3D ultrasound Berwyn

Berwyn, IL, is located about 9 miles from downtown Chicago and 3 miles from First Peek Ultrasound, in Oak Park, IL, and it takes about 7 minutes to drive from Berwyn to Oak Park.

Berwyn, IL, named after a Philadelphia train station, was also once called The Bohemian Wall Street (no longer applicable due to the collapse of the savings and loans), the Home of the World's Largest Laundromat (no longer the world's largest), and Home of the Car Spindle (torn down to make place for a Walgreen's). Berwyn has a lot of nicknames that may no longer be applicable. But Berwyn is home to over 54,000 people who still call Berwyn their home.

Incorporated as a city in 1901, Berwyn shares a rich history alongside Oak Park. Berwyn, along with Oak Park, were both once a part of Cicero. The northern part of Berwyn, once appeared on some maps as "North Oak Park." Finally, both Oak Park and Berwyn are visited for their architecture, with Oak Park being known for their prairie-style Frank Lloyd Wright homes and Berwyn known as having the most significant collection of Chicago-style bungalows in the nation.

For a period, Cermak Road earned the nickname The Bohemian Wall Street due to the large number of savings and loans located there. In 1991, the Chicago Sun Times reported that "Berwyn has the highest concentration of financial institutions in the world - a tribute to the frugality of its forebears." The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s hit the area especially hard.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Berwyn had a large Czechoslovakian population, and Berwyn celebrates this heritage with the annual Houby Day Parade, first organized in 1968. It coincides with the fall mushroom harvest.

Berwyn was notable for the sculpture Spindle, created by artist Dustin Shuler, and located in the Cermak Plaza shopping center along with other works of art. The Spindle was shown in the movie Wayne's World and more recently in the film Wanted with Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman. It was demolished and scrapped secretly in the middle of the night of May 2, 2008 to make way for a new Walgreens. Grassroots efforts to Save the Spindle failed to raise the $300,000+ that it would have taken to dismantle and relocate it, which was a major upset amongst the supporters of the art considering the sculpture didn't encroach upon the new Walgreen's final position.

Berwyn has one of the world's largest laundromats, 13,500 square feet in size, with 161 washers and 140 dryers, a bird sanctuary, and free pizza on Wednesday nights. Just like First Peek Ultrasound, the laundromat also has a kids' play area and large-screen televisions. Unlike First Peek Ultrasound, the laundromat uses solar power to generate heat for much of its hot water. It incurred extensive damage from an electrical fire in 2004 but was rebuilt in early 2006.

Berwyn now has a growing arts community with a professional equity theater, an Arts Council and top notch music and entertainment venues, including the famous 16th Street Theater, located on 16th Street, in Berwyn, IL. The area has become haven for artists who enjoy a vibrant and affordable alternative to Chicago.

Another well-loved annual artistic event is Cartopia. Ogden Avenue is part of the historic Route 66 in Berwyn, and an annual Vintage Car Show that's been taking place in early September since 1990. Ogden Avenue is shut down from Ridgeland to Oak Park Avenue, and hundreds of car enthusiasts come out to celebrate the spirit of Route 66. More recently, Berwyn has begun to host its annual art car parade called Cartopia. Art car artists from all over the country meet to show off their latest creations and then parade through the neighborhood.