Oddball Illinois: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball States) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The Chicago Tribune Tower is both a modern gothic masterpiece and the city's greatest monument to institutionalized vandalism..." (more)
Key Phrases: Lincoln Park, Des Plaines, Windy City (more...)

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

Product Description

Giant fiberglass wieners atop a hotdog stand. Wild green parrots that live in the city. A double-decker outhouse. A museum dedicated to surgical science. Statues that weep. Find out where these and other eclectic sites are located in Oddball Illinois, an offbeat travel guide that's a mix of Fodors and News of the Weird. There is more between Chicago and St. Louis than cornfields, and plenty of fascinating places in the Windy City that aren't on Michigan Avenue. Oddball Illinois won't point out the hottest club in Chicago, the quaintest small-town bed & breakfast, nor the most scenic hiking trail in Illinois. This book will, however, tell about the locations of America's One and Only Hippie Memorial, Scarlett O'Hara's green drapes, Popeye's Hometown, and several places the local Chambers of Commerce would just as soon be forgotten. Behind all the odd sights is some wonderfully interesting history and a chance to see some underappreciated sites throughout the state.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press; 1st edition (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556523718
• ISBN-13: 978-1556523717
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #314,845 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #61 in	Books > Travel > United States > States > Illinois
  #61 in	Books > Travel > United States > Regions > Central

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thick slice of cheese, March 25, 2000

By	james p. lane (bloomington, in United States) - See all my reviews

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are there more like this?, March 24, 2000

By A Customer

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read, January 10, 2003

By	C. Popp (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.