200 Things To Do In Illinois – Superdawg

Illinois celebrated its bicentennial as a state in December of 2018.  To celebrate, the Chicago Tribune published the Bicentennial Bucket List: 200 Things To Do In Illinois, celebrating the best the state has to offer in history, food, architecture, culture, sports, nature, drink, and oddities.  With the state still shut down due to the corona virus outbreak, I figured this was the second-best time to look through this collection and cover the ones I’ve done/eaten/seen.

We kick things off with one of the entries from the Food category: Superdawg, from Chicago, IL.

A Chicago-style hot dog with all the trimmings comes with a heaping side of nostalgia at Norwood Park’s 70-year-old Superdawg Drive-In.  No need to leave the car; place your order via the intercom and wait for a server to emerge with your order in a retro cardboard box filled with stubby crinkle-cut fries.

Another north side tradition that I was unfamiliar with growing up, but was introduced to after starting to work up north in 1997.  I don’t remember the first time I went to Superdawg, but my most memorable trip would have been on September 11, 2001.  There weren’t many cars in the lot that day, but it was a nice opportunity to catch up on the radio news of the events of the morning.

It’s been a few years since I’ve been down to the original location, thanks to the Wheeling location opening in 2010.  It may be worth a trip, once this whole shelter-in-place business is over with.

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