The Other North Shore

Twin Citians know Chicago. We’re there once or twice a year, have been up the Sears Tower six times, eaten enough deep-dish pizza that we’re starting to figure out the joke’s on us, toured every Frank Lloyd Wright site there is, and even know to call the freeways “expressways” to keep our street cred. It’s time to dig deeper, no?

Did you know Chicago has a North Shore too, sans loons, smoked fish, and 65-degree summer days? But like Lake Superior’s North Shore, Chicago’s is a desirable stretch of lakeshore full of history and attractions.

Chicago’s North Shore is a collection of towns immediately north of the city limits (the divider is Howard Street, about 10 miles up the lakeshore from Navy Pier). Its most notable community is Evanston, home to a downtown that Duluth or Rochester would kill for, with art museums, history, tranquil beaches, lush neighborhoods of hundred-year-old homes, and Northwestern University, the seat of all its vibrancy. Evanston is really a small city (pop. 74,239).

Continuing north, a string of suburbs approaching their sesquicentennial follow: Wilmette (where I grew up), Kenilworth (once the metro area’s most affluent ’burb), Winnetka, Glencoe, and Highland Park. They are connected by Sheridan Road, one of America’s great urban drives, never more than a quarter-mile from the lake, where the scenery is not pines and rock, but mansions, parks, harbors, and the occasional glen. (It takes a leisurely hour to drive from Evanston to Highland Park on Sheridan.)

These towns bear little resemblance to the elite suburbs of most of America. When my brother-in-law went looking to buy a home in a suburb of New York that resembled Evanston or Wilmette, he could not find one, and you’d be hard-pressed to in most of America. Call it Midwestern egalitarianism, call it a quirk of history, but unlike Westport, Connecticut, or Pacific Palisades, California—or even Wayzata, for that matter—Chicago’s North Shore is affluent but not private. Sidewalks run up and down nearly every street. Homes are not hidden behind huge hedges or gates. The North Shore is open to view, so turn off Sheridan and take a stroll.

Green Bay Road, which parallels Sheridan a mile west, connects the small business districts, which contain cute shops, interesting restaurants (though like most affluent suburban areas, the North Shore is oddly thin on sophisticated dining), and parks with playgrounds. Downtown Wilmette is eclectic, Kenilworth sleepy, Winnetka and Hubbard Woods preppy, Glencoe sleepy again, and Highland Park feels like a small city. (The movie adaptation of Judith Guest’s iconic book Ordinary People was filmed in these suburbs, as was much of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, for sheer ironic contrast. Caddyshack was inspired by the country clubs nearby.)

On the border of Glencoe and Highland Park sits the North Shore’s most compelling amenity, the Ravinia Festival (847-266-5100), America’s oldest outdoor music festival. Ravinia is the summer home of the Chicago Symphony but also hosts a wide array of jazz and pop acts in a calendar that includes almost nightly performances June, July, and August. Unlike Tanglewood et al., Ravinia is hemmed in on all sides by old suburban neighborhoods. You could throw a wine cooler through someone’s window.

Ravinia was built in 1904 as an exurban playground by the Chicago & Milwaukee Electric Railroad, a now-defunct interurban railway, and is today so popular that it is both a source of immense pride and irritation to its neighbors. My grandparents, who lived in Highland Park, would walk to Ravinia several nights each week to hear the symphony; today Chicagoans drive hours to see Elvis Costello or Yo-Yo Ma. In the “pavilion” seating, it’s a covered outdoor concert hall with middling acoustics, but on the vast lawn, Ravinia is the world’s largest cocktail party, blanket against blanket, champagne picnic here, cooler of Old Style there. Several dining and to-go food venues operate throughout the evening. The overall effect is magical.

Just west of Ravinia, toward I-94 (known colloquially as the Edens Expressway) is the Chicago Botanic Garden (1000 Lake Cook Rd., 847-835- 5440), on a mass of reclaimed land. It was a nothing-burger when I was a kid but has evolved into a stunning array of floral, arbor, and water gardens that rivals the nation’s best.

Farther up the lake lies Highwood, once the blue-collar ’burb where the folks who cut the lawns, fixed the plumbing, and cleaned the homes of the North Shore dwelled. Next you reach Fort Sheridan, once a major Army mustering base, now decommissioned and being slowly converted into a residential village. Its century-old stone officers’ homes are beautiful, their isolation on the vast base overlooking Lake Michigan serene and moving. Adjoining sites are being turned into lakefront nature preserves.

Lake Forest, a few more miles up Sheridan, is as far as I’d go. Home to some of the city’s captains of commerce and industry, this WASP-y and isolated suburb (pop. 20,059) once boasted its own Marshall Field’s in its tiny downtown and really does ooze class. Congestion has rendered Lake Forest’s distance from Chicago its Achilles heel, so it’s lost some of its frisson, but it’s still worth a look. It’s Wayzata² in preppy quotient.

