Meet the author Lauren Viera in Chicago

Lauren Viera

Lauren Viera’s articles and essays have appeared in books and publications including the New York Times Magazine, the Village Voice, the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Magazine, Time Out Chicago, where she served as an editor, and the Chicago Tribune, where she served as a staff writer. After leaving the Tribune, Viera was recruited to Leo Burnett Chicago as a copywriter on the agency's flagship brand, launching a mid-career shift to advertising and branding. Beyond writing, Viera teaches Professional Writing at Columbia College Chicago and volunteers with Comfort Station, a nonprofit community arts hub in Logan Square, Chicago. She is a graduate of Oberlin College, where she studied Music and Architecture and edited the Oberlin Review. She lives in Chicago.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT CHICAGO?

There are so many things to love about Chicago. But what I love most are its seasons, so punctual and fierce, whose quarterly shifts steer everything else that happens in the city. I cannot think of another place that so effortlessly transitions from packing bodies lined up on hot, sandy beaches next to a lake as big as an ocean; to hosting ice skaters seemingly floating along an elegant skating ribbon woven around a state-of-the-art amphitheater. Autumn and spring are even lovelier: the gradual fading of sunlight and warmth yielding orange and red leaves; then, the snowmelt fostering miles of tulips and twittering birds. Chicago truly lives up to its motto, Urbs in horto: "City in a Garden," and it never gets old.

a man walking by an artwork in the Chicago Art Institute

Art Institute of Chicago

WHAT WOULD A PERFECT DAY IN CHICAGO LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

My favorite days always begin with a jog to the Humboldt Park Formal Garden, designed by Jens Jensen. Then, breakfast sitting at the bar at Lula Cafe, in Logan Square. From there, I'd take the El to the Art Institute of Chicago and pick a random wing to explore in detail for an hour or so. If it's nice out, I'd stay for lunch at the museum cafe and sit outside near the fountain court. After lunch, I'd take a quick stroll through Lurie Garden at Millennium Park, then treat myself to a happy hour cocktail. I love dark, little bars — Bernard's at the Waldorf Astoria, Sportsman's Club in the Ukrainian Village.

a buzzing night with customers dining at La Scarola restaurant

La Scarola

For dinner, I tend to skip buzzy new places in favor of chef-driven Mexican eateries like Mi Tocaya, or old-school Italian spots like La Scarola. After dinner, I'd head out to catch a band at the Empty Bottle or the Salt Shed, and grab a nightcap at a hipster dive like the Rainbo Club, or sip an old fashioned at the Off Site Bar at Longman & Eagle since it's on the way home.

Restaurant Mi Tocaya Antojeria in Chicago

Mi Tocaya Antojeria

Get the book or ebook

In The 500 Hidden Secrets of Chicago, Lauren Viera shares her favourite addresses and secrets in her hometown. From the pitch-perfect Tom Collins cocktail at a modest neighborhood bar to a bank building archive devoted to the history of house music, discover the typical Chicago hangouts where locals love to go. These places and hundreds more were hand-picked to help you make the most out of your visit to the Windy City.

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