Contrast this with Manhattan, for example, which has a grid system that is angled 29 degrees. That is, most streets run north/south or east/west. Notice Chicago’s Grid, Particularly Downtown | Copyright Google How does Chicago’s grid system work?Ĭhicago is oriented along the cardinal directions. There’s the shape of the shoreline, the Chicago River, multiple interstates, and a variety of train lines to contend with. Here is Boston, for example: A Few Grids, But Overall Not So Griddy | Copyright GoogleĪnd Paris: Paris Actually Spirals, but That Isn’t Obvious Here | Copyright GoogleĬhicago isn’t a perfect grid plan. People who have spent most of their lives in cities with grid plans might be surprised to learn they aren’t ubiquitous. One famous example of a grid system is Manhattan in New York City, where avenues run perpendicular to streets: Manhattan is on a grid system | Copyright Google But that’s not the point… What Is a Grid System?Ī grid system of streets is where streets are laid out to look like a grid, with two sets of streets that run parallel to their own set and perpendicular to the other set. And I don’t know my diagonals super well. Okay, so maybe I’m a little more knowledgable about the North Side than the South Side. Now, I can run off the names of all the major cross streets in the city. I remember taking the bus to school as a kid (the public bus, not the school bus) and listening as the stops were called out one by one, always trying to remember their order.

There’s little I love more about Chicago than its grid system of streets. Not every street, but rather the major streets and some things to know, like how to navigate multi-level streets. In Part 2, we cover the streets downtown. In Part 1 (this post), we’re going to cover Chicago’s grid system, including the major streets and how to navigate from point A to point B.

This series is intended mostly for people new to the city or tourists who really want to know their way around. Welcome to Part 1 of our three-part series on Navigating Chicago.

Grid map of chicago