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Oddball Illinois: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball States) | 
 enlarge | Author: Jerome Pohlen
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $1.99
You Save: $12.96 (87%)
New (23) Used (22) from $1.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 672265
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 244
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7
ISBN: 1556523718
Dewey Decimal Number: 917.730443
EAN: 9781556523717
ASIN: 1556523718
Publication Date: March 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
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Product Description
Giant fiberglass wieners atop a hotdog stand. Wild green parrots that live in the city. A double-decker outhouse. A museum dedicated to surgical science. Statues that weep. Find out where these and other eclectic sites are located in Oddball Illinois, an offbeat travel guide that's a mix of Fodors and News of the Weird. There is more between Chicago and St. Louis than cornfields, and plenty of fascinating places in the Windy City that aren't on Michigan Avenue. Oddball Illinois won't point out the hottest club in Chicago, the quaintest small-town bed & breakfast, nor the most scenic hiking trail in Illinois. This book will, however, tell about the locations of America's One and Only Hippie Memorial, Scarlett O'Hara's green drapes, Popeye's Hometown, and several places the local Chambers of Commerce would just as soon be forgotten. Behind all the odd sights is some wonderfully interesting history and a chance to see some underappreciated sites throughout the state.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Stranges Places..... November 8, 2004
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
"Oddball Illinois," is a great guide to wacky and weird places around the state. Although there is a lot of places in Chicago, the book also talks about the burbs and Southern Illinois. I do wish that this book had more of the great photos that the other "Oddball," books have...otherwise this is a great book!
 Fun Read January 10, 2003
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is so fun to read. If you live in Illinois, you will love finding out the very strange things that exist in the Land of Lincoln. I live in Chicago, and there is a VERY large section of this book that deals with Chicago and it's wierdness. From cemeteries to strange house decorations to wild birds living in a local park.........Illinois is so much more than I ever imagined....and I've lived here for over 25 years. Get this book and put it on your coffee table,you will find yourself picking it up over and over again.
Good for Chicago. October 20, 2002
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Even if you don't live in Illinois or plan to visit, the offbeat humor in this book makes it well worth reading. More than half the book is given over to Chicago and the burbs. For the location of many sites mentioned in the book, you'll see the original structures have been torn down. So while you may go to where the 1st skyscraper was constructed, you won't see it today.The areas outside of Chicago are covered in much less detail. The author has included 3 maps covering northern, central, and southern Illinois to help with locating these more out of the way attractions. The book has a somewhat disturbing bent towards scenes of violence and death. Cemeteries are covered in detail as are sites of various tragedies.
This book is so much fun! October 5, 2001
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Okay, here's the deal with this book- if you're like me and my friends and you drive around in search of adventure, this book is way awesome! "Oddball Illinois: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places" has tons of neato places to visit! Popeye's hometown, a broom museum and the sight of the Valentine's Day Massacre are only a few of the featured places. Some of the places are famous- The Museum of Science and Industry, and some are relatively unheard of- The Hindsdale Animal Cemetary. The greatest asset of this fine piece of literature is that it includes admission fees and visiting hours where applicable. And because it was written so recently, most of the info is very up-to-date. Jerome Pohlen is quite funny in his comments and makes this book a truly fun experiance. SOME STUFF YOU MIGHT WANT TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE YOU EMBARK UPON ONE OF THESE ADVENTURES: An IL road map and internet directions can make finding some of the smaller towns much easier. Trust me on that one! Anyway, happy reading and enjoy some of those really stange places!
A thick slice of cheese March 25, 2000
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
If you're into Ira Glass, P.J. O'Rourke, or David Sedaris, you'll get into the humor of this book. It's filled with places you don't normally find in a guidebook like the world's largest bottle of catsup, Hitler's bicycle, and a two-story outhouse with the author's recommendation to "take the one on top." Most of the places have accompanying photos so you can see if The Choo Choo Restaurant is really your cup o' tea and the Chicago section is especially strong. Everyone I've talked to says, "This guy should come to MY neck of the woods", proving that there is enough tackiness in this country to go around.
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