Shore Time

So close to downtown they seem out of place, Lake Michigan beaches shimmer in the sun beside sophisticated northern suburbs sporting a vacation air. Warm-weather distractions abound, from waterside trails to harbors crowded with sailboats. Umbrellas open over sidewalk cafes, and shop windows display the stuff of spring flings.

Chicagoans call this area simply "the" North Shore, as if there were no other along Lake Michigan. Indeed, you'll find a singular blend of lakeside pleasures and city sophistication and culture in this string of towns from Evanston north to Lake Forest. Beaches, parks and paths line up irresistibly. In communities that resemble well-to-do English villages, surrounded by greening lawns and blooming gardens, shops, restaurants and museums cater to tastes cultivated downtown.

Evanston

Northwestern University's tree-shaded lakeside campus spreads at the northeastern edge of Evanston, setting a refined tone for the North Shore's largest city population: 73,000). The campus enfolds schools of music and dance; Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, where the theater school performs; and Mary & Leigh Block Museum of Art, with works by Rembrandt, Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec. Theater students practice their lines in the nearby sculpture garden, which displays creations of artists such as Henry Moore.

The secluded Shakespeare Garden is worth seeking out. Plants noted in the bard's plays line cobbled walkways. A shoreline path for joggers and bicyclists runs from Evanston's southern edge through campus, and connects neighboring lakeside towns.

Northwestern marks the northern border of the Evanston Lakeshore Historic District, where gardens surround clapboard cottages and sprawling homes. Along Greenwood Street at the lake, former Vice President Charles Gates Dawes' 1894 mansion, now a museum, overlooks Dawes Park and one of the city's five public swimming beaches.

In the historic district, visitors linger over morning coffee on the porch of the 1927 Homestead Inn. The acclaimed restaurant, Trio, on the ground floor serves creative prixfixe menus. Along Oak Avenue, the Margarita European Inn, built the same year, is known for its Italian restaurant, Va Pensiero.

Noyes Cultural Arts Center just north of downtown forms the heart of a thriving arts community. Professional companies, including The Next Theatre, Light Opera Works and Piven Theatre Workshop, perform here. The center hosts exhibitions for local artists, many of whom have studios in the complex.

The Evanston Art Center, a rambling stone mansion, also showcases local artists' works.The Music Institute of Chicago and Nichols Concert Hall make their homes in a restored 1912 church along Chicago Avenue.

All four of the city's shopping districts developed around commuter train stops. You'll find the largest number of restaurants and stores adjacent to campus downtown.

Shop for accessories from around the world at Accents Plus and for kids' designer clothes and wooden toys at Wild Child. On warm evenings, diners pack the outdoor patio at trendy Tapas Barcelona, while swank Pete Miller's Steakhouse attracts meat-eaters and night owls with jazz into the wee hours.

The Dempster district south of downtown pulses with Bohemian atmosphere. Rug and antiques stores, galleries, and secondhand music and clothes outlets draw shoppers.

Farther south along Main Street, you'll discover a lively, eclectic area, where you can hunt for geodes at Dave's Down to Earth Rock Shop or buy expensive sweets at Belgian Chocolatier Piron. Dining ranges from omelets at funky Lucky Platter to seafood with a French twist at upscale Oceanique.

Shops and restaurants accent the quieter, international flavor of the Central Street district northwest of downtown. Diners chat at petite outdoor tables at Jacky's Bistro. Heady scents of herbs and seasonings from around the world tinge the air at Spice House.

Central Street dead-ends at the lakeside 1873 Grosse Point Lighthouse, which, along with the stone keeper's cottage, is open for tours on summer weekends. A trail twists down the bluff to Lighthouse Landing Park Beach.

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