Chicago's Lake Shore Drive: Urban America's Most Beautiful Roadway
Is there any disagreement with the title? I don't think so. I'm only slightly surprised that authors Neal Samors and Bernard Judge didn't just call it the World's Most Beautiful Urban Roadway and dare somebody to prove them wrong. After all, to paraphrase Aliota, Haynes and Jeremiah, there ain't no road just like it, anywhere we've found. This is one of those coffee table books that make a timely appearance during the gift-giving season with lots of great photos, many of them historic, in this case depicting the origins of the 17-mile road that helps define our city (Chicago). I got a special kick out of the photos showing that the city's early beaches were paved--with bricks, no retaining walls at that point--but the horse and buggy carriage road wasn't. What makes Lake Shore Drive special, Bernie Judge says, is that it made Chicago's magnificent lakefront accessible to everyone. --Mark Brown, Chicago Sun-TimesA book and a fruitcake have two things in common: Both are frequently given as Christmas gifts. And neither one is edible. When the pressure's on, however, and you need to find a holiday remembrance on short notice, we suggest you dump the desert and lean toward literature. But, don't just grab the latest best seller or Oprah pick. Match the books to the recipient's personality and interest. If the recipient lives and breathes Chicago history, then consider Chicago's Lake Shore Drive: Urban America's Most Beautiful Roadway (Chicago's Neighborhoods) by Neal Samors and Bernie Judge, a lavishly illustrated history of the bodacious byway that snakes around the lake. --Julia Keller, Chicago TribuneA book and a fruitcake have two things in common: Both are frequently given as Christmas gifts. And neither one is edible. When the pressure's on, however, and you need to find a holiday remembrance on short notice, we suggest you dump the desert and lean toward literature. But, don't just grab the latest best seller or Oprah pick. Match the books to the recipient's personality and interest. If the recipient lives and breathes Chicago history, then consider Chicago's Lake Shore Drive: Urban America's Most Beautiful Roadway (Chicago's Neighborhoods) by Neal Samors and Bernie Judge, a lavishly illustrated history of the bodacious byway that snakes around the lake. --Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune