West Suburbs 

Neighborhoods
The suburbs around Fermilab offer places to go and things to do, if you look for them. Some suggestions are offered below. 

The downtown areas of the nearby towns have various shops and restaurants of interest. Geneva has many quaint little shops and restaurants, along State St. and Third St.; Downtown Naperville (Jefferson street between Washington and Mill) is pretty nice, with lots of small shops and old buildings. 

During the spring and summer, you might want to take advantage of the nice parks and bike paths in the area. Batavia, Geneva, and St. Charles have parks and bike paths along both sides of the Fox River, which connect with the bike paths at Fermilab. 

The closest neighborhoods to Fermilab are:

Batavia
City of Batavia. http://www.cityofbatavia.net

Aurora
City of Aurora home page http://www.ci.aurora.il.us

Naperville
City of Naperville. http://www.naperville.il.us
Naperville Township http://www.NapervilleTownship.com - get in touch with local government officials, departments and link up to community sites. 
Naperville Site http://www.naperville-il.com - dedicated to local Naperville businesses and organizations. 

St. Charles
City of St. Charles http://www.ci.st-charles.il.us
Community Cooperative http://www.st-charles.il.us

Warrenville
City of Warrenville http://www.warrenville.il.us

Geneva
City of Geneva http://www.geneva.il.us

Wheaton
City of Wheaton http://www.wheaton.lib.il.us

Restaurants
What follows in an eclectic list of recommended or well-known places, split into ?Lunch and Take-Out'? (low-to-mid price range places close to the Lab), ?Dinner? (i.e. mid-to-high price range anywhere in the western suburbs), and Bars. 

For a more exhaustive list with full addresses and no recommendations please read the Appendix E- Restaurants. 

Lunch and Take-Out 5 minutes from the trailers.
There are a number of places close to the Lab for take-out food and/or lunch. East
To the east, a cluster of fast-food restaurants and shops on the corner of Route 59 and Batavia Ave provide a convenient place to eat. 

• Speedway Plaza (Route 59 and Batavia Road) 
• Super Taco - (630) 836-9527. 
• Shell Plaza(Route 59 and Batavia Road) 
• Rosati's Pizza - (630) 393-9393. Cheap, good sandwiches, pasta, and arguably one of the better pizza places around, although the pizzas can get pricey. They also deliver onsite for a small fee. 
• McDonald's -(630) 393-6685. 
• Subway Sandwiches & Salads - (630) 393-1782. 
• Family Foods Plaza(Route 59 and Batavia Road) 
• Classic Bagels - (630) 836-1872. 
• Burger King - (630) 393-6009. 
• Chopsticks - (630) 393-3965. Chinese food. Buffet from 11 am to 1pm. Very inexpensive. 
• White Hen Pantry Plaza (Route 59, going to I-88 at the left) 
• East China Inn -(630) 836-9600. Cheap at lunch. Expensive at dinner time. The quality of the food is regular. Slightly more expensive, but still well less than $10/person at lunch. 

• China House - (630) 393-3828. 2s676 Route 59. Warrenville. Cheap and good at lunch and dinner time. 
• Al's Pizza - (630) 393-9630. 28w241 Warrenville Rd. Warrenville. 
• Dairy Queen - (630) 393-2277. 3s071 Route 59. Warrenville. 
• Café 59 - (630) 393-9093. Route 59. Warrenville. Moderate prices, regular food. 

• Taco Grande -(630) 406-8415. 6 N. River St., Batavia. Good mexican food. Great burritos. Moderate prices. 
• Domino's Pizza - (630) 879-1919. 127 State Street. Batavia. 
• Subway - (630) 406-0990. 324 E Wilson St.. Batavia. 
• McDonald's - (630) 879-0024. 125 W Wilson St.. Batavia. 
• Burger King -(630) 879-0823. 107 N Batavia Ave.. Batavia. 
• Water Street Café -(630) 406-1221. 1345 S. Batavia Avenue. Batavia. 
• Dairy Queen - (630) 406-8430. 734 E Wilson Street.. Batavia. 
• White Hen Pantry - (630) 406-9514. 336 E Wilson St.. Batavia. 
• Fantastico Italian Restaurant -(630) 879-5900. 102 N River Street. Batavia. Good American-Italian food and moderate prices. 

