Bloomington-Normal TourTO CHICAGO TO ROCKFORD DAVID FOSTER WALLACE TO QUAD CITIES & PEORIA RAAB RD RAAB RD TOWANDA TOWANDA AVE LINDEN ST WHITE OAK RD ROPP RD R D GREGORY ST K FORT JESSE RD R A SCHOOL ST FORT JESSE RD M D N WILLOW ST R PARKSIDE RD A D L N A MULBERRY ST S U S COLLEGE AVE COLLEGE AVE 9&10 MITSUBISHI MOTORWAY NORTH ST SHOPPES AT 8 COLLEGE JUMER DR PHOENIX AVE HILLS ST UNIVERSITY ST VERNON AVE RT FO U KINGSLEY ST A E COLLEGE AVE HOVEY AVE B GENERAL ELECTRIC RD COTTAGE AVE JERSEY AVE MAIN ST MAPLE HILL RD FELL AVE ADELAIDE ST CLEARWATER AVE AIRPORT RD TOWANDA AVE WHITE OAK RD EMERSON ST WYLIE DR VETERANS PKWY SEMINARY AVE MLK DR 5 CENTER ST EMPIRE ST EMPIRE ST INTERSTATE DR FAIRWAY DR LEE ST 6 LOCUST ST CIRA DR EASTLAND DR MARKET ST 7 MONROE ST WASHINGTON ST 1 MADISON ST WASHINGTON ST REGENCY DR CLINTON ST N ST FRONT ST DAVIS AVE OLIVE ST 2 HERSHEY RD ROBINSON OAKLAND AVE PROSPECT PROSPECT RD OAKLAND AVE W E EAST ST OAKLAND AVE WOOD ST OAKLAND AVE 3 S LAFAYETTE ST 4 ARCADIA DR ARCADIA MORRIS AVE IRELAND GROVE RD SIX POINTS RD VETERANS PKWY HAMILTON RD MAIN ST HAMILTON RD FOX CREEK RD 2 MORRISSEY DR 1 TO CHAMPAIGN & TO SPRINGFIELD & ST. LOUIS INDIANAPOLIS 1. DAVID FOSTER WALLACE’S HOME 7. CRACKER BARREL David Foster Wallace was an American author of novels, short 307 S. Woodrig Road, Bloomington 502 Brock Drive, Bloomington stories and essays, as well as a professor of English and creative Location where DFW finishedInfinite A favorite restaurant of DFW; where writing. What most people don’t realize is that there is a significant Jest, at the corner of Woodrig and Patrick Arden interviews him for Book Hobson Roads. magazine in 1999. connection between Wallace and Bloomington-Normal. As an English professor at Illinois State University, Wallace wrote the bulk 2. ST. MATTHEW’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 8. ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY of his famous 1996 novel, Infinite Jest, during his time here. His office 1920 E. Oakland Avenue, Bloomington A. FAIRCHILD HALL was located in Stevenson Hall. When literary agents and Hollywood Site of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings 508 Dry Grove Street, Normal that DFW attended. Location that housed office space directors flew into town to meet with him, he insisted on meeting them for the former Unit for Contemporary at his favorite restaurants, which included Cracker Barrel and Garden of 3. DENNY’S Literature. A national center for the Paradise. Babbitt’s Books in Uptown Normal was his favorite bookstore, 701 S. El Dorado Rd, Bloomington literary arts, the Unit was an umbrella organization for several independent and he often met with students at the Coffeehouse and Deli. The restaurant DFW acknowledges in literary presses and journals. It was Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. a major reason DFW decided to join Esquire called it “a work of genius.” The New York Times the ISU faculty. Part of David’s faculty 4. MONICAL’S PIZZA assignment was with Dalkey Archive said that it was “the greatest novel to finish a century yet.” At 1,079 718 S. Eldorado Road, Bloomington Press, one of the presses in the Unit. pages, Infinite Jest is not a novel of few words. Before his death at Location where the first interview with David Lipsky is conducted; a version of age 46, Wallace wrote three novels, three collections of short stories this restaurant appears in the filmThe and numerous essays. As Infinite Jest became a bestseller, Wallace End of the Tour. appeared on the covers of Details, Rolling Stone and appeared twice on Charlie Rose. How could a man so internationally acclaimed be so inconspicuous in his own town? Wallace wanted it that way. “He didn’t want to be that guy, the person who is a big public figure,” said B. STEVENSON HALL 420C Charlie Harris in an interview with The Pantagraph. Harris is a retired 5. GARDEN OF PARADISE 300 S. School Street, Normal ISU English professor and the department head that hired Wallace in 1412 E. Empire Street, Bloomington Location of DFW’s ISU office. 1993. Location where DFW often ate and where he discussed a film version of C. STEVENSON HALL 410 Hundreds of people flock toBloomington-Normal each year Infinite Jest with director Gus Van Sant. 300 S. School Street, Normal to catch a glimpse of the life that Wallace led during his time here. Classroom in which DFW taught many 6. MCLEAN COUNTY ARTS CENTER Illinois State University holds a David Foster Wallace Conference each 601 N. East Street, Bloomington creative writing classes. year, complete with roundtable discussions and writing workshops. Location where DFW introduced the 9. BABBITT’S BOOKS writer Ken Kalfus at a 1999 reading by 119 E. Beaufort St, Normal Kalfus. DFW’s favorite book store, where he often met students and where he gave a reading with Richard Powers and Curtis White in 1996. 10. THE COFFEEHOUSE AND DELI TO BLOOMINGTON-NORMAL! 114 E. Beaufort St, Normal Welcome Location where DFW often met with Contact the Bloomington-Normal Area Convention his students and where he attended a and Visitors Bureau for more information reading by Dave Eggers in 2000. VisitBN.org \ 309.665.0033.