For anyone who watches NBC and particular Dick Wolf’s One Chicago series, you should go to Chicago. Chicago PD is on its 11th season, and I’ve been a fan since it came out. There is also Chicago Fire and Chicago Med which I have watched on occasion. So, when we planned our trip to Chicago, I knew there were some iconic One Chicago locations I had to check out.
When we arrived in the city, one of the first things I noticed was an NBC One Chicago sign. I later noticed the NBC building. I also noticed the Chicago police cars which, like in the TV show, are different than back home. They are all white with a blue stripe. But that wasn’t all, there were a number of places I had to check out.
On our final day in Chicago, we decided we were going to take my vehicle and drive around Chicago, searching for iconic Chicago PD and Fire locations along with a few other stops. Our first order of business was to find a good view of the Chicago skyline from Lake Michigan. This wasn’t solely related to Chicago PD, but throughout the series, and like all shows filmed in Chicago, you will see the characters pondering while overlooking the skyline. We first headed to Montrose Harbor, then to North Avenue Beach, which was an amazing view and where Detective Hailey Upton has been running in season 11 to clear her mind of her stressors. Later in the day, we got another amazing view, both in the day and night from the Shedd Aquarium.
After we were finished chasing beautiful views of the Chicago skyline, it was time to head to the other side of Chicago. We headed southwest (not fully south… that’d be dangerous) and checked out the UIC Police Headquarters(943 Maxwell St.), aka the 21st district in Chicago PD. The exterior of the station is where they film Chicago PD. Since we were in the area we headed a few blocks over to Station 51 from Chicago Fire(1360 South Blue Island Ave.). It is an actual station and as we were taking photos a fire truck left for an emergency and waved to us as they headed out.
We then headed for a Mexican lunch of tacos, tamales and chicharrónes in Pilsen, another neighborhood which is talked about and is often in Chicago PD. We checked out the street art, ate in two different restaurants and decided to get adventurous. Pilsen is a working-class Mexican neighborhood, but another predominantly Mexican neighborhood frequently in Chicago PD is a bit rougher, Little Village. Little Village is a rough neighborhood which was heavily featured in season 9 of Chicago PD. We decided to go for a ride through Little Village and were going to go get dessert there. We were full and didn’t end up stopping but we cruised through the neighborhood and saw familiarities from Chicago PD. The area was definitely rougher looking than Pilsen but didn’t look that bad.
Then another must stop is the abandoned Damen Street Grain Silos (2900 S Damen Ave.). Of all places we went this was probably the most iconic place as it is where Hank Voight has killed and disposed of several bad guys including Kevin Bingham who killed his son. The place is off limits and there was a police guarding it but he let me come in and take a few photos. It is a neat and eerie looking place that is not only significant to Chicago PD but a piece of Chicago history.
Finally, our day of Chicago PD tourism wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Molly’s. Molly’s is the bar that the firefighters own in Chicago Fire and where the cops of Chicago PD go to unwind at the closure of a hard case. The bar is actually called Lotties and the sign states Molly’s by day Lottie’s by night. The first couple of seasons actually used the pub for filming, but eventually it got too expensive and they made a replica on set. Lotties was in a nice neighborhood and not too far from the station (1925 W Cortland St.). The bar has a cool atmosphere and looks identical to how it looks in Chicago PD and Fire. It’s a fun place and you’re even allowed to bring kids. The menu has typical pub food, but has a Chicago Fire Burger, Chicago PD Burger and the Chicago Med Burger. Despite being a Chicago PD guy, I opted for the Chicago Fire Burger and it was amazing.
There were a few other places I missed, including the medical center from Chicago Med and a few diners the police often go, Lou Mitchells and White Palace Grill. We had planned to go to Lou Mitchells, but didn’t know that it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. We planned to go on Tuesday, and it didn’t fit into our schedule on the days that it was open.
Besides seeing the iconic spots that are known to Chicago PD and Fire fans, Chicago is an amazing city and you will constantly recognize beautiful locations from the show. You will recognize skyline views, train stations, streets, places on the River Walk and so forth. Chicago is an amazing city and being a fan of Dick Wolf’s One Chicago, adds to the magic of visiting Chicago.
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