Yes, Chicago Has An East Side: Here's Why You Need to Visit
When you ask about East Side, many Chicagoans will look at you quizzically and say, “What, like Lake Michigan?” But it’s so much more than that. Once a bustling industrial corridor, East Side and surrounding communities near the Indiana border have become a hub for environmental restoration and the city’s Mexican community. Maya Rodriguez’s family has been in the area for at least three generations. She and host Jacoby Cochran meet at Big Marsh Park to talk about things to eat, see, and do around the Southeast Side.
Maya’s recs:
Big Marsh Park (Check out Winter Fest on Saturday)
Rowan Park
Indian Ridge Marsh
Edgars Grove/Wolf Lake
Calumet Beach
Southeast Chicago Historical Society
Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.
Follow us @citycastchicago
You can also text us or leave a voicemail at 773 780-0246
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Stay connected to City Cast Chicago and get ready to join the local conversation.
Latest Episodes
Which Neighborhood Doesn’t Have a Library? Plus, CHA Wait Times and Plover Eggs
Getting into Chicago Housing Authority units is hard enough, but the agency is also processing hundreds of relocation requests for curren...
CPS to Cut Teachers, UChicago Covers Tuition, and Lolla Schedule Drops
Chicago Public Schools are planning to cut teacher positions to minimize the $732 million budget deficit. Meanwhile, CPS CEO Macquline Ki...
What Are Mental Health Courts? Plus, United Center Tax Break and Obama Center Gentrification
Mental health courts have proliferated in Illinois, but how effective are they? Grace Hauck with the Illinois Answers Project joins Justi...
Churches Build Housing, Maxwell Street’s Loss, and It’s Patio Season!
Lawmakers in Springfield are considering legislation that would make it easier for churches to build multifamily housing on land they own...
The DNC in Chicago ... Again?! Plus, Best Late-Night Bites
DNC officials are wrapping up a three-day visit as the city is a finalist to host the 2028 and 2032 conventions. We talked with contribut...
Are Chicago’s Scooters Safe? Plus, How Bad Will Mosquito Season Be?
Are more regulations coming to the city’s scooters and ebikes? Following several fatal accidents involving minors, lawmakers have propose...
A Rare, All Good News Episode
What sets Chicago brick apart? Why are bald eagles returning to Chicago? What would you wait in line for? City Cast Chicago contributors...
Why Is Mayor Johnson In Springfield? Plus, Chicago's First Baby Eagles in a Century
Why did Mayor Brandon Johnson go to Springfield? Will state police actually investigate the killing of Silverio Villegas González by ICE...
What Chicago Kids Want Us to Know
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Earlier this year, we visited the Carole Robertson Center for Learning at their Albany Park site to talk...
Will Chicago Hospitals Resume Trans Youth Healthcare? Plus, What is the RIFL Act?
In April, a federal judge ruled the Trump administration could not cut Medicare and Medicaid funding to hospitals providing gender-affirm...