Despite hopeful new construction, the area around Jackson and Kedzie in East Garfield Park is still pretty bleak: boarded-up storefronts, weedy vacant lots. So when I wandered into Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica, it was like going from the desert into Aladdin’s Cave of Wonders: a magnificent 80-foot-high vaulted and coffered ceiling, a vast marble altar, multiple statues, jewel-toned stained glass. (If this incredibly ornate institution looks familiar, perhaps you recall seeing Sean Connery and Kevin Costner kneeling here in The Untouchables.) But the best part of this Italian Renaissance–style church is the 3,000-pipe Lyon & Healy organ, which rattled my molars at a free Lenten concert. Experience it yourself September 15 at the big 150th anniversary concert, featuring the St. Cecilia Choir of St. John Cantius Church. 3121 W. Jackson Blvd. ols-chicago.com