choosechicago.com The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture the country, and the gate is now a National Historic Landmark. BEST RESTAURANTS FOR FOOD WITH A SIDE OF HISTORY I would say Valois in Hyde Park. You watch them make your food behind the counter. It’s been around for 100 years — and anybody that’s had any kind of political power in the city of Chicago in the last 100 years has eaten there. And you should go to La Luna in Pilsen, at 18th and Racine. It’s Mexican cuisine, and serves probably the best taco in the city. There’s a hidden gem a few blocks away at Benito Juarez High School , where there are life-size sculptures of all the leaders of Mexico from throughout history. And we gotta add Buddy Guy’s Legends . It’s owned by Buddy Guy, who does a residency there every January. Where else can you walk in and literally see a living blues legend and icon? BEST PLACES TO CATCH A SHOW I like Metro . The terracotta on the exterior is amazing. It’s a repurposed building, so it preserves history while allowing us to enjoy the present. Reggies in the South Loop is awesome. I love its proximity to Chess Records and the old Chicago blues scene. BEST NEIGHBORHOODS FOR HISTORY BUFFS Bronzeville , for sure. Black History Month as a concept comes from Bronzeville, along with gospel music, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and the Harlem Globetrotters who integrated basketball, to name just a few. There’s also the Pullman neighborhood. President Barack Obama designated Pullman as a National Monument, but the Pullman neighborhood has been making history since the late 1800s. It’s because of the Pullman railcar strike that we have Labor Day as a holiday. And the architecture and infrastructure of Pullman are original to the neighborhood. And I wish more people went to North Lawndale . It’s home to a rich Jewish history, the original Sears Tower, and has ties to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Make sure to take a Chicago Mahogany Tour to see all of these awesome neighborhoods I’m talking about. Pullman National Monument TOP TO BOTTOM: ABEL ARCINIEGA; ALEJANDRO REYES 7
Chicago Visitors Guide 2023: Page 7
