Popcorn, cotton candy and concession rentals in East Garfield Park

East Garfield Park is anchored by Garfield Park itself, one of the city's great West Side parks, with a lagoon, a gold-domed fieldhouse and the Garfield Park Conservatory. Families visit the conservatory and park for photos, and gather on the lawns for reunions and summer cookouts. Many families schedule their reunions around the conservatory's seasonal flower shows, which draw steady visitors through the spring.

Madison Street, Lake Street and the Green Line stops at Conservatory-Central Park Drive, Kedzie and Pulaski define the neighborhood's skeleton. Churches are the heart of community life here, and fellowship halls host anniversaries, repasts, graduation brunches and revival dinners. Older brick two-flats and courtyard buildings fill the side streets, and some blocks have long, open vacant lots used for block parties.