• Bangkok Restaurant (630) 208-6836 
  119 W State St, Geneva. 
  Great Thai Food ($10) 
• Ben's Bistro & Catering (630) 357-7777
  1163 E Ogden Ave, Naperville.
  French/Mediteranean Food dinner ($15) 
• Buca di Beppo (847) 808-9898
  Located in the far-off land of Wheeling (call for directions), this place serves up fabulous italian food with an attitude. Food is served family-style, which means that you get a lot of everything you order. If you get the chance, don't miss this one.($20/person) 
• Da-Hua Chinese Restaurant (630) 879-5668
  9 S. Randall Rd, Batavia. (at the very west end of Wilson Road, by the Jewel).
  Good inexpensive chinese food. One of the few places which will actually make your food spicy if you request it. 
• Emilio's Granada (630) 262-1000
  14 S. 3rd Geneva. (just off of State Street)
  High-priced (rumor has it that one person can pay $40 and still not get full) but excellent dining of many small Spanish dishes (which rapidly escalate in price if you plan to eat your fill). Not for everyday, but should be tried. 
• Emilio's Tapas Restaurant (630) 547-7177
  4100 Aurora Av, Naperville. (A mile down Aurora Ave from downtown Naperville (on the way to Fox Valley Mall).
  Similar to the Geneva Restaurant in cuisine and price (again, outrageously expensive - don't go unless your advisor is really nice and pays for it), but in a much more picturesque setting, including plenty of outdoor tables. 
• Front Street Cantina (630) 369-5218
  15 W. Jefferson Av,Naperville.
  Inexpensive Tex-Mex. Good beer selection. 
• Gateway of India (630) 717-7600
  417 S. Ogden Av, Naperville.
  Go south on Washington in Naperville turn left/east on Ogden at the Jewel on the left/north side of the road in about the 4th mini mall (not too far... like a mile or less) Very good and inexpensive Indian food. ($5-$10 a plate) 
• Gino's East Pizza (630) 613-1311
  1590 E. Main St, St. Charles.
  Great Chicago-style stuffed pizza with cornbread crusts. 
• Greek Islands (630) 932-4545
  300 E. 22nd St. in Lombard
  Take 88 east to the Highland St. exit. North to 22nd St. East on 22nd. It's on the north side of the road next to a Hampton Inn. Don't miss this place. Delicious food and wine. They don't take reservations on weekends, though, but the line moves swiftly.
• Jin Mandarin Restaurant (630) 416-1188
  790 Royal St George Dr, Naperville.
  Great Chinese Food - Lunch Buffet ($6) Lunch ($7) Dinner ($10) 
• Max & Erma's (630) 836-1500
  28254 Diehl Road, Warrenville.
  Fermilab graduate students receive 15% discount on food only. 
• Metro Grill (630) 369-2400
  245 S. Washington, Naperville. (corner of Chicago and Washington)
  A yuppy place, but in the summer they put a bunch of tables outside. If you want to eat, appetizers are $5-6 and they are pretty good. (Other people in my group have ordered entrees ($15) and were disappointed. But I was stuffed.) 
• Mongolia Wok (630) 416-3006
  376 S State Route 59, Naperville.
  Mongolian Food: Specialty: You assemble your own meat/vegetables for stir fry plus Buffet ($10) 
• Mykha's (630) 469-6243
  Glenn Elyn, right around the corner from the movie theater there. The food is excellent - Vietnamese and Mexican. 
• Potter's Place (630) 355-9165
  29 W. Jefferson, Naperville.
  Cheap Tex-Mex food. 
• The Rib House (630) 232-1440
  700 E. State St., Geneva.
  This one's just a bit west of Tia Maria's (below). They have great ribs for about $12, but every Tuesday is all-you-can-eat night! 
• Ristorante Chianti (630) 232-0212
  207 S 3rd St, Geneva.
  Italian Food: Lunch ($7) Dinner ($15) 
• Rock Bottom Restaurant (630) 836-1380
  28256 Diehl Road, Warrenville.
  Good beer. Next to AMC 30. Too noisy. ($20) 
• Sakura Of Tokyo (630) 357-8415
  1163 E Ogden Ave, Naperville.
  Japanese Food Dinner ($20) 
• Sandpiper (630) 231-2370
  Located on the west side of 59 in West Chicago, this place is great for grads. Three all-you-can-eat dinners a week: ribs on Monday, chicken on Tuesday, and fish on Wednesday, all for under $10. It's a full meal with all the courses included. 
• Sweet Basil's (630) 357-1050
  10 Jackson Ave, Naperville.
  Moderately priced Italian food. Nice outdoor patio. 
• Thai Lotus Restaurant (630) 851-2639
  375 S. Rt 59, Aurora.
  South of Fox Valley mall by the Omni and Connies Pizza there on the West Side of the RD. Very good Thai at around $7/person... They will also make things mild or as spicy as you like. 
• Tia Maria's Mexican Restaurant (630) 232-9135
  730 E. State, Geneva. (East of the River, across from the supermarket)
  Good inexpensive Mexican food....fantastic black bean soup 
• Tong's Polynesian Village (630) 357-7120 
  1239 E Ogden Ave, Naperville.
  Chinese Food served in Polynesian Atmosphere - Dinner ($10) 

