Evanston - where to go around there, or while I'm THAT EAST

Hi,

I'm going to be in Evanston quite a bit next week and am quite unfamiliar with the area.

I live way out in the NW suburbs and just about NEVER get that far east unless I'm dining downtown - and then I'm not anywhere but that restaurant.

I'll be working at the Whole Foods - if anybody wants to give me parking advice that would be great (I'm planning on arriving way early and hunting).

I don't need lunch ideas unless it's a can't miss place (and doable in 30 minutes). I am on a timeclock and am pretty sure I could eat at the store, and just might bring my own.

I might be willing to take a weird journey home if it takes me somewhere interesting. So I guess I might well be willing to trek down to say Irving Park or North Avenue, start heading west, homeward, and hit someplace. Or maybe head north if I can hit a good E-W road to head home.

I kinda imagine I'm going to see one whole lot of Golf Rd next week - unless someone has a better idea for a major EW trek (I'm a bit west of 53).

Also - this is just this week - August 21st-26th (or possiibly thru the 28th). Starting 8-29, when the new store opens, I'll be in Northbrook. So I'd kinda like to squeeze something in.

BTW- I'm most available on Wednesday 8-22 (get off 1pm that day) for trecking around in non-rush-hour.

Nancy

Nancy Sexton wrote:Hi,
I'll be working at the Whole Foods - if anybody wants to give me parking advice that would be great (I'm planning on arriving way early and hunting).
Nancy

Nancy-- Here's the inside info on the parking situation. There is a reasonably priced public lot kitty-corner from Whole Foods that always has spots. You don't need to arrive extra early for that, but you can't park on the street for an entire work day due to the residential limit of 2 hours without a permit. If you try to park at meters it will drive you nuts moving the car every 2 hours. Beware: You cannot outsmart the metermaids due to the new computerized chalk mark gizmo. And fines are steep. Bite the bullet and use the self-park.

For interesting, quick lunches, you're right around the corner from the mini-restaurant row, including Celtic Knot (Irish), the buffet at Mt. Everest (Nepalese-Northern Indian), French Bistro La Petit Amalie (might stretch your 30-minute limitation) and Sashimi-Sashimi (quick sushi).

Also, one major detour for your trip home - if you haven't visited H-Mart yet, take Oakton to the shopping center on the southeast corner of Waukegan and go wild.

You can park on Hinman 1 block E of Chicago Ave but the lot is easier. Celtic Knot is a good place to have a beer after work, its a half block down on Church St.

Looking for an east-west street, eh?

Well, first obvious choice is Devon. Not very efficient most times of the day, but the selection-- Cuban, African, tons of Indian, Eastern European-Jewish, Afghan, Superdawg-- is remarkable.

Second, not very obvious coming from me who tends to pay minimal attention to the burbs, is Dempster. Lots of places that have been talked about here-- Kabul House, Larsa's, Pita Inn, etc.

Third is Lawrence, another amazing polyglot street-- Korean-Bosnian-Greek-Middle Eastern-Mexican-who knows what all.

Doesn't Evanston Whole Foods have their own rooftop free parking lot?

Regarding driving: for best compromise of driving efficiency and food options, Dempster is almost definitely the way to go, although it kind of depends on where you are out west. Other relatively efficient roads are Palatine/Willow or Oakton. Palatine doesn't have a lot of food options, but Oakton could bring you by H-Mart or the two Village Creamery locations.

Whole Foods Evanston definitely has a rooftop lot, so unless they have some "customers only" thing that blocks you, use it.

Regarding meter tickets in Evanston, I thought they were only $10 a pop? Don't ask me to pay yours if you get one though! Seriously, if you don't use the rooftop, then the lot Josephine mentioned is the one you want.

I don't think any of the food options around WF are "can't miss" (although I do like to capitalize on the nearby Peet's for coffee when I'm in the area). As for places to go en route to/fro, I'd want to hear more about what qualifies as "interesting" before sending you all the way down to, say, North Avenue. But I'm with Mike G: if you just want to drive and have great chances of passing a place where you should stop, I'd suggest Dempster or Devon above any others.

