I always say, admire the outsides, but go into the lobbies too! You miss so much of the beauty when you skip the interiors. Some of my favorites along the river are the Merchandise Mart on the north side of the river between Franklin and Wells Streets, the Reid-Murdoch Center (pictured below) on the north side of the river between Clark and LaSalle Streets, The LaSalle-Wacker building at the south side of the river at the southwest corner of LaSalle and Wacker, and 2 buildings at Michigan Avenue: the London House Hotel on the south side of the river and The Tribune Building on the north side.

Remember always introduce yourself to security guards, explain you are there to admire their lobby and ask if photos are permitted.

Don't forgot to take some time to admire our unique bridges. For example, the Wells Street bridge is a double-decker bridge. It carries motor vehicles and pedestrians on the lower level and the CTA "L" trains on top. For more information about our bridges go to Chicago Loop Bridges. 

​Don't forget to take some time to admire the bridgehouses. Once manned 24 hours a day/7 days a week, now the bridges only go up on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the spring and fall at the beginning and end of the sailing season. This is a unique site to see the sailboats passing under each bridge. For the schedule of bridge lifts go to the City Of Chicago website.

On the south side of the river on Upper Wacker Drive is a memorial to the more than 800 people who died when the SS Eastland excursion boat capsized on July 24, 1915. Every year on that date there is a memorial service at the rivers' edge to remember those who lost. In the lobby of the Reid-Murdoch Building is another memorial with pictures and information about the disaster. For more information go the the Eastland Disaster Historical Society website.






Now lets take a walk at the river's edge, but let me first share the rules. The riverwalk is open from 6AM to 11PM (23:00). Pets must be on a leash. Skateboarding is not allowed. Access is located at every bridge, but for those who can not manage steps, accessible ramps can be found on the west side of Clark Street and the East side of State Street.


Each of the six blocks from Lake Street to State Street were designed with distinctive themes and purposes. From LaSalle Street to Clark Street is The River Theater.  Between Clark and Dearborn Street is The Cove. The Marina runs from Dearborn to State. Currently under construction are The Swimming Hole (LaSalle to Wells); The Jetty (Wells to Franklin) and The Boardwalk (Franklin to Lake).

Between State Street and Wabash is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial which lists all the Chicagoans who lost their live during that conflict. 

Watch for the information plaques along the way. They provide information and fun fact about the Chicago River, the local floral and fauna and ecology. 

​And don't forget about public art. This bronze piece by Ju Ming is called Gentlemen. It is located on the AMA plaza on the north side of the river between State and Dearborn Streets. It has become a popular place for a photo op with the "Gentlemen".

 

On the south side of the river at Michigan Avenue is the McCormick Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum. It's a very affordable $5 admission, but FREE on Sundays.

​This is the best location to be to see the bridges go up and down.in the spring and fall. Wait outside and watch the State Street bridge go up and down, then go into the Museum and watch the inner workings of the bridge as the Michigan Avenue Bridge is raised and lowered. For the schedule of bridge lifts go to the City Of Chicago website.

Keep walking east of Michigan Avenue on the south side of the river to head to Lake Michigan. You will see across the river the Nicholas J. Melas Centennial Fountain. The fountain operates from May until October. Every hour on the hour between the hours of 10AM and 2PM (14:00) and from 3pm (15:00) to midnight  a water cannon shoots an arc of water over the river. You can find videos of the fountain and the water cannon on YouTube.

Keep walking east and as you walk under the Lake Shore Drive bridge you will see the mosaics by Elllen Lanyan that illustrate the history of Chicago and the Chicago River in pictures, called the Riverwalk Gateway.

STEALS AND DEALS

You've probably heard about our famous architectural boat tours. There are several companies and I can tell you from much experience, there are great and not so great docents (tour guides) on all the companies. If I were you I'd pick a cruise that goes on the river AND the lake. That way you get to go through the Chicago lock which is a unique experience. In the past, once a year the Wendella Boat company have offered FREE rides during the Open House Chicago weekend in October.

But if you have young children or a cruise is not in your budget, consider taking one of the river taxis. This is not a guided tour, but a short boat trip on the river. It's a unique experience and an opportunity to see the city from the river. There are several companies and routes on the river and one taxi travels on Lake Michigan between Navy Pier to the Museum Campus. Some offer a day pass which offers unlimited rides all day. 

So that's it for today. Take some time to enjoy the Chicago River and Riverwalk.

 
All information was correct at the time of this post, but before you come, please check the DCASE website cityofchicago.org/dcase to get the most up-to-date information.
 
Want to receive announcements of new posts? Just leave your email address and I will notify you of new posts on http://www.ChicagoFreeForAll.com
 
 If you know of a free event in Chicago you’d like me to share, email me at ChicagoFreeForAll@gmail.com
 
Don’t forget to sign up for a free Chicago Greeter visit (see 1/1/2016 post) at www.chicagogreeter.com