Chicago is second to none. Although we have been labeled with the Second City Moniker for far too long, we are number one in so many ways. After all, the Second City improvisational comedy troupe started here in 1955 with the University of Chicago, a premier institution, students in Hyde Park. Harlem Globe Trotters, originally called the Savoy Big Five, were birthed here in 1926 on the South Side of Chicago. I would put our ethnic cuisine up against any other city. Chicago has hosted the James Beard Awards, the Oscars of Cuisine, since 2014. Our neighborhoods have a strong sense of community with historical, geographical, heritage, or city park names. Even a native Chicagoan might not be familiar with all each neighborhood offers in the way of history, culture, and cuisine.
Author, photographer, and travel writer Jessica Mlinaric shares her passion for our #1 Chicago city in her latest book Chicago Scavenger. While others were hunkering down in isolation during the height of the Covid Pandemic, Jessica made it her mission to bicycle outdoors. She researched and explored what she calls in her first book, Secret Chicago: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, gems that make outdoor Chicago unique. She captures these and other finds in her second book, Chicago Scavenger, and shares them with us in an interactive format of riddles and rhymes. Although not a native daughter, Jessica was born and raised in Cleveland. Jessica has wholly embraced the Chicago community, arts, and culture scene for the last twelve years by founding her travel blog: urbanexplorer.com. Her writing and photography championing Chicago culture, arts, and travel has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, GQ, The Architect’s Newspaper, and Chicago Magazine, to name a few.
Three hundred outdoor hidden treasures in seventeen out of seventy-seven Chicago neighborhoods await the culturally curious reader in this scavenger hunt created by Ms. Mlinaric. Reportedly one of Jessica’s favorite nature spots is the University of Chicago’s Botany Pond with its large Ginkgo Tree. It was designed by Olmsted and Olmsted and constructed in 1903. It was restored in 2002 by the firm of Hoerr Schaudt. The whole university is an arboretum reflecting a commitment to nature and sustainability.
Another nature spot adventure is the Riverbank Neighborhood Park, where neighbors came together and showcased the strength of the Chicago community by cleaning up and restoring the natural ecosystem of the Chicago North River Branch.
One of my own favorite sites is the Kwa-Ma-Rolas Totem Pole. It was a landmark in our youth as we traveled by the family Thunderbird automobile from the Southside of Chicago to the Northside. I have not seen it since childhood. We were always enthralled and amazed by this forty-foot installation. Still, we never realized the significance of its history or the coincidence that we were in the back seat of a Thunderbird driving past a carved cedar Thunderbird-topped totem pole. It was donated by James L. Kraft of Mac and Cheese fame to the city of Chicago on June 20, 1929. The Kwanusila now seen is an exact replica carved by Tony Hunt, a Kwalguth Indian from Canada. The original was returned to the University of British Columbia. In 1986 the replica was dedicated to the school children of Chicago.
At the Deerfield Public Library on June 14th, I covered Mlinaric’s book signing and presentation of her latest book. She has an effervescent, delightful personality, and her love for sharing her exploration of Chicago shines through. Be inspired by Mlinaric’s Chicago Scavenger guide and solve the 342 riddles that make Chicago the #1 city in our hearts and a top tourist destination. Use the word explore to save 10% on your online order at Chicagoscavenger.com.
Photos: Courtesy of Jessica Mlinaric
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Great article. I learned about places in Chicago that I did not know existed.
What a fabulous article!