• Get in
• Get around
• See
• Do
• Buy
• Eat
• Drink
• Sleep
• Get out

Naperville [1] is a bedroom community in the Chicagoland area. In July of 2008, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Naperville third on its list of the 100 best places to live in the United States. This was down one spot from the previous year, where the city was honored with second place.

[edit] Get in

I-88 Runs through the northern part of the city and goes to Chicago.

Amtrak [2] has a station in Naperville at 105 E. Fourth Avenue. It is served by the daily Southwest Chief [3] between Chicago and Los Angeles, the daily California Zephyr [4] line between Chicago and San Francisco, and the Illinois Service [5] routes.

[edit] Get around

[edit] See

Downtown Naperville is pretty nice. You'll find new high-end chain stores, specialty shops and restaurants inhabiting quaint old buildings which are still a reminder of when Naperville was a sleepy burg. Through this same downtown area runs the Riverwalk. It runs along the shore of the DuPage river and was originally inspired by the more famous Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas.

[edit] Do

Visit the Naper Settlement. This is a reconstruction of the town as it looked in the 1800s and was founded by trader Joe Naper. Stop by the bustling downtown area for dinner and drinks or just to do some serious power shopping. If you plan on bringing your rental car here, be prepared to park it in the large public parking structures because finding a space in the downtown area can be torturously slow work. Although, there is often a spot in the two story parking garage(which is free) by the Barnes and Noble near the corner of Washington and Chicago Avenue. The second floor is accessible via Jefferson Avenue which is a block down Washington.

[edit] Buy

There's nothing that can't be found anywhere else other than foods indigenous to the area such as Chicago pizza, Italian Beef sandwiches, etc.

[edit] Eat

• Stop by Lou Malnati's pizza in downtown Naperville. This Chicago pizza restaurant do their pies well (and have arguably the best crust in the state) and is housed in what until the 1980s was the city's firehouse. The fire pole still resides in a corner of the bar area. Don't ask- they won't let you slide down it. The Lantern still has a cheeseburger and fries for 5 bucks- just the same way they were making them back in the 60s.

• Another local favorite is the Naperville branch of celebrity Chef Jimmy Bannos' Heaven on Seven restaurant which specializes in Cajun and Creole foods. Most of the food is alright for anyone to eat but if you want it fiery, they can make it happen.

• And you really should go to either El Centro or El Famous (both on Ogden Avenue) to wolf down a giant burrito.

• If you want some really fresh, delicious seafood during lunchtime, head over to Succulent Seafood at Gartner Plaza (corner of Gartner Road and Washington Street) and order a pasta dish or a fish sandwich with any of a number of freshly prepared sauces as you wait.

[edit] Drink

Several of the more well known and long lasting bars in town include The Lantern and Potter's Place in downtown Naperville. For those of you seeking a less glamorous but just as interesting (if not more so) time in the company of hardworking blue collar types, head to White Tavern on Ogden avenue or Orazio Pub at the Naperville train station.

[edit] Sleep

There are all manner of hotels available- none of them truly exceptional but all more than passable. If it's good location you are more interested in, try the mammoth Holiday Inn Select on Diehl road just off the I-88 tollway exit.

[edit] Get out

There is, of course, plenty to do in the city of Chicago. Nearby Aurora, Illinois has the Hollywood Casino if you feel like gambling. There are plenty of local parks available, perhaps the best of which is Herrick Lake in nearby Warrenville. There's also the Morton Arboretum one town over in Lisle. It's a sprawling complex full of all manner of flora.