Areas

 South on Route 59 / Aurora
The largest shopping center near Fermilab is certainly the massive cluster of malls in Aurora along Route 59. Upon heading out from the Lab west, just turn right on Rte 59, going south 3-4 miles. There you will find rows of stores on either side of the road. Near the intersection of Aurora and New York Ave. are entrances to the Fox Valley Mall (http://www.foxvalleycenter.com/). You should note that traffic can be extremely congested along Rte 59, especially around rush hours. 

Batavia
For general supply stores, you can go to the general stores at the far end of Batavia. Heading along Wilson road, you proceed through the center of Batavia and beyond until Wilson ends with a ?T? at Randall Rd. Directly ahead is a Target store and a Sears Hardware store. A short distance to the right is a Menards store with more hardware-type supplies. Downtown Batavia (around the river) has a few more small stores (including a drug store), but not very many. 

Geneva
Geneva has a large number of quaint little small-town shops and restaurants, mostly along State St. and Third St. You can get there by proceeding north on Kirk Road (the road to the west of the Lab) and turning left on State St. These are usually more pricey than the mass-market stores, but it can be nice to wander around. Most of these places are near to the river along State Street, but there is a cluster of more commercial places further west on State (near Randall Road). 

St. Charles
St. Charles has a lot of small stores like Geneva, as well as larger shopping centers along its main drag. You can get there driving north on Kirk Road and turning left on Main Rd. 

Food Stores
These are the most popular supermarkets. You can find them in many neighborhoods. Check the ones close where you live in Appendix F. 

• White Hen Pantry: It is a small store but it is open 24 hours. Generally, they don?t have good prices but is open 24 hours. Moderate to expensive 
• Dominick's: They have good merchandise. Moderate to expensive. 
• Whole Foods: This store has imported stuff that you won?t find in other places. Everything is of a very good quality. Expensive. 
• Cub Foods: Right at the entrance you will find a lot of products on sale. They usually have good prices and a many brands to choose. It is the one of the favorites of most of the people at Fermilab. Moderate. 
• Jewel: Like Cub Foods. Moderate to Expensive. 
• Aldi: This store doesn?t have many brands to choose and not many products. But it is incredible Cheap. 
• Family Foods: It is not very big and it is a little overpriced. It is the closest one to Fermilab. And it also has a drugstore and a Deli. 

St Peter Thrift Shop 
(630) 232-6621. 12 N 2nd St, Geneva. 

2nd Distinction
(630) 892-9663. 744 High St, Aurora. 

Play It Again Sports, St. Charles 
(630) 584-7334. 1501 W. Main St., St. Charles. 
Sometimes have used bikes for sale 

Play It Again Sports, Naperville 
(630) 355-1121. 24 W. Gartner Rd, Naperville.
Sometimes have used bikes for sale 

Pet Stores
You can try one of the following: 

Petland - (630) 357-3800. Located across Route 59 from the Fox Valley Mall in the Wal-Mart Plaza, this is one of the few places around that sells frozen mice for snakes.
Petsmart - (630) 851-1310. Generic pet stores that have lots of fish, dog, cat, and bird amenities, with very little emphasis on reptiles. Located on Rt. 59 north of the mall area. 

