• Time Out New York
    • Time Out New York Kids
    • Time Out Worldwide
    • Travel
    • Book store
    • Subscribe to Time Out Chicago
    • Subscriber Services
  • Time Out Chicago
  • Ad Space
    (728 x 90)
  • Search
  •  
    • Home
    • Art & Design
    • Books
    • Clubs
    • Comedy
    • Dance
    • Film
    • Gay & Lesbian
    • Home & Living
    • Kids
    • Museums & Culture
    • Music
    • Opera & Classical
    • Restaurants & Bars
    • Sex & Dating
    • Shopping
    • Spas & Gyms
    • Sports & Rec
    • Theater
    • Travel
    • TV & DVD
  • « BACK TO SEARCH
    • In this series

      • Articles
        • Metalhead

        • Alley oops!

        • True colors

        • Hidden treasure

        • Shanghai surprise

        • House blend

        • Woody alley

        • Home free

        • Diving lessons

        • The road less traveled

        • Back-door play


    • Tools

      • E-mail

        E-mail a friend





        • * Mandatory

        • View our privacy policy
      • Print
      • Rate & comment
        [X]

        • (will not appear on site)
          *Required
          •  characters left

        • View our privacy policy
      • Report an error

        Report an error


        • View our privacy policy
      • Share this
        • Delicious
        • Digg
        • Facebook
        • reddit
        • StumbleUpon

  • TOC Blog

    • What’s our theater saturation point?

    • Published at 6:27pm

    • Earlier this week, New York theater writer Garrett Eisler, who blogs at The Playgoer (and is an occasional contributor to Time Out New York), asked if NYC has too many...

    More posts »



    TOC Poll

    • We want to know what you think. Click here to answer this week's poll question.



  • Ad Space
    (120 x 240)


  • Sign up today!  

    Newsletter

    • Events, discounts, and the best of Chicago delivered to your inbox every week.



    Prizes & Promotions

    • Win prizes and get discounts, event invites and more.



    TOC Staff

    • Who does what and why.



    Student Guide

    • Essential advice for our scholastically minded citizens.



    TOC Free Flix

    • Get free tickets to hot new movie releases.



    Subscribe

    • • Subscribe now

    • • Give a gift

    • • Subscriber services



  • Features
    Time Out Chicago / Issue 184 : Sep 4–10, 2008
    Alley culture

    Chicago’s best alleys

    Play in Chicago’s 1900 miles of back-door byways


    Metalhead: Scrapper Otis Corbett makes a living turning trash into cash.
    Alley oops!: Our city’s back passageways involve more than drug deals and rats. Behold the most outlandish moments in their history.
    True colors: Going green puts this Loop alley center stage.
    Hidden treasure: Sweet-talk your way into secluded Gaslight Court to find a century-old former hippie haven.
    Shanghai surprise: Go beyond the gate to spot Chinatown’s coolest alley.
    House blend: It’s half alley, half street, all party on Fern Court.
    Woody alley: Neighbors launch a crusade to preserve a wood-paved alley.
    Home free: Joe Miller hunts and gathers materials in the city’s alleys to creatively outfit his apartment.
    Diving lessons: Local artist Mathias “Spider” Schergen has spent years collecting creative fodder in local alleys. He shares his tricks of the trade to help you mine for treasures where others throw their trash.
    The road less traveled: In Chicago’s 1,900 miles of alleys, rules often get thrown out the window. Here’s how to navigate our most lawless streets the right way.
    Back-door play: Join the throngs of urban sportsmen transforming our alleys into blacktop battlefields.


    • Comments
    • |
    • Leave a comment
    [X]

    • (will not appear on site)
      *Required
      •  characters left

    • View our privacy policy

    • No comments yet. Click here and be the first!


      • Subscribe now and save 87%!

      • For just $19.99 a year, you'll get hundreds of listings and free events each week, plus our special issues and guides, including Cheap Eats, Great Spas, Fall Preview, Holiday Gift Guide and more!
      • Time Out Covers
      • Time Out Chicago respects your privacy. We will only use your e-mail address in order to contact you regarding to your subscription and to send you our weekly e-newsletter. We will not share this information with anyone.

  • Ad Space
    (320 x 110)

    Ad Space
    (300 x 250)

  • Most viewed in Features

    • Articles
    • Holiday gift guide 2008
    • Food networker
    • Erogenous zones
    • Tech support
    • Thinking about inking?
    • It happened to me
    • Thanksgiving guide 2008
    • Flex appeal
    • Go go gadgets
    • 100 best things we ate and drank this year (in no particular order)

  • Ad Space
    (160 x 600)

    Ad Space
    (160 x 600)

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit & Advertising
    • Get Listed
    • We're Hiring
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Services
    • Site Map
    • Home
    • Art & Design
    • Books
    • Clubs
    • Comedy
    • Dance
    • Film
    • Gay & Lesbian
    • Home & Living
    • Kids
    • Museums & Culture
    • Music
    • Opera & Classical
    • Restaurants & Bars
    • Sex & Dating
    • Shopping
    • Spas & Gyms
    • Sports & Rec
    • Theater
    • Travel
    • TV & DVD
    • Visit our sister sites:
    • Time Out New York
    • Time Out New York Kids
    • Time Out London
    • Time Out Worldwide
    Copyright © 2000–2008 Time Out Chicago