Customer Reviews

Secret Chicago: The Unique Guidebook to Chicago's Hidden Sites, Sounds, & Tastes (Secret Guides)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found this to be an informative guide for adventurous tourists or new residents of the city. However, I would not necessarily recommend to adventurous residents of the city. If you already live in Chicago and you are, for instance, a blues fan it is no secret that Buddy Guy's Legends and the Checkerboard Lounge are premier venues. In other words while I wholeheartedly endorse this book for the aforementioned groups I would not recommend it to adventurous residents on the lookout for new experiences. You may certainly find a few but most of it will be old hat.

I bought this guidebook on a whim and was not disappointed! "Secret Chicago" goes where few travel guides go. . . it's informative while highly entertaining. It's also really funny! As a new transplant to the Windy City, this book has been a great help. Weller's recommendations for restaurants are superb. I have visited several spots named in the book and they were all great. And since moving here (from Kansas City), I have seen Weller's name in the Chicago Tribune and New City often. Most guides are written by some unknowm. . . not this one! I'd love to meet this writer! He's really funny and knows Chicago like nobody's business.

I highly recommend this book.

This is a great idea, and I wish it had been expanded just a bit, to get more of a flavor of the places Weller writes about. There are places in this book which, even as a Chicagoan born and bred, I never knew about. He even has a short chapter about prostitution in the city! You don't get much more secret than that, methinks. But the information amounts to little more than a few lines about each site, and leaves you wanting a bit more.

I also have to wonder how some of the places in the book were chosen. How secret is the Chicago El (elevated) system after all? And why, for example, with literally thousands of little fast food joints in the city, were there only three listed? And how were they chosen? I recognize that there was a space limit on this book, and that Weller covers a great deal of ground here, but as I read I'm occasionally bemused by both inclusions and exclusions. Still, it doesn't pretend to be comprehensive and Weller does do a good job of giving the reader an overview of some of the roads less traveled in a city this size

This is a fun book. Keep one in your glove compartment for impromptu road trips, or give a copy to your Chicago-loving friends. They'll get a kick out of finding new reasons to love this city.

Mr. Weller is a former reporter and must have done a very good job in reporting. This book is not for the typical tourist but for the individual interested in an in-depth look at the city of Chicago. He digs to get the best out of every subject he covers and in very descriptive text and references, gives even the most experienced Chicago visitor and even resident a taste for almost 100 subjects. Listed alphabetically, are a myriad of aspects of the city from architecture and astrology, to almost any subject you can imagine. This is not a typical tour book but one which will entice you to investigate areas of interest and the city that you may not have imagined exist. The author is opinionated and frank, which makes the book even more useful.

This was a very helpful book for our one-week vacation in the Windy City. Weller has a witty style of writing and isn't afraid to share his opinion. My husband and I found him to be right on the mark, especially for the food. The book is a quick read, organized into categories as chapters so you can skip past topics that don't interest you. Weller gave helpful information you won't find in most tourist books like where to use the restroom when shopping on Michigan Avenue (not many public potties!). My husband would have liked to see Secret Automotive (for car shows and unique dealerships) as a category but outside of that we felt the book was pretty complete. It mentioned all the major attractions but it is more focused on the secret sites. I could see this book being helpful to a newer resident of Chicago as well.

It's about time a book like this was written. Chicago is America's often-forgotten crown jewel of cities, and Sam Weller does an amazing job of reminding even native Chicagoans of the endless wealth of possibilities this town holds. Written in flawless and exciting prose, Secret Chicago is a must-buy for Chicago natives as well as anyone traveling through.

This book is an excellent way to see Chicago. I recommend it to a new comer that has just moved to the city. It is the best way to find your own little favorite places.

a bit of a disapointment- nothing really too secret here. relatively good descriptions but don't expect a book of any great beauty or insight. i'd save my money for another.