Hyde Park

First and foremost, Hyde Park is home to The University of Chicago. This is a prestigious (and expensive school) that is also quite expansive with a medical pavilion, undergraduate school and graduate school. The University of Chicago Law School is also situated in Hyde Park.

Much of the infrastructure in Hyde Park supports the students and staff. There are a lot of great restaurants, cafes and bookstores. I attended this school as an undergrad and definitely had some favorites along 57th including The Medici and Cafe Florian. Both of these places had great pizza. They are both also the kind of place where you can sit drinking coffee and having a thought provoking conversation.

The architecture of the homes in Hyde Park is pretty interesting. There are some mansions and very stately homes. The school itself has a very gothic look, which copies something like what you would see in Oxford, England. There are beautiful "quads" with lots of trees and grass.

One issue that I experienced living in Hyde Park is that it isn't easy to get to the North Side without a car. Otherwise, you need to take a bus and then the El. This can take a long time and also seem very unsafe. This is particularly true if you are coming home late at night. Therefore, if you don't have a car you may end up feeling a bit isolated in this part of town.

Wow there’s a lot to say about Hyde Park. Where to start?

First of all, President Obama’s home is NOT in Hyde Park. It’s in Kenwood, straight to the north.

Second, the neighborhood is beautiful. There is stunning architecture, tree-lined side streets, and TONS of things to do. Walking around the neighborhood simply looking at the homes, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, could take a whole day.

The most prominent feature of the neighborhood is the University of Chicago. They pretty much dominate the place, but there’s definitely room for residents of the city too. U of C is a really prestigious school – it’s really hard to get into and really expensive. Yes, many businesses in the area cater to students, but the vibe is very intelligent instead of a frat boy party, so it doesn’t affect residents in the ways you might expect.

There are a lot of museums in Hyde Park. The most well-known is the Museum of Science and Industry. The main attractions are probably more suited to kids, but they hold special exhibits all the time that are really cool for everyone. It’s in Jackson Park, and is the only building that’s still left from the Columbian Exposition. The Smart Museum of Art is also a great alternative to the more crowded Art Institute and MCA.

Jackson Park is halfway in the Hyde Park neighborhood. This is, in my opinion, one of the best parks in the city. It’s huge and beautiful – there’s lagoons and gardens galore. It was the site of the famous White City built for the Columbian Exposition in 1893. The Midway is great to walk through – it’s a long, narrow part connecting Jackson Park to Washington Park. The Bears used to practice there, which is how they got the nickname ‘Monsters of the Midway.’ The Point (Promontory Point, sorry) is where locals hang out to swim in the lake.

There are tons of great food options, mostly cafes and coffee shops, plus some really great ethnic places. There are a lot of cool local shops too – 57th Street Books is one of the best used book stores in Chicago.

The bars are pretty low-key neighborhood places, and Checkerboard Lounge recently opened their new spot in Hyde Park (the old one was a well-known mecca for blues and jazz).

Hyde Park is a great neighborhood filled with diverse people and diverse things to do.

Hyde Park, which is perhaps most noted as being the former of President Barack Obama, has seen its share of famous people through the years. Don’t let that overshadow the plethora of other things this South Side neighborhood has going for it. Even though it seems like a lot of locals have a pre-conceived assumption that all South Side neighborhoods are bad news, Hyde Park is certainly a favorite of mine. Aside from its numerous activities, the rich ethnic energy of the neighborhood is easy to appreciate.

One of the biggest points of interest in Hyde Park is the University of Chicago. The presence of a large school brings an influx of younger residents and excitement. Hyde Park is also where you’ll find the Museum of Science and Industry and the famous Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House. If you’re looking for culture, you will find it here!

After suffering a big decline in the mid-20th Century, Hyde Park has recovered nicely. Tons of restaurants, entertainment venues, and landmarks make Hyde Park a great place for visitors to Chicago and residents alike. Great for families, students, singles, and couples, this former suburb has a strong urban vibe and endless prominent cultural areas.

This neighborhood is the home of the Museum of Science and Industry, University of Chicago, and the Du Sable African History Museum.

The Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) is fascinating for all ages. I have taken my four children there and not run out of things to see and discuss for hours.

Some of their favorite exhibits are the train layout, the moon landing, the hatchery, the agricultural exhibit, and the dollhouse. They have not expressed a huge interest in the children's area. They were far to busy looking at other things.

A lot of it was over their heads though, the coal mining was boring to them and the circus scared them- but it will come in time.

Long before this neighborhood became famous as President Obama’s home turf in Chicago, Hyde Park was one of my favorite neighborhoods. When I was considering where to search for my first apartment in the early 80s, it was at the top of my list. The main reason I didn’t move there was because I wanted to live closer to the Downtown Chicago area.

Hyde Park is well situated between the lakefront to the east, Washington Park/King Drive to the west, 51st Street to the north, and 59th Street/Midway Plaisance to the south. And it is a mere 7 miles to the Loop/Downtown. This eclectic neighborhood is chockfull of everything - museums, restaurants, parks and recreation, shopping, transportation, the full range of housing from high-rises to single family vintage and new homes. And yes, history! A few of the notable/historical destinations here include the Museum of Science and Industry campus (the only remaining structure from the Columbian Expo of 1893) and the University of Chicago campus with its famous Rockefeller Chapel. As the Obama Family’s Chicago neighborhood, the area boasts the Valois restaurant as one of their favorites for breakfast. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of going on a walking tour of Hyde Park that included Valois’restaurant, Obama’s local barber shop, and the street where their home is located.

But Hyde Park is so much more than a current “Obama hotspot”. It is still a very eclectic neighborhood, just as I remember it from visiting there in my high school days in the early 70s. The high-rises along the lakefront are still standing, but no doubt converted from rental units to condos. In my travels to the neighborhood in the past 5+ years, I haven’t noticed much new high-rise development. But I have seen many new low-rise/townhome developments on the main thoroughfares. Like many urban Chicago neighborhoods, Hyde Park has had its ups and owns. But due to it being Obama’s neighborhood, it is certainly getting more attention than it ever did before.

Still, off the beaten paths, as I discovered on a recent trip to visit a relative who has lived in the neighborhood for 16 years, there are remnants of the old, stately mansions of the past, mixed in with new residential housing in the form of townhomes and apartment buildings, and blight from past decades. In some cases, all that remains of the past structures are their coach houses – set back far from the street. The main house – the mansion - either burned down or was torn down and the coach house is all that remains. And they have been carved up and converted to small apartments with an enormous front yard (where the main house/mansion used to be).

In general, Hyde Park is still the beautiful neighborhood it used to be.

Hyde Park is located on the South Side of Chicago. The community is filled with diversity: from students (U of C) to young professionals, people of various nationalities, and a wide range of families and senior citizens. Surrounded by Lake Michigan, there’s easy access to the beach to enjoy the weather. Various restaurants and small business allow people to get what they need without having to travel outside of the area. Transportation is easily accessible; ranging from the Metra train, a number of CTA buses and the CTA red line. Hyde Park is a hip, up and coming neighborhood that than Chicago residents are eager to live in.