You will find more on Appendix F - Entertainment. 

Entertainment

 Bars
In Appendix G - Entertainment you will find a detailed list of bars and entertainment places. This is only a recommended list from graduate students. 

• Avalanche II - (630) 393-3141.The Avalanche is a bar visible on the left as you travel south on 59 from Batavia road. It has pool, darts, and live music now and again. A nice neighborhood bar. 
• Corner Cue - (630) 393-1241. The Corner Cue is located at the corner of Batavia Rd. and Route 59. As its name suggests, this bar has a great many pool tables. Rental is roughly $10/hour. In addition, they have 8 nylon-tipped dart boards that they use for dart tournaments on Saturday nights. 
• Pocket's - (630) 978-2088. Located on the road that surrounds Fox Valley Mall, Pockets is a huge bar. They have lots of video games, dart boards, and, of course, pool tables. Pocket's is a sports bar, so it boasts a fair number of TV's, many of which are big-screen. They also have video trivia and decent food. 
• Synergy II. This club, located on Rt. 38 west of Rt. 59, comes attached to Bowling Green bowling alley, described later in this chapter. They have decent live music there. 
• Taylor Brewing Co. - (630) 717-8000. 200 E 5th Av, Aurora. Brew pub and restaurant. Moderately priced. American grill. 
• Rock Bottom - (630) 836-1380. Nice food and good beer but the place is noisy. It is located at the AMC 30 plaza. 
• Frankie's Blue Room - (630) 778-8614. 16 W. Chicago Av., Naperville Nightspot featuring live music 

In Appendix G - Entertainment you also will find more theaters. 

Cantera 30 (630) 836 -8262.
Diehl Rd and Route 88. This is the biggest theater around. It has 30 theaters inside. 

Rice Lake Square (630) 653-4567.
Butterfield Rd., just east of Naperville Rd. The cinema of choice for many Fermilab grads with a wide variety of first run films. It has 10 screens and matinee prices for early shows. 

Randall 16-plex(630) 761-0501.
Randall Road, Batavia (go to the west end of Wilson Rd and turn right - it's close by on the right - past Menards)a fairly wide selection of current films. 

Cineplex Odeon Fox Valley 1-6(630) 851-7280.
Route 59 & New York, Aurora (by the Fox Valley Mall). 6-plex showings of current films. 

Cineplex Odeon Fox Valley 7-10(630) 851-9052. Route 59 & New York, Aurora (by the Fox Valley Mall). Second-run films. 

Cineplex Odeon Foxfield(630) 377-2400. Kirk Road at North Ave, St. Charles. Current films at a 4-fold multiplex. 

Classic Cinemas Arcada(630) 584-0755. 105 E. Main St., St Charles. A beautiful old-style theatre showing respectable second-run films. Cheap, Cheap. Only $1.50. 

Geneva Theatre (630) 232-8411.
Downtown Geneva (West of the River) Mostly family films, partly second-run. 

Cascade Drive-in(630) 231-3151.
28 West 741 North Avenue, West Chicago. 

Elgin Fox Theatre (630) 622-1000. 
Southeast corner of Rte 20, Elgin. 10-plex showing of current films. 

You can check show times or buy movie tickets at 
http://web7.movielink.com/
http://www.moviefone.com/

Movie Rental

 Starburst Video(630) 393-9600
Located at the corner of Route 59 and Batavia, behind the McDonald's, Starburst Video offers a large variety of new releases, older feature films, childrens video, adult films, and Playstation and Nintendo 64 games. Current prices are $3 for one night on new releases, $3 for two nights on older releases, and $4 for two nights for video games. 

Lion Video (630) 393-3111
Located on the east side of Route 59 in the first strip mall south of Batavia Rd., Lion Video has a decent selection of new releases, older features, children's video, adult films, and Playstation and Nintendo 64 games. Current prices are $3 for one night on new releases, $1 for one night for older releases. On Tuesday, any video in the place is only a dollar (except adult features). 

