Western Avenue is the city’s longest continuous road, stretching from Howard to 119th Street. I’ve been exploring those 24+ miles, bopping around Western near Armitage Avenue and the Tri-Taylor Historic District.
Today, I headed south — way south — to the bottom of Western Avenue. My stroll took me through West Morgan Park, Kennedy Park, and Beverly Woods, all along the dividing line of Morgan Park.
I started my official walk at County Fair, on Western and 108th Street, and ended it at Beverly Records at 116th Street. (Google Maps)
How to Get There
- The RI Line Metra to 107th Street
- The 349 Pace bus
- The 112 CTA bus
- Your indie journalist friend gives you a lift. (Thanks, Cameron!)
What to Do
This trip started strong at County Fair, possibly the cutest grocery store ever, full of countrified farm stands and stuffed chickens. I picked up a small bucket of fresh Chicago Mix popcorn — just $3 — and chowed down for the rest of my walk.
Across the street, I spotted a fortune teller, but didn't have time to stop. I had to make it to the bottom of Western! Heading south, I passed Home Run Inn Pizza, but I was saving myself for a hot dog.
On 111th Street, the Beverly Arts Center is hosting “The Mountaintop,” a dramatization of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final night in Memphis. It runs from Jan. 15 to 18. Across the street, at The Cop Shop, which provides uniforms to civil servants, seamstresses were hard at work.
Walking further, I passed the lovely Kennedy Park and McNally’s For Now, a revival of the beloved McNally’s bar that stood on Western for 35 years. Then, finally, I got my hot dog. Joey’s Red Hots, near 115th Street, provided a solid hot dog in a pillow-soft bun, with fries, for $3.75. Can’t complain!
Joey’s Red Hots is good — and that’s coming from a Hot Dog U grad! (Emmi Mack / Hey Chicago)
Finally, I made it to Beverly Records — the gem of this trip and a time portal to another era. Current owner Jack Dreznes has worked there since returning from the army in 1975. Excitedly, he led me around the crowded shop, jam-packed with wooden crates full of vinyl. Dreznes says classic rock vinyls sell best — Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin — but Buddy Holly is his favorite. Rare photos and collages of Holly cover the back wall.
Dreznes, whose parents opened Beverly Records in 1965, remembers when the shop took up two storefronts and hosted karaoke sessions. He remembers raising his children in the neighborhood and his family’s old costume shop, down the road. He remembers bar crawls from 99th all the way to 119th, saying there used to be 40 or so bars on the West side of the street.
As I left, “That's Just the Way It Is” by Phil Collins played. Across the street, I saw people pulling up for lunch at Lumes Pancake House. And when I squinted, just a bit further, I could almost make out the end of Western Avenue.
This isn’t a t-shirt, poster, or kitsch shop. Beverly Records is all about the vinyl. (Emmi Mack / Hey Chicago)