Though there are some decent chain hotels along Edens by the Botanic Garden and nearby Northbrook Court mall (Neiman’s!), I’d base myself in downtown Evanston. Evanston quite resembles Crocus Hill and older parts of south Minneapolis, and its vibe is equally crunchy. You see a lot of Mercedes in Winnetka; in Evanston they can afford them but more often drive Volvos and Subarus. It’s walking distance from the lake and beaches (Lake Michigan can be 75 degrees in August), the ivy-clad Northwestern campus, good restaurants, PC shopping, and rail links into downtown Chicago. (You can dip in for a Cubs game—the North Shore is Cubs country and the White Sox are generally despised, so wear your Twins regalia without fear. You may get bought a chardonnay.)

Of particular interest in Evanston, beyond wandering, is the sculpture garden at Northwestern’s Block Museum and its changing exhibition schedule. (But beware the University’s Byzantine parking regulations and efficient enforcement, even when school is not in session.) Also of interest is the guided tour of the history-rich Grosse Point Lighthouse (2601 Sheridan Rd., 847-328-6961), one of the area’s last functioning lights. Its dome offers amazing views from Chicago to Milwaukee, though the hot, constricted space (akin to sitting under a magnifying glass) is not for the faint of heart.

Although most of the suburban communities along the lake have a public beach, each has complicated parking and access rules designed to keep half of Chicago out on summer weekends. Our sense, after testing a few, was that Evanston’s beaches offer the best combination of access, amenities, and smooth sand, but you will have to pay for a daily pass, unless you happen to be under one year of age. (There is a special rate if you will be turning one while at the beach.) The Lee Street Beach (1111 Lake Shore Blvd.) is particularly low-key. Glencoe Beach has a water playground for kids, but it’s a hassle on weekends.

The North Shore is home to two important religious edifices that demand attention. North Shore Congregation Israel (1185 Sheridan Rd., Glencoe) was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, architect of the World Trade Center. It opened in 1964, the same year as Yamasaki’s Northwestern National Life building at the top of Nicollet Mall. The synagogue is a romantic soaring white structure on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan; its sanctuary is arguably the most beautiful modernist prayer space you’ve ever seen. (NSCI is walking distance from Ravinia and a two-minute drive from the Botanic Garden.)

The Baha’i faith has one house of worship on each continent. Its North American home is the Baha’i Temple (100 Linden Ave.) in Wilmette, walking distance from the house where I grew up. We took the temple for granted, but I am not overstating it in saying this is one of the most magnificent religious edifices in the world. Built in 1953, the soaring white cylindrical temple is covered in intricate carvings, its interior a jaw-dropping interplay of light, shadow, and craftsmanship. A multiyear renovation of the building concluded just last month. The small-boat harbor across the street at Gillson Park is a pleasant place to stroll before or afterward.

So skip Chicago this summer and opt for its North Shore—a surprising collection of low-key pleasures mixed with world-class attractions, my relatives notwithstanding. Odds are, Chicago’ll be there for you next year.

Getting There: Although O’Hare Airport is closer to the North Shore as the crow flies, Midway can often be as quick a drive due to traffic vagaries. Amtrak’s daily Empire Builder serves Glenview, just a few miles west of Evanston. If driving, leave your garage, get on I-94 east, and exit at Lake Street (Wilmette) about seven hours later; don’t use I-90 via downtown Chicago.

Getting Around: The Chicago Transit Authority’s Purple Line stops in Evanston and terminates at Linden Avenue in Wilmette, two blocks from the Baha’i Temple. Metra Union Pacific North Line commuter trains connect all North Shore communities from downtown Chicago roughly once an hour and serve Ravinia Park as well, eliminating parking hassles there. Pace bus route 213 runs down Green Bay Road from Evanston to Glencoe two or three times an hour. That said, you’ll probably be happier if you have a rental car.

Where to Stay: The Hotel Orrington (1710 Orrington Ave., 888-677-4648), downtown Evanston’s historic dowager, is now a graciously revitalized classic. It’s close to everything except Ravinia and environs, but just hop on the train two blocks from the hotel.

Where to Eat: No Michelin stars out here, alas. For the essential North Shore breakfast, don’t miss Walker Bros. Original Pancake House (153 Green Bay Rd., Wilmette, 847-251-6000). This is great burger country: For family-friendly char-grilled burgers and homemade ice cream, it’s Homer’s (1237 Green Bay Rd., Wilmette, 847-251-0477); a more sedate tavern atmosphere can be found at Charlie Beinlich’s (290 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook, 847-714-9375) near the Botanic Garden; the flower-filled outdoor patio at Hackney’s (1241 Harms Rd., Glenview, 847-724-5577) is the place to go on sunny summer days. Prairie Grass Cafe’s chef Sarah Stegner is regarded as the hottest hand for foodie fare in these ’burbs (601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook, 847-205-4433). In Evanston, Cross-Rhodes (913 Chicago Ave., 847-475-4475) is the place for Greek-American grub, Merle’s (1727 Benson Ave., 847-475-7766) does passable barbecue, Trattoria DOC (706 Main St., 847-475-1111) garners raves, and we would have really liked Union Pizzeria (1245 Chicago Ave., 847-475-2400) if we hadn’t brought our picky kids. Stop at Foodstuffs (338 Park Ave., Glencoe, 847-835-5105) on your way to Ravinia if you want to bring a picnic in, though I found the park fare to be absolutely tasty despite what my relatives told me.