• Get around
• See
• Do
• Buy
• Get out

Evanston is a city in Illinois, north of Chicago, along the shores of Lake Michigan. Evanston has many identities: college town, dining destination, cultural center and gateway to the wealthy North Shore, although the city itself is anything but homogeneous in regards to economic status, culture and race.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

The nearest airport is Chicago's O'Hare Airport. If you're heading directly to Evanston from the airport, ask your hotel if they can arrange an airport shuttle. Otherwise, you'll have to take a taxi. American Taxi offers reasonable flat rates between O'Hare and Evanston (and many other North Shore towns), but a pick-up must be arranged by phone. Another alternative is to take the CTA Blue Line to the Clark/Lake station, then transfer to the Purple Line express (during rush hour) or transfer to the Red Line at Jackson and then go north to Howard station where you can take the Purple Line the rest of the way to Evanston. A cheap way of going to Evanston is by Pace bus 250, which runs directly from O'Hare Kiss-and-Fly to Evanston Davis Street.

[edit] By car

Interstate I-90/94, known locally as the Edens Expressway, runs through the west side of Evanston.

[edit] By train

• The Metra Union Pacific North Line [1] runs from downtown Chicago, with stops in Evanston at Main and Davis (off Chicago Avenue) and Central (a few blocks further west).
• The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) [2] runs the Purple Line from Chicago. It can be accessed during morning and evening rush hours from most elevated train stops in the Loop. It runs express from Belmont on Chicago's North Side to the Howard station in Rogers Park, at the northern border of Chicago. Then, it becomes an all-stops train for Evanston. When the Purple Line Express is not running (mid-day and late evening), take the Red Line north to Howard and then transfer to the Purple Line. The Davis station is in the midst of the downtown business and shopping area.

[edit] By bus

• Pace [3] runs buses from neighboring suburbs such as Wilmette and Skokie. Many lines connect at the Davis CTA station.

[edit] Get around

The CTA Purple Line makes stops at South Blvd., Main, Dempster, Davis, Foster, Noyes, and Central. PACE buses connect at many of these stations, especially Davis.

[edit] See

• Northwestern University [4] Tours are available from the Office of Undergraduate Admission at 1801 Hinman Avenue - One of the premier universities in the US, Northwestern maintains a parklike campus situated along the shore of Lake Michigan. In the 1960s, the university decided to expand the campus by filling in part of the lake with sand from the Indiana Dunes, creating an idyllic, tree-lined 84-acre area surrounding a lagoon. The campus also features an outdoor sculpture garden, indoor art galleries, multiple theaters, and an eclectic collection of architecture ranging from neo-Gothic to modernist. At the north end of the college campus is a working lighthouse, open to the public, with scenic views of the shore.

• Visit the Grosse Point Lighthouse [5], built in 1873. Learn about the Fresnel lens in the tower and the ships that wrecked in the nearby shallow waters on a tour of the museum in the former keepers’ quarters (June through September on Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 2, 3, and 4 p.m. )

[edit] Do

[edit] Buy

The central shopping district is off Davis Street, in downtown Evanston, but Dempster Street, just a few blocks south, is also a great place to shop. It has several small, fashionable yet unpretentious boutiques. The Central Street shopping area in northern Evanston, which runs 2 blocks from Green Bay Road to Hartrey Avenue, has a number of high-end boutiques, cafes, and bakeries, including The Spice House, Table Manners, Ritzlin Antique Maps, and Tag's Bakery. Main Street in southern Evanston is in the process of gentrifying, and is currently worth a visit for Ten Thousand Villages, Dave's Down to Earth Rock Shop, and Vogue Fabrics. Several upscale restaurants have recently opened in this area as well.

Evanston has an improbably large number of Oriental rug stores.

[edit] Eat

[edit] Budget

[edit] Mid-range

[edit] Splurge

[edit] Drink

[edit] Cafes

Thanks to the hordes of Northwestern students, downtown Evanston has plenty of good, non-chain coffee shops.

• <drink name="Kafein" alt="" directions="Davis CTA stop" address="1621 Chicago Ave." phone="847-491-1621" email="" fax="" hours="Su-Th 11am-2am, F-Sa 11am-3am" price="" url="http://www.kafein.com"> One of the original grunge-wave coffee shops, Kafein has more of a lazy bohemian vibe these days, and serves terrific desserts.</drink>

• <drink name="Linz and Vail" alt="" directions="Central Street Metra stop" address="2012 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201" phone="847-475-1381" email="" fax="" hours="Mon-Sat:6am-9pm Sun:7am-9pm" price="$" url=""> Linz and Vail has two location in Evanston - 922 Noyes Street just east of the El stop and a newer one at 2012 Central Street (one mile west of purple line). Both are open, airy coffee shops that also serve an array of gelato. They brew Intelligentsia coffee and offer a fourth shot of espresso free with any drink, for serious caffiene junkies. The staff is very friendly and helpful, and all seem to have liberally sampled their products.</drink>

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Budget

• Best Western Evanston - Run-down hotel. Ok enough, but wireless internet is poor, fitness room was closed, fan in bathroom didn't work drain was funky in bathroom and remote was missing.

[edit] Mid-range

[edit] Splurge

[edit] Get out

• There is the small matter of Chicago right next door.
• The Purple Line ends in the affluent suburb of Wilmette, walking distance from the Baha'i Temple, a cultural and architectural sight to see.