For whatever reason, I feel like I should make one specific suggestion, so get yourself a great bagel:

New York Bagel & Bialy
3556 Dempster St, Skokie, IL (there's also a Touhy location)
(847) 673-9388

One can't-miss spot for your drive home would be Burt's Place for some outstanding pizza. Call in to place your order as you leave Evanston and the pie should be ready when you're swinging by Morton Grove.

I believe they are closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Burt's Place
8541 N. Ferris
Morton Grove, IL
847-965-7997

For EW treks during rush hour, Oakton has always been my best bet; the only real slow area is when you go through the center of Skokie, which isn't too bad. Golf can get slow at Old Orchard, but would be my second choice. Devon gets weird west of Harlem and East of Ridge. Touhy, being just off the expressway, can be congested for that reason.

If you're looking to stick around for dinner, don't miss Rogers Park for all the different options available there.

My now deceased uncle lived on the south end of Evanston near the hospital, we, coming from Batavia, used Golf frequently to get to his house. Despite going past Woodfield and Old Orchard, it always went pretty smoothly and we passed a ton of enthic places along the way. Seems to me there were a number of Korean places near Golf/Algonquin.

Mhays wrote:Touhy, being just off the expressway, can be congested for that reason.

Also, at least as of last week, there was quite a bit of construction on Touhy just east of the Edens - another reason to avoid it (unless you want to try the excellent sushi at Renga-Tei).

Edit to add ... construction seems finished as of 8/20

Josephine wrote:

Nancy Sexton wrote:Hi,
I'll be working at the Whole Foods - if anybody wants to give me parking advice that would be great (I'm planning on arriving way early and hunting).
Nancy

Nancy-- Here's the inside info on the parking situation. There is a reasonably priced public lot kitty-corner from Whole Foods that always has spots. You don't need to arrive extra early for that, but you can't park on the street for an entire work day due to the residential limit of 2 hours without a permit. If you try to park at meters it will drive you nuts moving the car every 2 hours. Beware: You cannot outsmart the metermaids due to the new computerized chalk mark gizmo. And fines are steep. Bite the bullet and use the self-park.

Nancy, I do the W-E commute to Evanston every single day. I take the bus as much as possible because driving and traffic make me nuts. However, when I do drive, as others have mentioned, Oakton and Golf are my best bets. Oakton takes me farther south than I need to go, but it's a smooth ride (new paving, etc). Golf's main advantage, I think, is that it has, on average, a faster speed limit and fewer stop lights, particularly between the stretch of Waukegan and Skokie Blvd/Old Orchard. (Obviously, I've given this a lot of thought!)

As for parking, I try to avoid as much as possible and within only some reason, giving any parking money to the City of Evanston. I think their parking rules are ridiculous and are a constant aggravation to me. Depending on how early you're thinking of arriving, there are very few (maybe six?) all-day spots on Chicago Ave., just south of Greenwood. Read the signs carefully as there is street cleaning on Thursday (on one side) and Friday (the other side). This is about three blocks from Whole Foods and really only a option to consider if you want to be as crazy as I am about getting free parking. Otherwise, I agree with the other suggestions in this thread.

More information on parking, driving, etc...

Whole Foods itself has a smallish free parking lot on the roof. The size of the parking lot was inadequate the day WF built this location, and has been ever since. It usually has some spaces except at peak times (e.g. late afternoons and Saturdays) when it can be full - and you don't want to get stuck driving up to the roof when it's full, because it can take a while to get out (people blocking, waiting for spaces to open up) and because you can only turn right when you leave, which means it's the long way around to get back to the public garage. I know the lot is only for WF customers and I'm not sure what the time limit is - probably an hour or two.

The "public lot" kitty-corner from Whole Foods is an indoor self-park garage. It's actually not on the corner, but is the second building on the left after Chicago Ave. as you continue on Church Street eastbound. Yes, there are always spaces there. It's free for the first hour, $2 for up to two hours, with higher rates after that (but it sounds like your visit will be quick). If you're shopping at Whole Foods and taking more than an hour, WF will validate your parking ticket so the second hour is free, too.

