My Town: Chicago (Route 66)

Central Pennsylvania native Matt Ayers ’14 chose TU in part because it pushed him just outside his rural comfort zone. Doing literacy volunteer work at Cherry Hill Elementary in Baltimore City with Americorps—something Ayers calls “the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done”—broadened his experience further.

When he ventured to Chicago for a job after graduation, he fully embraced everything the Windy City has to offer.

“It’s a very culturally rich city with food, entertainment, some of the top museums in the world,” he says. “The architecture is unbelievable, and it’s a great dining destination.”

One of his favorite ways to take in the sights is to go for a run. The two-time Chicago marathon finisher will often head to the lakefront, where 20 miles of paths give runners, cyclists and dog walkers many different views of city landmarks. 

One of Ayers’ favorites is the Art Institute of Chicago.

“It has an incredible collection of local Chicago history and my favorite painting—‘Nighthawks’ by Edward Hopper. It just has an incredible vista of downtown. There’s always new collections and exhibits being shown. I also enjoy walking around the Chicago Trading Room there, a reconstruction of the Chicago Stock Exchange trading room.”

A nonfiction fan, Ayers frequents Open Books, a shop that donates proceeds to local reading literacy programs. For any armchair travelers, he suggests picking up The Third Coast: When Chicago Built the American Dream by Tom Dyja. 

Chicago offers culinary options from the Michelin-starred Alinea to Ayers’ favorite dive bar, the Old Town Ale House. The late Anthony Bourdain visited for No Reservations, and it has welcomed some of the great comedians to come out of Chicago institution Second City. Ayers also calls the Au Cheval Diner a must visit, noting their burger is arguably the best in the city.

For brunch—one of Ayers’ favorite meals—he takes visiting friends and family to Lou Mitchell’s Diner, at the start of Route 66.

“I’ve never traveled it, but I’ve eaten at both sides of it, including at Mel’s Diner in California. It is a cultural aspect of living in Chicago that’s really cool.”