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Explore the flora of the conservatory as well as good old-fashioned Chicago blues.

Tuesday Aug 31, 2004.     By Chris Benevich

Lifestyle Feed

Safety rating: During daytime, definitely watch your back if traveling solo away from formal city-run sites. Nighttime? One resident security guard said he wouldn't hang there after dark "without a clip." He wasn't talking about a clipboard.

Panhandler rating: Stick to the park and conservatory facilities and you shouldn't have a problem. Otherwise, walking the main thoroughfares like Madison might attract the attention of typical tube-socks-'n’-tapes street vendors.

Once a burgeoning social and retail pit stop between the Loop and Oak Park, developers evacuated the Garfield Park neighborhood after the 1968 riots that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes, flower power has regrown Garfield Park. The enormous park district grounds dominate south of Lake Street, while the Garfield Park Conservatory, one of the world's largest gardens under glass, shines forth north of the train stop. In 2002 Daley nominated the area as part of his Green Town, "the intellectual and physical center of Chicago's greening initiatives," according to one city brochure.

Where to chill
Garfield Park Conservatory
Hands down, neighborhood passersby agree the Garfield Park Conservatory anchors this ‘hood. If all you remember from your grade school tour of Garfield Park Conservatory is a bunch of palms and ferns, new additions will "wet" your curiosity.  

Peruse the Persian Pond, partially shaded by six-foot leaves of the Madagascar Traveler's Tree, for the whimsical, chartreuse glass lily pads designed by Dale Chihuly. Know the geometric shapes and colors that dance behind your eyelids when you rub your eyes really hard? Then you've got a pretty good idea of the Zellij Fountain, meticulously designed with hand-cut tiles in the tradition of 10th-century North African and Andalusian artisans.

Come Sundays through Oct. 31 to enjoy the "European bazaar feeling" of the Garfield Market, featuring 12 unique shops and a farmers market. Throughout the year, unleash the kids in the children's activity room, eat on the fly from the healthy foodstand or covet crafty items from the Conservatory's store, such as banana peel art motifs from Ghana.

Upcoming events include the County Fair and the Fall Outdoor Flower Show, both starting Sept. 18. The Conservatory is one host of The Great Perennial Divide, a perennial plant, tree and shrub swap free to participants, but you must register by Sept. 10. Call for details.

For the artiste
"Women's Contribution to American Progress," mural by Edward Millman
The Flower Campus
3545 W. Fulton
(773) 534-6755
History textbooks tend to focus on governmental, war and economic transactions, leaving out the cultural and day-to-day development of civilized nations. To refresh your knowledge of our founding mothers, visit the Flower Campus mural, "Women's Contribution to American Progress." Its muted colors, gentle yet stolid savior figures and the stooped, suffering people they aid give a well deserved nod to the women who created safe streets as we know them. Cram for your next “Jeopardy” match by reading the short bios of women like Harriet Tubman and Jane Adams that grace the surrounding walls.

No wallet needed
Garfield Park Field House
For group get-togethers or quiet, meditative time, get thee to the Garfield Park Field House. Dizzy yourself with its fancy Spanish Baroque Revival architecture. Then, knock yourself out cheering on one of the city's top boxing programs. Not the violent type? Visit the Peace Museum, housed in this building famous for its golden dome that appears to glow even in the hazy light of an overcast day. Back outside waving cattails serve as a reminder of Jens Jensen's (founder of prairie-style landscaping) influence on park design that emphasizes native plants. Art Richardson, central region manager for the Chicago Park District, says "to walk the park takes you out of the cityscape and gives the impression you're walking through the country." Watch for the blue heron spotted at one lagoon or cast your lots and nets within to fish the stock of largemouth bass, bluegill, carp and sunfish. Colorful flower gardens and rotating art installations courtesy of the city's Art in the Garden program flank the park's center at Madison.

Late-night locale
Bossman Blues Club
"This is a blues joint," says club manager Bossman, and he can't stand it when patrons ask for rock or rap. Here you can get your gut bucket or monkey grip, the kind of blues that tell you to "grab on to something and don't let go." Pick out internationally known Johnny Dollar, a frequent R&B performer at the club, by his blonde Gibson LG. Wailing on the guitar for more than 35 years, he's about to release two new CDs. Other musicians at the club do vocals or work it on the acoustic. Though they don't officially serve food, if enough people are hungry, Bossman dials a nearby caterer to "order a couple hundred pieces of chicken."

He'll tell you he's booked for two years if he thinks you're riffraff trying to set root, which is why greats like Bobby Rush feel at home in his club. Gain entry most nights without cover, but show your love and follow the two-drink minimum. Bossman and friends will also represent at the Conservatory on Sept. 19.

In-the-know spot
Historic Boulevards of Garfield Park
Boulevard map signage at northeastern corner of Central Park and Lake William Le Baron Jenney, "Father of the Skyscraper," designed the connecting boulevards of Garfield, Humbolt and Douglas Parks, completed in 1871. Today, the boulevards make for a beautiful bike tour either alone or with the Chicago Bicycle Federation's annual Boulevard Lakefront Tour. Start near the L stop and saunter down Fulton Boulevard after visiting the mural at the Flowers Campus. Fulton to Sacramento showcases many older homes reminiscent of those on Wellington or Fullerton on the North Side.

Find your way down to the twisty, tree-canopied pathways of the park south of the L along wavy-edged lagoons and on to the Arabian-inspired bandstand. Head up one block to Madison and Hamlin to see another Spanish Baroque Revival building, former home to the Midwest Athletic Club. Hot tip: Peruse the 2004 edition of the "AIA Guide to Chicago" at your neighborhood library branch to learn more about the architectural points of interest in Garfield Park and all around town.