I’m an unapologetic rail fanboy for the Metra Electric District line and the wonderfully diverse communities it serves throughout the south side and its outlying suburban communities. With the $10 weekend pass in hand, you can travel through the south side and suburbs and northwest Indiana: to a bird sanctuary, an early burger palace, a town that a railroad car manufacturer built, and a brewery that pays homage to the late Chicago artist Ed Paschke.
A 15-minute walk will find you at the northern edge of Rainbow Beach Park. Today its 142 acres are a space for beach parties and baseball games. There’s also a remarkable field house designed by the architect David Woodhouse. The relative calm here belies the fact that for decades white neighborhood residents physically attacked any African Americans who dared set foot on the beach; the space was finally integrated in 1961 after a series of “wade-in” demonstrations. It remains an important place for quietude, but it’s also a space to consider Chicago’s difficult legacy of racial segregation and urban change.
The folks at Argus even offer an homage to the celebrated north-side artist Ed Paschke with their Paschke Pilsner. I think of it as a bit of hoppy cross-town rapprochement that you can wash down while taking one of their Saturday tours.
Dawn to dusk, 2301 S. Lake Shore Dr., 312-742-7529. F
South Shore Cultural Center 6 AM-9 PM, 7059 S. South Shore, 773-256-0149, chicagoparkdistrict.com. F
Rainbow Beach Park 6 AM-11 PM, 3111 E. 77th, 312-745-1479, chicagoparkdistrict.com. F
Pullman National Monument Tue-Sun 9 AM-5 PM, 11141 S. Cottage Grove, 773-468-9310, nps.gov. F
Argus Brewery 11314 S. Front, 773-941-4050, argusbrewery.com.
Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park 1 University Parkway, University Park,708-534-4021, govst.edu. F