In general, the Whole Foods lot can be convenient at off times and/or if you have a lot of groceries to carry to the car; the self-park garage is generally a lot less hassle and is usually free if you're just grocery shopping at WF. We usually use the self-park garage rather than the Whole Foods lot.

To get to Evanston from the NW burbs, remember NOT to take the tollway. Right now the exits from the northbound Tri-State at both Touhy and Dempster are closed for construction. Otherwise, the tollways aren't a bad way to go, and in fact, taking Dempster to the southbound Tri-State to the outbound NW Tollway is generally the best route on your return (unless it's in the evening rush, in which case Golf Road is a better bet).

If you're interested in food shopping, Evanston has a string of shops along Central Street, just west of Green Bay Road, which is a couple miles from downtown Evanston where the Whole Foods is. They include the Spice House (great place for spices and seasonings of all kinds), Foodstuffs (upscale gourmet market), Tag's Bakery, and Linz and Vail (gelato bar).

One more local treasure is Al's Deli. This is a hole-in-the-wall storefront on Noyes Street, about half a mile north of downtown Evanston. They make wonderful sandwiches there, and they also have delicious cookies, chocolate chip cookies that are the closest to homemade I've ever had from a store, iced butter cookies, fudge brownie cookies, etc. Seating is extremely limited (I think they have about three tiny tables) and most of their business is carry-out. Open 11-4, closed Wednesdays.

nsxtasy wrote:One more local treasure is Al's Deli. This is a hole-in-the-wall storefront on Noyes Street, about half a mile north of downtown Evanston. They make wonderful sandwiches there, and they also have delicious cookies, chocolate chip cookies that are the closest to homemade I've ever had from a store, iced butter cookies, fudge brownie cookies, etc. Seating is extremely limited (I think they have about three tiny tables) and most of their business is carry-out. Open 11-4, closed Wednesdays.

Al's Deli is really a great little place. Everything there is made with care and, as nsxtasy pointed out, the cookies are to die for. This, along with Wiener & Still Champion, is probably my favorite place in Evanston to grab a quick bite for lunch.

Al's Deli
914 Noyes St
Evanston, IL
(847) 475-9400
Closed Wednesday

Wiener & Still Champion
802 Dempster St
Evanston, IL
(847) 869-0100

If you go to The Wiener & Still Champion, ask Gus to custom make a francheezie per Chicagostyledog( a natural casing Vienna Beef hot dog, wrapped in bacon-deep fried and covered with Merkt's cheddar cheese).

nsxtasy wrote:The size of the parking lot was inadequate the day WF built this location, and has been ever since.

It was actually worse when they first opened, as for some reason the spaces had been striped in some old-style way. This meant that any car larger than a sedan would be taking up more than one space. So given all the SUVs and Vans - nightmare. They had to re-stripe the lot maybe a month or two after it was opened.

Thanks for all the advice!

Got one more day working at Evanston, then off work till the new Whole Foods Northbrook opens on Wednesday the 29th.

Must say I've been too beat when getting off work to do as much shopping as I thought I might. Got a bagel from New York Bagels and Bialy's - good, but I had to slice it myself with a plastic knife...

The WF lot on the roof is NOT an option for employees - we sure want our customers to be happy and gotta save those spaces for you guys.

The driving advice was quite helpful. Oh - you CAN exit 294 at Dempster now - Touhy is still closed. 294 was helpful the day I started at 5 am, but other days I mostly used Oakton which worked quite well (untill the storm Thursday evening).

I must say that Evanston seems an odd Whole Foods Market. Such a little store, and so much shelf space for "Whole Body" - or personal care products. I also have noticed shoppers lingering for quite long amounts of time in the store. Seems like an hour after we ran out of the bacon we had out for samples all kinds of people stopped by the meat department and bought bacon. As for meat, lots of older people buying very small quantities - and often expensive cuts of meat.

Oh, you can park 8+ hours for $8 at that kitty-corner lot (which was where I parked all week long).

Thanks again!!

Nancy

Nancy Sexton wrote:Got a bagel from New York Bagels and Bialy's - good, but I had to slice it myself with a plastic knife...

You could have asked one of the deli guys to slice it for you if the plastic knife was too much work.