Does Royko's Chicago still exist anywhere? (Naperville, Schaumburg: house, buy, catholic schools)

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

I have no idea about the statistics but I can certainly count more native Chicago caucasians under 40 I know on more than "one hand."

Ever heard of the Northwest side?

Me too, but maybe they are all my family ; )

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by eating while walking

Let me preface this by saying I am not from Chicago and have never read any of Mike Royko's writing until a few weeks ago. Right now I am working my way through "Boss", which is a tell-all covering the shenanigans of Daley's Machine, as well as a few collections of his columns. Coming to it fresh as an adult, I am loving the way he writes about the old neighborhoods and communities. It just seems so different from what I see around me in my daily routine.

This is kind of a nebulous and maybe ridiculous question, but is there any place in the city which still has that Royko-esque neighborhood feel? Stuff I am looking for, but not limited to:

Penny pitching
Streetcars
Hot dog carts
Guys like "Slats Grobnik"
Taverns on every corner
Bars and dives filled with gruff newspapermen
Still-functioning factories, and everyone who works there lives within 1 - 2 blocks
White ethnic neighborhoods with youth gangs jumping each other as soon as they cross neighborhood lines

You get the idea.

Every factor you listed describing Chicago is gone. Sidewalk city-life is non-existent; food vendors and newsstand are gone, very dull.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Me too, but maybe they are all my family ; )

I have a large extended family.

[jonnynonos]

LOL... without the transplants this city would be a hellhole.

Deal with it.

[Irishtom29]

Most of the transplants I knew were from Ireland, Italy, Poland, Germany, Mexico, Mississippi and Tennessee.

[jonnynonos]

I'm just saying people shouldn't get so snooty about them.

If you are even remotely aware of the news you will find that the vast majority of new businesses, etc., in this city are not founded by native Chicagoans but by people coming here to live or do businesses... which makes it like any global city.

Everyone came here at some point!

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Me too, but maybe they are all my family ; )

Ha!

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

I have no idea about the statistics but I can certainly count more native Chicago caucasians under 40 I know on more than "one hand."

Ever heard of the Northwest side?

I'm talking about in a professional setting. My work experience is architecture, engineering and energy, and my wife is in advertising. Not a lot of native Chicagoans in either industry who aren't from the burbs. Hardly any, actually.

I know plenty of native Chicagoans through other social channels.

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by chicagobear

Royko himself ended up in very posh Winnetka on the North Shore with a young second family.

Ah, but before that, Royko actually moved a few blocks away from where I grew up, he was on Racine just south of Diversey in the mid-80s.

I actually always found it quite amusing that he thought my neighborhood was going to be spared the gentrification he was so annoyed with in his old hood.

Guessing he got duped by the small cluster of factories and meatpacking plants up and down Lakewood Ave (an actual train ran as far north as Belmont until the early 80s), the fresh smell of blood and cow carcasses did tend to at least slow down the rampant gentrification happening a little further south.

Anyway, he didn't last long there, maybe 5 years tops. Too bad, as a "Royko @ Delilah's" event would have been epic.

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Yep, this is the real answer. Those old ethnic enclaves are dead and gone. Mostly replaced by new ethnics who happen to not be white, so of course theyre not considered cool.

As for who posts on this board, I wonder how many posters are actually from Chicago - I mean born and raised. In all my years working in various Chicago high tech companies, I can count the number of White people actually from Chicago on one hand. They were always from down state, small town Iowa, or the suburbs.

41 years here.

As for "cool," are you joking? If you think some kid with a thick Lithuanian or Scottish accent and hand-me-down clothes that didn't fit was ever cool (as opposed to picked on mercilessly)?

Sir, you have a very distorted and inaccurate understanding of the human condition.