Safety Issues in Chinatown and Little Italy? (Chicago, Ashland: neighborhood, restaurant)

[svillechris]

My wife and I love trying new places to eat, and I was thinking of going to either Chinatown or Little Italy as we absolutely love these two types of food. How is the safety in these two little villages? Would you feel comfortable walking around at night in these areas? And for what it's worth, we're neither Italian nor Chinese. Any feedback is much appreciated. Thanks!

[Avengerfire]

Read these:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...questions.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...chinatown.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...tle-italy.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...ghborhood.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...ghborhood.html

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by svillechris

My wife and I love trying new places to eat, and I was thinking of going to either Chinatown or Little Italy as we absolutely love these two types of food. How is the safety in these two little villages? Would you feel comfortable walking around at night in these areas? And for what it's worth, we're neither Italian nor Chinese. Any feedback is much appreciated. Thanks!

If you bring your wife along with you and you stay on the main three or four streets in Chinatown, you should have no problems.

If you come alone, especially during the week, you will NOT be lonely as there are a lot of very friendly young ladies wanting to get to know you.

There are generally security guards with canines on or around the Chinatown Red Line station.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

If you come alone, especially during the week, you will NOT be lonely as there are a lot of very friendly young ladies wanting to get to know you.

There are generally security guards with canines on or around the Chinatown Red Line station.

???

That's not my experience of Chinatown.

[svillechris]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

???

That's not my experience of Chinatown.

Whats your experience? And I wouldn't be coming alone anyway. And what are the main 3-4 streets? Cermak, Canal & Archer?

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by svillechris

Whats your experience? And I wouldn't be coming alone anyway. And what are the main 3-4 streets? Cermak, Canal & Archer?

Chinatown is perfectly safe (by Chicago standards) on the main streets because they are tons of tourists and locals walking around even late into the night. I've never noticed prostitutes (then again I wasn't really looking for them) or security guards with dogs. The "main street" of Chinatown used to be Wentworth, but as the neighborhood has expanded there's a lot of activity along Cermak and Archer nowadays.

[Boompa]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

If you bring your wife along with you and you stay on the main three or four streets in Chinatown, you should have no problems.

If you come alone, especially during the week, you will NOT be lonely as there are a lot of very friendly young ladies wanting to get to know you.

There are generally security guards with canines on or around the Chinatown Red Line station.

You must have staggered off to the Tenderloin, are you sure they were girls?
Chinatown or Little Italy are no problem, don't forget to see Grant Avenue, San Francisco, California USA and ride the F Trolley

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Boompa

You must have staggered off to the Tenderloin, are you sure they were girls?
Chinatown or Little Italy are no problem, don't forget to see Grant Avenue, San Francisco, California USA and ride the F Trolley

We're talking about Chicago, not San Francisco. The hint is that the thread is in the Chicago forum.

[JBVirtuoso]

^Haha, this is prime.

Anyway, the main streets in Chinatown are okay, but be careful not to wander off the beaten path. Cermak going east toward State gets kind of shifty and weird. If you're just going to a restaurant though, you don't really have any business heading over there.

[Irishtom29]

Little Italy? Where's that?

I drove down Taylor St. tonight from Ashland to Morgan and there were lots of people out, most of them collegiate and Anglo middle class types in shorts and flip-flops. Nary an Italian to be seen; no more Taylor St. Dukes at Loomis. . Very safe.