Blockbuster Video
1792 S Randall Road, Geneva. (630) 208-8268.
2925 Lincoln Hwy. St Charles. (630) 513-6696. 
1276 N Lake Street #F. Aurora. (630) 896-9600. 
1002 N Farnsworth Ave. Aurora. (630) 499-7980. 
1901 W Galena Blvd. Aurora. (630) 897-4349. 
2712 E Main St. St Charles. (630) 377-4946. 
3045 E New York Street. Aurora. (630) 236-8679. 
1595 Aurora Ave. Aurora. (630) 428-4325. 

More video rental stores
East Side Video. 827 E State Street. Geneva. (630) 232-9568. 
Midwest Video Value. 12 S Van Buren St. Batavia. (630) 406-1074. 

Bowling Alleys, Pool and Darts
Bowling Green (630) 231-2400. 
30W150 Roosevelt Rd. in West Chicago. This place is more than a bowling alley. They have sand volleyball and other activities. Attached to the alley is the night club Synergy, described elsewhere. Rates are $2-$2.50 per person per game, depending on when you go, and shoe rental is $1.25. They have on the order of 40 lanes, and automatic scoring. 

Batavia Bowl (630) 879-7069.
120 1st St. in Batavia. Take Wilson into Batavia past 25 to Shumway. Turn Left. Take Shumway to 1st St. Right on 1st St. Batavia Bowl is on your left. This bowling alley is somewhat of a dive, but that's part of its charm. They only have 8 lanes and a bar. A very nice place to spend an evening with a small group of people. 

More 
Pool-A-Rama. (630) 851-9090. 150 Trade St. Aurora. 
AMF Bowling Center. (630) 897-8401. 310 S Lincolnway, North Aurora. 
Fox Bowl. (630) 690-2400. 1101 Butterfield Rd. Wheaton. 
Darts & Stuff. (630) 264-6240. 605 Alyce Lane, Aurora. 
Winston's Game Company. (630) 513-7700. 8n102 Cloverfield Dr. St Charles. 

Books and Coffee Shops
Borders Books (630)637-9700
336 S. Rte 59 (just before Fox Valley, near Montgomery Ward.) A combined bookstore/music store/coffee shop. The snacks are okay, the coffee is a bit expensive but the refill is free; the nice thing is that one can hang out there without a penny! The place is full on Fri and Sat evening. There are additional Borders Bookstores on Randall west of Fabyan, and on Butterfield Rd. east of Naperville Rd.
1660 S Randall Rd. Geneva. (630) 262-8747 
101 Rice Lake Sq. Wheaton. (630) 871-9595. 

Starbucks (630)778-8614
42 W. Jefferson Av., Naperville 
860 W 75th St. Naperville 
31 Town Square. Wheaton. 
229 W. State St. Geneva. 
1163 E Ogden Ave. #724. Naperville. 

Barnes and Noble
47 East Chicago Ave. Suite 132. Naperville. (630) 579-0200. 
351 Town Square Wheaton, Wheaton. (630) 653-2122. 

Books & Bytes. (630) 416-0102
931 W 75th Street #137. Naperville. 

Anderson's Bookshop
123 W Jefferson Ave. Naperville. (630) 637-9700. 

Other Things to do in the Suburbs
This section is fairly small at the moment, and any suggestions are appreciated. It is intended as a repository for all those great things to do around here not covered in any other section. 

Brookfield
Brookfield Zoo: 3300 Golf Rd., Brokfield. (708) 485-0263. Tickets are $7, $3.50 seniors/children, free Tuesday and Thursday. It is open from October to March from 10 AM to 5 PM.(http://www.brookfieldzoo.org). 

Lisle
Morton Arboretum: Just off Rt. 88, north on Rt. 53, this arboretum is a big place. They have lots of trees, flowers, gardens (well, it is an arboretum). They have walking and driving paths ($7 per car). 

Aurora
Casino: Downtown Aurora houses a riverboat casino. Of course, this is no Vegas style gambling, but good for a hoot if you're loaded with dough. Unfortunately, very few grad students are in that position. There's a casino in Joliet as well. 

Naperville
Riverwalk: Starts in downtown Naperville (Ogden east to Washington and south to where you see water and parking), which is in general pretty. Walk to your heart's content.
Naperville Astronomical Association http://www.megsinet.net/~carhart - astronomy club for southwest suburban Chicagoland. Free public meetings and stargazing from the observatory. 

