It seems festival season is upon on so I thought we’d take the opportunity to check out the 57th Street Art Fair which is in Hyde Park. I’ve never really wandered around Hyde Park, I think the only time I’ve been in the area has been to go to the Museum of Science & Industry and when my husband graduated from grad school at the University of Chicago.
A few of the spots mentioned on the Hyde Park History card are right on the U of C Campus, so I’ve seen many of them before. Most notably the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. It’s a beautiful building, as are so many around this campus. Brady’s graduation took place in the chapel so I was able to spend some time in there a number of years ago. Today we stopped in but there was an awards ceremony going on so we weren’t able to wander around.The stained glass in here is stunning and worth a walk through.
The Robie House was also a stop to make on the card. This is considered Frank Lloyd Wright‘s greatest achievement in domestic architecture; his work is immediately recognizable. You can tour the house but we didn’t go through it today since our main goal was to walk around the art fest.
The art fest was pretty typical of most art fests, some great work and some not so great. I did pick up some really cool coasters with scenes of Chicago on them. Oh, and Avery got some much needed finger puppets;) I’m sure we’ll be entertained with some great shows:) The fest wasn’t too crowded so it was nice to check out what was available without feeling totally cramped.
There is a large green space called the Midway Plaisance which was laid out during the construction of the 1893 World’s Fair and was the home of the world’s first Ferris Wheel. The mention of this immediately reminded me of a book I once read, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Such a great book if you haven’t read it; a bit of a history lesson mixed in with the haunting tale of a serial killer during that time.
Great note to end on, huh? Hyde Park is really a beautiful neighborhood, so many old homes and the architecture, much of which was built around the time of the World’s Fair, is worth checking out.
What are your favorite spots in Hyde Park? No doubt I’ll be back in the neighborhood again and would to hear some of your picks for this area!