The North Avenue Bridge is not especially appealing to pedestrians, especially after dark. Walking westward at night, you’ll find your pace picking up as warehouses and solitude become the foreboding norm. But smack dab in the middle of that bridge—surprise!—turn to your southward side and you’ll discover a gorgeous vantage of the city, free of lake and beach; only manmade ingenuity so worthy of pause. There are, of course, plenteous picturesque views of the skyline all over the place, but none whose surrounding bleakness so meaningfully contrasts with that shining city on a great lake.
The North Avenue Bridge, 1200 West North Avenue
Best of Chicago 2012
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On Vacation: The Rear View Horizon I had three annotated maps in the shotgun seat of my car and a GPS that chided me at each turn. It was easy to get lost here. There is something so accessible and nostalgic about the road trip.
