The neighborhood features several restaurants from Chinese to Mexican, from fast food and soup-and-sandwich, to family lunch and dinner, and fine dining. There are theaters, shops for clothes, shoes, gifts, plants; groceries, nail salons, pet stores, a 24/7 drug store, banks and ATMs up the wazoo. Just for location alone, the Ale House is a great spot to relax.

"The visage of Cheers barfly George Wendt, painted by Bruce Elliott, most certainly authenticates this spot, your pick for Chicago best dive. Wendt is in good company: Images of former regulars Bill Murray and  Eddie Balchowski, a heroin addict who was a concert pianist until he lost an arm in the Spanish Civil War, also stand guard over 36 years of dust and kitsch. Meanwhile, the “Old Town Ale House Book Sharing Library,” a collection of pulp and pop fiction, proves once and for all that drinking and reading do mix."