Oak Park
Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio: 951 Chicago Ave., Oak Park. (708) 848-1976. Tickets are $8, $6 seniors and ages 7-18.Tours are on Monday to Friday at 11 AM, 1 PM and 3 PM, Saturday and Sunday at 11 AM and 3:30 PM. 

Banking
If you're going to be here a while, you might consider opening up a checking account in the area. 

Bank One - (630) 898-9200. 130 S Batavia Ave. Warrenville. Is located just east of the intersection of Route 59 and Batavia Rd. They have many ATMs of this bank in the area, and a no monthly fee checking account (provided you use only the ATM's).
Argonne Credit Union - is conveniently located at the Hi Rise (ground floor next to visual media and duplicating).You need a Fermilab ID to open an account there. (http://www.argonnecu.org/). 

Other
West Suburban Bank. 3s041 State Rt. 59. Warrenville. (630) 393-6060.
Citibank. 2819 Aurora Rd. Naperville. (630) 527-2120. 

Parks
Batavia Park District.(630) 879-5235. http://www.batpkdist.org
Aurora City Parks. (630) 897-0516. 
St. Charles Park District. (630) 584-1055. http://www.st-charlesparks.org
Geneva Park District. (630) 232-4542. http://www.genevaparks.org

Libraries
St. Charles. 1 S 6th Avenue. (630) 584-0076. http://www.st-charles.lib.il.us/library.htm
Warrenville. 28w751 Stafford PI. http://warrenville.com
Batavia. 335 W Wilson. (630) 879-1393. http://www.batavia.lib.il.us/
Naperville http://www.naperville-lib.org
Wheaton http://www.wheaton.lib.il.us/library/wpl.html
Geneva. 127 James St. (630) 232-0780
Aurora. 1E Benton St. (630) 264-4100. 
West Chicago. 118 W Washington St. (630) 231-1552. 

Museums
Geneva Historical Society Incorporated (630) 232-4951 
400 Wheeler Drive
Geneva, IL (4. miles) 

Schingoethe Native American (630) 844-5402
Randall Road & Marseillaise Place,
Aurora, IL (4.8 miles) 

Aurora Historical Society (630) 897-9029 
317 Cedar Street,
Aurora, IL (5.0 miles) 

Preservation Partners of Fox (630) 377-6424 
8 Indiana St,
St Charles, IL (5.1 miles) 

Dunham-Hunt Museum (630) 443-6733 
304 Cedar Ave,
St Charles, IL (5.4 miles) 

Aurora Regional Fire Museums (630) 892-1572 
53 N Broadway,
Aurora, IL (5.4 miles) 

Aurora Historical Society (630) 906-0650 
20 E Downer Place,
Aurora, IL (5.5 miles) 

Grand Army-Republic Memorial (630) 897-7221 
23 E Downer Pl,
Aurora, IL (5.5 miles) 

Scitech (630) 859-3434 
18 W Benton Street,
Aurora, IL (5.5 miles) 

Garfield Farm Museum (630) 584-8485 
3n016 Garfield Rd,
St Charles, IL (6.2 miles) 

West Chicago Historical Society (630) 231-0564 
527 Main Street,
West Chicago, IL (7.2 miles) 

Air Classics Museum (630) 466-0888 
43w776 Rte 30,
Sugar Grove, IL (7.2 miles) 

Cantigny Foundation (630) 668-5161 
1s151 Winfield Rd,
Wheaton, IL (7.9 miles) 

Warrenville Historical Society (630) 393-4215 
3s530 2nd St,
Warrenville, IL (8.0 miles) 

Winfield Park District (630) 510-9053 
On555 Winfield Rd,
Winfield, IL (8.9 miles) 

Kline Creek Farm (630) 876-5900 
1n600 County Farm Road,
Winfield, IL (9.5 miles) 

Some ideas for things to add to these lists

• Golf - Places to hit the links, cost 
• Family Amusement Centers - mini-golf, go-karting 
• Local Annual Events - music festivals, haunted houses 
• Spectator Sports - types, cost 
• Churches - including various denominations, various religions, hours of services, phone numbers for assistance, if offer transportation service