Secret Chicago highlights 90 distinctive, little known, and unusual places for a scavenger hunt in and around Chicago. It asks questions like: “Why is a priceless art collection stored in a Chicago park fieldhouse?” and “Where’s the best place to buy human teeth or spy supplies?”
Exclusive interviews introduce readers to some of the city’s most fascinating residents, and one Grammy-winning Chicago visitor. LCD Soundsystem band member Rayna Russom weighed in on one of her favorite hidden gems in Chicago.

Now that our travel is limited, a quick walk around the neighborhood has taken on a new significance. Jessica is sharing some spots from the book that can be enjoyed outside from a distance while you’re getting some air and tagging it #secretsocialdistancing.

Jessica has converted her popular book program for a virtual audience and will be presenting at several libraries (Deerfield, Ela, Stickney-Forest View, Niles-Maine) this summer via Zoom.
Website: secretchicagobook.com

Here are the five outdoor places talked about:

1. Site A and Plot M- Red Gate Woods in the Cook County Forest Preserve (A former top secret nuclear site where nuclear reactors are buried in the woods)

2. Beyond the Vines – Bohemian National Cemetery 5255 N. Pulaski Rd. (A final resting place for Cubs fans)

3. Oakland Museum of Contemporary Art – S. Berkeley Ave. and E. 41st Pl. (A little-known urban sculpture park)

4. Villa District – Between Pulaski and the Kennedy north of Addison (Chicago’s smallest neighborhood)

5. Reebie Storage and Moving Co. – 2325 N. Clark St (An Egyptian building in Lincoln Park)

Here are a few other spots from the book if we have time:

1. Dulcelandia – 4616 S. Kedzie Ave. Locations also in Logan Square and Chicago Ridge (Largest selection of Mexican candy in the Midwest)
2. Yellow Brick Road – 1667 N. Humboldt Blvd. (Commemorates where the Wizard of Oz was written)