Today I had an opportunity to go on an historical walk in the Jackson Park area of Chicago. Unfortunately when I hear Jackson Park I imagine a "not so nice" area of Chicago. Jackson Park, Garfield Park, Marquette Park....aren't they all the same? The news seems to depict it as so. A shooting here, a shooting there, what's the diff? But much to my surprise there is this little oasis in the center of Jackson Park. Set on the south side of the Museum of Science and Industry, Jackson Park is the home to several butterfly gardens, a Japanese garden, an endangered bird sanctuary and several lagoons, not to mention the infamous Jackson Park Golf Course. What makes this area historical is the fact that it was the location of the Chicago World's fair back in the late 1800's. Quite a few people showed up for the tour today which was led by the son of my good friend Deb. He's quite the historian and was a wealth of information. I had read the book "Devil in the White City" a few years ago but after walking and listening to the history of the park I would like to read it again. It was a beautiful day and this Japanese garden was a hidden delight amongst the backdrop of low income housing. How unfortunate for me that I had never known about it before- or if I had it certainly had escaped my memory.
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