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The Chicago Pedway system isn’t a secret tunnel system to those who live and work in downtown Chicago. It’s a handy way to get around underground, especially during inclement weather.
But it felt like discovering a secret world when we found it while staying at the Radisson Blu Aqua hotel in Chicago in 2019. A jaunt in search of lunch one day led us to what I called a tunnel but what I learned was really part of the Chicago Pedway system.
Which, calling it a tunnel isn’t far off. Let’s take a closer look at it.
About the Chicago Pedway System
The Chicago Pedway System is a system of underground tunnels and even overhead bridges that links hotels, offices, bus and train stations. According to the Chicago.gov site about the system, all in all, it encompasses about 40 blocks/5 miles and connects about 50 buildings.
The City of Chicago began construction in 1951 when one-block tunnels connected Red and Blue line subways at Washington Street and Jackson Boulevard. It’s definitely expanded a lot since then with both city and private contributions!
Covid’s Impact on Pedway Businesses
With so much foot traffic, is it any wonder there are shops, restaurants, and services in the tunnels too? Kind of like a secret below-ground mall that you wouldn’t know was there unless you lived in the city. Or were a hungry tourist who stumbled upon it like we did.
I’d had a good lunch at Blackwood BBQ in the Pedway under the Illinois Center when we visited in 2019. During our visit this year I wondered if it was still there. Or even open. Because we quickly realized some downtown eateries were still temporarily closed thanks to Covid-related issues.
What about the ones in the Pedway?
A Jaunt Through the Pedway
On a recent trip to Chicago, the hotel we stayed at was connected to the Pedway. I decided to pay it a visit to find out what it looked like post-Covid.
What did I find? Some things were still closed, some had re-opened. There was still foot traffic, but a lot lighter than when we’d been there two years before.
Sadly, that Blackwood BBQ location was still closed. (But there were other locations around the city we could’ve gone to.)
Since Take a Hike Day is November 17 (see the Weird Holidays & Observances page), I decided. “Why not share my quick jaunt through the Pedway at the Illinois Center?”
Because not all hikes happen in the wild. Some can be urban adventures too!
Chicago Pedway Photos
Chicago Pedway Video
Check-In
Have you ever used the Chicago Pedway system?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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I have been to Chicago, but I didn’t even realize there was an underground pedestrian network. Some of the photos remind me of airport corridors.
It reminded me a LOT of the one in DC, which I also got a great big kick out of when we first went there in 2007. I had no idea such types of things existed back then, and then to find another one…why I’m so fascinated by them I don’t know but they’re so much fun. I guess if I lived there it’d just be commonplace, but maybe that’s it. It’s so not like anything in my daily life. lol