Douglas Park is a neighborhood divided between picturesque expanses of green parkland
and stark industrial sites and train yards. The east side of Douglas Park is mostly occupied by
large warehouses and buildings, encircled by a sprawling railroad junction. The other half of
the neighborhood is a gigantic recreation area, outfitted with sports facilities and scenic outdoor
landscapes.

Tucked between the public park and industrial park are two hospitals and a couple blocks of quiet
residential streets. Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital and Mt. Sinai Hospital sit on opposite sides
of Ogden Avenue, the neighborhood’s main bisecting road. There is a third medical center at
the south end of the park, St. Anthony Hospital. Obviously, the healthcare facilities in Douglas
Park have helped develop the area and attract people to the neighborhood. New restaurants,
businesses and community improvements are a result of the influx of interest in Douglas Park.

Still, the neighborhood’s most valued asset continues to be its 174-acre namesake park. It was
renovated by famous landscape architect Jens Jensen in the early 1900s, so it has a classic
Victorian age feel. Of course, many of the features have been updated to accommodate 21st
Century visitors.

The park grounds are a welcome retreat from big city life, offering plenty of space to enjoy the
Great Outdoors without having to go far from home. In addition to grass-covered fields and shady
walking trails, the park has a miniature golf course, a full-size golf course, volleyball courts,
soccer fields, 12 tennis courts, baseball diamond, manicured gardens, half-court basketball and
an outdoor pool. There are also two bodies of water at the park – a lagoon and a pond. The rest
of the grounds are pretty much just a tranquil place to relax and spend time outside.

Douglas Park and the surrounding area have a large Latino population, which is why the
neighborhood hosts an annual Cinco de Mayo festival. For a whole week, the local community
and visitors from afar party in the park with live entertainment, traditional music, customary
dance, authentic food and fun family activities. For the occasion, the entire southwest corner of
the park is transformed into a carnival and more than 300,000 people are said to attend every
year.

Transportation to and from the neighborhood is easiest via bus or car. The Roosevelt Avenue #12
bus is a straight shot to the South Loop. This route is very handy because it stops in front of all
the major museums and sites in the Museum Campus (i.e. the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium,
Adler Planetarium, Soldier Field).