Safety walking in Maywood/Riverside area

[Southside Shrek]

I thought Hines VA Hospital has been there since the Civil War or at least the Spanish-American war.

[gardener34]

That area never used to be bad. Father grew up in that area. Gangs and drugs do it everytime.

[j33]

Isn't it a shame. I have a good friend who grew up in Riverdale, same thing, I watched it happen from when I was age 13 to my late twenties until he moved away out of frustration after someone had their car stolen at one of his Christmas parties..

[marion10]

Hines was built at the end of WWI- at the the time it was a nice place out in the country. I used to walk occasionally from River Forest to Hines in good weather- but along Roosevelt Road and then take the bus home (the 308).

[ToriaT]

I lived there in the early fifties as a child for a few years and still vaguely remember it. It was nothing like it is now. My great uncle owned a deli on the Main street there and we would often walk to go shopping. I think a lot of the demographic changes occured in the early sixties.

[meatpuff]

Another way to get to Hines V.A. from downtown Chicago is to take the blue line west to the Forest Park terminal, then transfer to the 308 Pace bus. #308 is very direct both ways and takes only 12 minutes on the schedule. And, the bus mostly traverses Forest Park, IL, which is quite safe; and the transfer is at the Forest Park terminal, which is about as safe as it gets as CTA train stations go.

YES, I realize the OP has probably moved on since this thread is two years old. So please spare me pointing that out. Now anyone else who comes across this thread will have the answer.