Ukrainian Village, West Town

In choosing which area of the West Town community area to visit I decided to skip the trendy Wicker Park neighborhood for the lessor known Ukrainian Village. At one time the village was a stop on the “L” (elevated train), but the line was discontinued in the 1960s. The primary mass transit link now is by bus.

I prefer to avoid bus rides to unknown neighborhoods. In fact, I’ll walk a mile or more from a train stop. Navigating fixed railroad tracks with only a few stops is easier than complex bus routes which randomly change for traffic conditions or special events.

However, I knew I had a lot of neighborhoods ahead of me which can’t be reached by subway or commuter train lines. It was time to get serious about using the transit app on my phone.

We rode the Metra Electric District train from Hyde Park to its termination point at Millennium Station downtown. Deciding to stretch our legs we walked north on Michigan Avenue, along the upscale shopping of The Magnificent Mile, to the Water Tower. From there we caught the #66 bus along Chicago Avenue to Ukrainian Village.

Using the transit app worked fine. I appreciated the tracking feature, which showed us where we were in relation to the stop we needed. I’d chosen a coffee shop for lunch. I’ve learned my family is more tolerant of walking neighborhoods if I feed them early in the trip.

I did not know Ukrainian style pierogis was a thing. I’m familiar with the larger Polish version, often simple in ingredients and pan fried in butter. I happily ate the smaller boiled Ukrainian pierogis with mushroom, potato and tarragon filling in a creamy Dijon sauce. Delicious. My only regret was failing to remember to request fried onion and bacon toppings.

I’ve learned to travel to interesting neighborhoods with an insulated grocery bag. Small ethnic markets offer a variety of food choices, usually at cheaper prices. We wondered the aisles of a Ukrainian grocery store trying to guess foods that didn’t have English translations.

Not paying close attention I came home with a seasoning packet I guess to be for beef stroganoff. I will have to try to follow the pictures to use it. A large bag of soup seasoning, with English translation, was only $3. A loaf of freshly baked rye bread $1.50. I chose a cheese from the deli counter I couldn’t pronounce, along with frozen pierogis and Russian pork dumplings. All the cold foods made the long trip home safely in the insulated bag.