South Chicago Photo Gallery

Chicago's southern suburbs are not a touristy or a particularly safe area. However, the area around the University of Chicago is worth a visit, and is easily accessible by express buses from the Loop that avoid the most iffy areas (routes 2, 6). The residential streets near the university have good architecture and there are nice skyline views from the lakefront.

The Rockefeller Memorial Chapel was part of J D Rockefeller's gift to the university. Completed in 1928, it is the key hub for spiritual life on campus.

Maps scattered around campus help visitors get around. The university is laid on a grid so it is not difficult to find your way.

An east-west park runs along the southern part of campus.

On the other side of the park, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts has staircases and observation platforms that give great views of campus and the skyline beyond.

Robie House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the Prairie style, which are characterized by strong exterior horizontal lines, long windows, and low-pitched roofs, reminiscent of the Midwest's landscape. Expensive but informative tours are available to fully appreciate the various design and architectural elements of this residence.

Robie was a bicycle parts and auto machinery businessman who commissioned the house and moved in in 1910. Financial and marriage issues forced a sale just over a year later. The interiors can only be visited by a fairly expensive guided tour. Perhaps the price deters mass tourism, so the tour was small and quite cozy. The simplicity of the interior decor is quite stylish and they even have some Wright-style furniture on display.

Neighbouring residences are not as grand, but look quite middle-class and nice, even in the snow.

Closer to the Loop, students at the Illinois Institute of Technology get much better views from their campus.

Chinatown has its own subway station, typical gate, and lots of restaurants.