There is more to Illinois than just cornfields and the Windy City. The Land of Lincoln has plenty of fascinating people, places, and things with unique and bizarre histories. Find these under-appreciated destinations the local Chamber of Commerce would love to forget: The Deli Sliced Duo; Popeye's Hometown; America's one and Only Hippie Memorial; Jesus in a Tree; Wild green parrots in the heart of Chicago; Scarlett O'Hara's green curtains; The Devil Baby of Hull House; A double-decker outhouse; Statues that weep; and many more sites.
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"(Pohlen's) prose makes reading the Oddball guides a delight" -- Salt Lake Tribune
"A romp" -- Arlington Height Daily Herald
"For those who are up to an adventure, but don’t like to venture too far from home." -- The Tri-County News-Williamsfield Times Edition
"Interesting and unusual." -- Chicago Parent
"This in not your parents' travel book, but in the new millennium, all guides will be written like this." -- Chuck Shepherd, News of the Weird
"a veritable smorgasbord of oddities" -- Daily Herald
"one irresistible guidebook" -- Chicago Tribune
"this book demonstrates just how offbeat Illinoisans can get" -- CityTalk, PBS Chicago
"what a great job Jerome Pohlen has" -- Indianapolis Prime Time Magazine
Takes a wry look at some of those little discoveries that can make your travel day. -- The Courier
"A romp" -- Arlington Height Daily Herald
"For those who are up to an adventure, but don’t like to venture too far from home." -- The Tri-County News-Williamsfield Times Edition
"Interesting and unusual." -- Chicago Parent
"This in not your parents' travel book, but in the new millennium, all guides will be written like this." -- Chuck Shepherd, News of the Weird
"a veritable smorgasbord of oddities" -- Daily Herald
"one irresistible guidebook" -- Chicago Tribune
"this book demonstrates just how offbeat Illinoisans can get" -- CityTalk, PBS Chicago
"what a great job Jerome Pohlen has" -- Indianapolis Prime Time Magazine
Takes a wry look at some of those little discoveries that can make your travel day. -- The Courier
About the Author
Jerome Pohlen is the author of the Oddball series and a regular travel commentator for 848 on WBEZ, the Chicago affiliate of National Public Radio. He is a recent recipient of the Illinois Associated Press Broadcasters Award for Best Essay. He lives in Chicago.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A thick slice of cheese,
This review is from: Oddball Illinois: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball States) (Paperback)
If you're into Ira Glass, P.J. O'Rourke, or David Sedaris, you'll get into the humor of this book. It's filled with places you don't normally find in a guidebook like the world's largest bottle of catsup, Hitler's bicycle, and a two-story outhouse with the author's recommendation to "take the one on top." Most of the places have accompanying photos so you can see if The Choo Choo Restaurant is really your cup o' tea and the Chicago section is especially strong. Everyone I've talked to says, "This guy should come to MY neck of the woods", proving that there is enough tackiness in this country to go around.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Are there more like this?,
By A Customer
This review is from: Oddball Illinois: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball States) (Paperback)
What a great travel book for people who want to see the uncommercialized part of our country. We're going to Illinois this summer, and now we can't wait to get there. The author provides directions and regional maps to interesting and sometimes just plain goofy places that a lot of the local residents probably don't even know about. The author's irreverant descriptions and comments, filled in with little-known historical "facts" about famous and infamous people and places have made us laugh out loud.This book reminds me of the old "On the Road" T.V. series when Charles Karault interviewed interesting people in little out-of-the-way communities. I hope this author has more books about other states. I'd love to have one about my area here in Central California. He'd have a field day.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun Read,
By
This review is from: Oddball Illinois: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball States) (Paperback)
This book is so fun to read. If you live in Illinois, you will love finding out the very strange things that exist in the Land of Lincoln. I live in Chicago, and there is a VERY large section of this book that deals with Chicago and it's wierdness. From cemeteries to strange house decorations to wild birds living in a local park.........Illinois is so much more than I ever imagined....and I've lived here for over 25 years. Get this book and put it on your coffee table,you will find yourself picking it up over and over again.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The Chicago Tribune Tower is both a modern gothic masterpiece and the city's greatest monument to institutionalized vandalism. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lincoln Park, Des Plaines, Windy City, Michigan Ave, New York, Big Jim, Grant Park, Lake Michigan, United States, Abraham Lincoln, Chicago River, Cook County, Devil Baby, Forest Park, Hull House, Lake Shore Drive, North Ave, Oak Ridge, Southern Illinois, Villa Katherine, African American, Bachelor's Grove, Civil War, Columbian Exposition, Rest Cottage New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The Chicago Tribune Tower is both a modern gothic masterpiece and the city's greatest monument to institutionalized vandalism. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lincoln Park, Des Plaines, Windy City, Michigan Ave, New York, Big Jim, Grant Park, Lake Michigan, United States, Abraham Lincoln, Chicago River, Cook County, Devil Baby, Forest Park, Hull House, Lake Shore Drive, North Ave, Oak Ridge, Southern Illinois, Villa Katherine, African American, Bachelor's Grove, Civil War, Columbian Exposition, Rest Cottage New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 45
books:
See all 45 books this book cites
1
book
cites this book:
- Frommer's Comprehensive Travel Guide San Diego '95 (Frommer's City Guides) by Alice Garrard on page 31, and page 96
- Chicago Architecture: 1885 to Today (Universe Architecture Series) by The Chicago Architecture Foundation on page 5, and Back Matter
- The Man Who Killed Boys: The John Wayne Gacy, Jr. Story by Clifford L. Linedecker in Back Matter
- Holy Cow by Harry Caray on page 84
- Buried Dreams by Tim Cahill in Back Matter
See all 45 books this book cites
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