Why You Should Visit Evanston, IL

A green and pleasant place located right on the clear blue lake, Evanston, Illinois is one of the larger suburbs right on the boarder of Chicago. Stand in the right place and you can clearly see the Windy City skyline enticingly waiting for you. But don't think you need to go all the way into the city to have a good time; Evanston has wonders all its own, with culture and music and sports and scenery.

Evanston is primarily noted for Northwestern University, and indeed you'll find plenty to do thanks to one of the finest and largest colleges in the country. Offering numerous musical recitals and concerts, art exhibits, informative guest speakers, film screenings and theatrical performances from one of the most respected and critically acclaimed performing arts schools in the world, Northwestern provides a cultural heartbeat to the area.

And for those less aesthetically inclined, don't forget sports-baseball, basketball, soccer and… well, it's a college town, we'll come right out and say it: football! Wildcats football packs quite a wallop, and there's more than enough room at Ryan Field to accommodate a few tourists looking for Big Ten gridiron glory. And of course this comes with all the attendant fun of college ball; homecoming parties, a marching band and tailgates in the parking lot, with participation from students, locals and old-timers alike. Be sure to purchase food and drinks from student-run refreshment stands to support their clubs and organizations!

(And before you leave campus, stop by the Alice Millar Chapel-the inside of the church was used for a famous scene in "Home Alone". John Hughes is quite fond of shooting in Evanston, in fact.)

Outside the university, Evanston's big claim to fame may be its luscious culinary offerings. "The Dining Capital of the North Shore," as the saying goes, offers more than sixty multicultural restaurants. Particularly noted are the Davis Street Fishmarket and Pete Miller's Seafood and Prime Steak, but offerings run as diverse as Pad Thai, Ethiopian and… well, just name it. For those looking to do their own cooking, a farmers' market runs on Saturdays from May to November, with nearly thirty years of offering the best from the Midwest farmers' baskets.

If you'd rather stimulate your eyes than your taste buds, Evanston's Century 18 multiplex reserves six of its screens for independent and hard-to-find motion pictures, so whether you'd rather see an international documentary or the newest action-adventure, you're in good hands in this luxurious theater.

Whatever the case, don't swim for thirty minutes after eating-though you'll want to swim at some point, because Evanston has five public swimming beaches. Lake Michigan looks a bit like the ocean if you let your mind wander. If your visit isn't in the summertime… well, you're going to freeze to death in Chicago winter, but at least the view will be a treat; Evanston may be a city, but it's got plenty of quiet back residential streets with quaint little houses, and looks good whether in springtime sun or covered in snow.

But if you're more of a doer than a looker, you're in luck; there's always something going on in Evanston. A look over the 2006 calendar reveals such diverse events as a Starlight Concert Series, an arts festival by the public fountain, numerous races and a parade. Evanston prides itself on providing a community feel to a well-populated city.

Evanston is easily accessed from Chicago via the Purple Line on the el. Don't let the college town reputation fool you; it makes for a perfect day-trip location for couples or families. It won't ever be a big tourist draw (especially not in winter), but there's enough to do that just may have you slipping back again one day.