Rosalind Cummings-Yeates 2024-01-05 19:29:42
Home to the country’s oldest LGBTQ+ neighborhood, Chicago offers an array of queer-owned shops, restaurants, clubs, and attractions across the city. SHOPPING Head to the bustling, multicultural enclave of Rogers Park to browse the expertly curated selection of wine, artisan cheeses, charcuterie, and locally made gifts at Provisions. Go a little further south to visit the shop’s Uptown location. The Magnificent Mile is home to SPACE 519, a chic European concept store with women’s apparel, home goods, and The Lunchroom cafe nestled within its space. Stroll through West Town to find Seek, a boutique filled with well-priced vintage clothes and housewares. Snag trendy streetwear like tees, baseball caps, and hoodies with LGBTQ+ themes at SOUNDOFF in the lakeshore Edgewater community. Pick up cards, journals, calendars, and more at Paper & Pencil, a charming stationery store in Andersonville. DINING Enjoy contemporary American dishes, cocktails, and unforgettable drag performances at the Kit Kat Lounge & Supper Club, a staple in the Northalsted neighborhood. Lady Gregory’s Irish Bar & Restaurant serves upscale gastropub fare and more than 300 whiskeys in Andersonville. A Chicago institution, Ann Sather features breakfast favorites like their famous cinnamon rolls and Swedish lingonberry pancakes in Edgewater and Lakeview. Located in Woodlawn, Build Coffee offers a cafe menu of sandwiches, salads, and lattes, as well as an extensive bookstore. Dig into succulent brisket, pulled pork, or smoked chicken with soul food sides at Lexington Betty Smokehouse in the landmark Pullman neighborhood. The family-owned Williams Inn Pizza & Sports Bar offers pizza, pasta, and cocktails in the South Loop. The award-winning Kale My Name crafts globally inspired, plant-based dishes like cauliflower wings and a jackfruit wrap in diverse Albany Park. NIGHTLIFE Stylishly laid-back cocktail lounge Nobody’s Darling delivers innovative cocktails named for Black icons like James Baldwin and Bessie Coleman in Andersonville. Dorothy, a vintage-inspired lesbian bar nestled in a cozy basement in the West Town neighborhood, features regular live performances. A beloved Chicago club, The Baton Show Lounge in Uptown boasts 54 years as the premier drag showcase in the country, offering drinks and a great show. A historic gay club in the South Shore neighborhood, Jeffery Pub has provided a welcoming space with a small dance floor and attentive bartenders for over 40 years. A popular entertainment spot for decades, Roscoe’s Tavern is known for its packed dance floor and drag shows in Northalsted. The Cauldron weaves magic with potion-making cocktail classes, magic wands, and a wizard-themed speakeasy nestled inside a bank vault in hip Wicker Park. The oldest Latinx drag bar in the country, La Cueva Nightclub showcases dancing and drag revues in the Little Village community. Rogers Park Social mixes inventive craft cocktails with a vibrant neighborhood bar ambiance in Rogers Park. ATTRACTIONS Unfolding along a halfmile stretch of North Halsted Street, The Legacy Walk honors LGBTQ+ activists with an outdoor exhibit of bronze markers attached to rainbow pylons in Northalsted, the oldest gay neighborhood in the U.S. The Leather Archives & Museum in Rogers Park displays artifacts, art, and books that represent the leather, kink, BDSM, and fetish communities. Boasting over 14,000 volumes and 800 periodicals, the Gerber/Hart Library & Archives in Rogers Park is the largest circulating library of gay and lesbian titles in the Midwest. Jane Adams Hull-House Museum, a National Historic Landmark, documents the work of social justice activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams on the University of Illinois Chicago campus in Little Italy. Celebrating LGBTQ+ stories through theatre and other art forms, the Pride Arts Center in Uptown features two theatres that promote the stories and experiences of the queer community. TOP 7 LGBTQ+ EVENTS Chicago Pride Fest celebrates the community with two days of lively performances, music, and food. The following weekend, the iconic Chicago Pride Parade boasts showstopping floats that draw about one million spectators to the north side of the city. chicagopride.gopride.com The annual Pride in the Park outdoor music fest showcases an impressive lineup of national and local LGBTQ+ performers and artists over two days in Grant Park. prideparkchi.com One of the largest street festivals in the Midwest, Northalsted Market Days features a thrilling roster of musicians, DJs, and performers across five stages. northalsted.com/main-events/northalsted-market-days Every fall, the Reeling Film Festival highlights the best LGBTQ+ movies and videos from all over the globe as the second longest-running film festival of its kind. reelingfilmfest.org Pride South Side focuses on Black and Brown queer Chicagoans with an annual weekend of events that includes performers and vendors from the local community, along with movie screenings. pridesouthside.org With a mission of challenging the way disability is traditionally defined, the Chicago Disability Pride Parade winds through the Loop and ends at Daley Plaza for post-parade festivities. disabilityprideparade.org
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