Starved Rock Lodge & Conference Center,
inexpensive to moderate, (800) 868-7625,
www.starvedrocklodge.com. Want to escape the
hustle and bustle? Consider this rustic retreat 90 miles southwest
of
Chicago. Set amid lush Starved Rock State Park, a 2,630-acre
forest overlooking the Illinois River, the stone-and-log lodge
dates back to the 1930s and allows guests all sorts of recreation,
even at this time of year. (Cross-country skiing, anyone?)
Dining
Fixture, moderate, (773)
248-3331,
www.fixturechicago.com. Enjoying a
meal here is like getting a mini culinary lesson. The menu defines
everything in glorious detail, from the hint of habanero ("hot
chile pepper, orange, native to Cuba") in the roasted suckling pig
to the béarnaise sauce ("hollandaise with tarragon and vinegar")
accompanying the crab-and-asparagus-stuffed artichoke. Learning
never tasted so good.
Harold's Chicken Shack, inexpensive, (312)
362-0442. White or dark, by the quarter or the half, dry or sauced
(the way locals eat it), Harold's is the spot for fried chicken in
Chi-Town. You can try its crispy, greasy, golden goodness at
several locations, but the original location is a no-frills spot -
complete with order takers behind bulletproof glass - in a South
Side strip mall.
Attractions
Oak Park. Not only is this
quaint spot one of Chicago's oldest suburbs, but it also houses
Ernest Hemingway's birthplace and
Frank Lloyd Wright's first home
and studio. A tour of the former (
www.ehfop.org) offers a peek at Papa Hemingway's
childhood diary, letters, and other writings, while the latter
(
www.wrightplus.org) reveals the tinkering
that Wright did to his own four walls before sharing his ideas with
clients.