You could literally spend all day walking around the area, looking at the homes. I only had a couple of hours, so I hit the high spots noted in the Frommer's Day-to-Day Guide.
The following is pretty typical of the gardens and yards of the houses in the area:
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Along Hoyne Ave. (I believe that's where it is), you'll find this little gem:
I had breakfast the morning that I was in Wicker Park at the Bongo Room. Wow. My travel guides did not steer me wrong. If I remember correctly, there is more than one Bongo Room in Chicago. I believe there is a good location close to Soldier Field, just south of downtown. One thing that makes Bongo Room great is you never know exactly what will be offered on the menu, particularly in terms of their specials, because they offer whatever is in season (a sign that fresh ingredients are being used). Fortunately for me, this little ditty was offered when I was there:
Red velvet pancakes with vanilla bean sauce. Damn straight.
I realize that the next pic will not interest everyone. But I have always been fascinated by strange architecture, buildings that don't necessarily make sense. The Flatiron Building in NYC has always blown my mind. And after seeing it in person, my mind is truly blown. Chicago has their own Flatiron Building. Not nearly as large, it, nonetheless, sort of has a Chicago feel to it:
Wicker Park is a great place to visit, a nice little excursion from the rest of the Windy City. Much of it has a trendy vibe to it that is contagious. Lots of locally-owned restaurants and shops. And it's not far at all from downtown or other major spots around the city, just a few subway stops. In fact, in this picture, taken from the subway boarding area, you can see just how close downtown is (note the Sears Tower in the right background):
Just hop on the blue line and stop at Damen:
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