A Storied Neighborhood, Wrapped in Contradiction
Walking Tour
40 mins
2mi
About the Tour
The route begins at the Laboratory Schools founded by John Dewey, and winds through the University of Chicago. Along the way walkers will encounter world renowned architects and Nobel Laureates, robber barons and artists, the DuSable Museum of African American History and the birthplace of the Atomic Age. In storied Washington Park there may be soccer or cricket matches underway, bicycle rallies or softball games in progress, waves of runners or families gathered for a picnic. From there it's a short stroll to the home of President Barack Obama and his family.
Tour Producer
William Ayers
Map
Major Landmarks
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DuSable Museum of African American History
Directions to Starting Point
The walk begins on Kimbark Avenue and 59th Street. From downtown a Chicago Transit Authority express bus can deliver walkers to within a couple of blocks of the start, and 57th Street is busy with restaurants, bookstores, and commercial activity, worth a stop before or after the walk.
Tips
Places to stop along the way
Rockefeller Chapel, Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, the DuSable Museum of African American History, Jesse Jackson's Operation PUSH.
Best time of day
It's a wonderful walk anytime, but best in the daylight.
Precautions
It's an American city after all--rich, varied, wildly diverse, contradictory, filled with surprises.
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This is a fabulous tour - informed, fascinating, and quirky in all the right ways. Ayers lets you peer into Hyde Park's history of struggle and possibility. Ayers is a master story-teller joining the ranks of Studs Terkel, Howard Zinn, and Eric Foner. Take this tour!
A good way to understand an unfamiliar neighborhood as the GPS triggered voice commands keep you on track. The narrative offered was interesting if not clouded by the narrator's political leanings. However the long bouts of silence in between locations felt like a huge wasted opportunity to move beyond "the struggle" and discuss this historically rich neighborhood. In short, worthwhile but room for improvement.
i disagree with your ideology, Mr. Ayers I think you are a traitor to your country. Thank you.