Walking Chicago

Ryan Ver Berkmoes has a reporter's nose for the telling detail and an impressive knowledge of what makes a city worthwhile. In "Walking Chicago" he presents 31 walking tours that stretch across the city, from the North Side to the South Side, from the lakefront to Oak Park. Often, walking guides restrict themselves to the downtown and nearby neighborhoods, ignoring the small ethnic enclaves and off-the-beaten-path areas that lend character and depth to a city. Not Ver Berkmoes. Yes, he walks the well-trodden streets of the Loop, River North, the Magnificent Mile, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park and Hyde Park, but he also goes to Uptown and Andersonville, Bucktown, Ukrainian Village, Bronzeville and Bridgeport. He discusses history, contemporary trends and even social mores while listing points of interest along the way, from museums and beaches to cafes and famous houses (including Barack Obama's Kenwood home). One of the better walking guides on the market.

Excerpted from Travel Book Reviews by June Sawyers, October 19, 2008.