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words by > Margot Carmichael Lester
Spotlight on Chicago
* Actress Patricia Tallman still carries a torch for the city she grew up in and often returns to.
It was probably inevitable that Patricia Tallman would grow up to star in horror classics like Night of the Living Dead, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie and Creep Show 2. Her childhood home? “Haunted!” she laughs. Tallman grew up in Wheaton and Glen Ellyn, both suburbs of Chicago and fertile ground for actors. “The Belushis—Jim and John—were ahead of me in school,” she notes. “And Sean Hayes [star of ‘Will and Grace’] was after me.” Like them, Tallman has experienced success on the small screen. She portrayed Lyta Alexander, “the most powerful telepath in the universe,” in the Hugo Award-winning sci-fiseries “Babylon 5.” Lately, she’s appeared several times on “Without A Trace.”
But it all began on the boards. “I started as a child making up skits and scenes with my cousin,” she recalls. “My first professional job was in summer stock in Michigan at the Red Barn Theatre, in Saugatuck. I was 15.” Two years later, she left Chicago for good to attend Carnegie Mellon University’s theater arts program. She earned money for college by performing in musicals at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. From there, she moved to New York and had roles in several theatrical productions and almost every New York-based daytime drama.
Movies drew Tallman to Los Angeles, where she currently lives, but she loves going home to Illinois. “No matter where I go in the world, when I go back to Chicago, I remember who I am—and where I came from,” she says.
We asked her to give us the low-down on her favorite things about the Windy City.
What’s your favorite tourist attraction?
The Art Institute (www.artic.edu). For the art—and the lions! The two bronze lions have flanked the museum’s Michigan Avenue entrance since 1893. They’re as much of an attraction as the paintings, photographs, and everything else inside.
And where do you head when you want to escape the tourists?
The Morton Arboretum (www.mortonarb.org). It’s a world-class park of amazing proportions. The fall is just gorgeous there. They have a maze that’s really fun. And if you have kids, it’s paradise. Look at the website and check out all the activities going on there.
How about nightlife?
I like the theatres and clubs. Mother’s (www.rushanddivision. com/mothers.shtml) is great fun. The music is real, and the food, though not the healthiest, is so good! And Second City (www.secondcity.com) for ground-breaking comedy—I’m an actor; I love funny.
Food is a big part of the Chicago experience. What’s your favorite restaurant?
Marché (www.marche-chicago.com) is fab. We went there with the guys from “The X-Files.” They were having their expo at the same time I was there for a “Babylon 5” expo.
Pizza is one of the city’s signature dishes. Where do you like to get a slice?
It’s a toss-up—pun intended. Giordano’s, Uno, Barones, Lou Malnati’s… so many! As kids, we loved Leona’s (www.leonas. com). They were open really late at night. My sister even took the band Devo there.
The Magnificent Mile is known for its shops. Where else is the shopping hot?
My mom took me shopping on Michigan Avenue a lot, and I loved it. Water Tower Place (www.shopwatertower.com) is also great. I like eclectic places, and I go to Oak Street (www..oakstreetchicago.com) for that. Check out The Daisy Shop (www.daisyshop.com) for amazing bargains in high-end, gently worn clothes. I go into Furla (www.furlausa.com) to drool over the 
leather goods. There’s yummy stuff in Luca Luca (www..lucaluca.com). It’s just eye candy, though!
What else should people know about Chicago?
Chicago is world-class. I have been to incredible places that I love, like Rome, Venice, Madrid, Barcelona and London—and I have to tell you, Chicago has charm, funkiness and a dash of sophistication that can compete anywhere.