In this space, I've written before about my fascination with the gaps and seams in the city fabric, urban exploration, and alternate paths through our world. Recently, I was fortunate enough to find my way into the mysterious world of the Chicago Pedway. Similar to other systems in Minneapolis, Winnipeg, Calgary, Cedar Rapids, and other cities where the climate makes walking outside unattractive, the Pedway is a system of tubes and tunnels that allow one to move around downtown under cover. It connects the ballet, the Metra, several subway stops, Millenium Park, the Art Institute, the Aqua Tower, Macy's, and dozens of other buildings.
On a rainy afternoon, eager to get out of the wet, I found the first entrance at the intersection of Michigan and Monroe downtown. A great map, found here, identifies this as the beginning of a segment of the Pedway known as the Millenium and North Grant Park Garage Walkway. It leads down to a sprawling parking garage serving the parks, Art Institute, and businesses along Michigan Avenue.
On a rainy afternoon, eager to get out of the wet, I found the first entrance at the intersection of Michigan and Monroe downtown. A great map, found here, identifies this as the beginning of a segment of the Pedway known as the Millenium and North Grant Park Garage Walkway. It leads down to a sprawling parking garage serving the parks, Art Institute, and businesses along Michigan Avenue.
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| The first portal to the underworld. Photos in this post courtesy of Amanda Buck. |
