Piercings, Tattoos and Blue Hair....oh my! (Chicago, Lincoln: neighborhoods, construction)

[TecWmn]

Hey there. I am a 35 year old female punk clothing designer with a fabulous dog - no kids, no husband - looking for a funky, artistic, expressive neighborhood in Chicago. Love artists of all types, more edgy is what I like. I currently live outside Seattle and lived in Boulder for 6 years....I like alternative things - music, people, thinking....

Ideas??

Tell me where and why you think I might dig it....

Thanks in advance for reading this and double thanks if you take the time to post....very cool man!!

TecWmn

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

You'd do just fine in Wicker Park, Bucktown, Ukrainian Village, or any other area in "West Town". Those'd be your best bets. You might also like Uptown or some parts of Lakeview. There are others. Just poke around the city. There's plenty here.

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by CarolinaBredChicagoan

You'd do just fine in Wicker Park, Bucktown, Ukrainian Village, or any other area in "West Town". Those'd be your best bets. You might also like Uptown or some parts of Lakeview. There are others. Just poke around the city. There's plenty here.

gotta disagree on West Town. They have many fine attributes, but there is absolutely nothing punk about those hoods, and never has been.

In the 80s and early 90s Lake View at Belmont/Clark is where you'd wanted to be for a long time (the Alley is about all that's left), much of that crowd and energy has migrated west - if you go to Belmont and Damen you see stuff like this:

Bleeding Heart Bakery local sustainable punk rock pastry

But I'd wager the staff there (who are really the only aspect of the operation that is punk - $4 muffins sure ain't) all live further west/north, where it's more ragged and cheap.

Keep going west on Belmont, you'll see more remnants of the old punk scene, tattoo parlors, divier joints in general, Kuma's has a heavy metal vibe but also a punk element, etc. Late Bar at Belmont and Central Park is trying to resurrect some of the old Medusa's scene.

So I'd say check out Avondale, and northern Logan Square, it's where it's at. There are even a good number of Latina teenagers I see with dyed hair nowadays.

oh fer cryin' out loud, why did the bozo above resurrect this thread? didn't realize how old it was, sorry...

[Irishtom29]

Punk eh? I was in one of Chicago's first punk bands in 1977; 33 years ago. It's been longer from when Punk started to now than it was from when Rock nd Roll started to Punk. We didn't have Punk clothing designers; we just wore T-shirts and jeans, the main way we looked different from Metal guys was our hair was short and we used smaller amps and 4 piece drumkits (like Tommy Ramone) rather than Ludwig Octapluses and such.

Now I'm a 61 year old retired construction guy; very "edgy" eh? Wonder what will happen to today's "punks".

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Punk eh? I was in one of Chicago's first punk bands in 1977; 33 years ago.

no kidding! was your band in this:

You Weren't There - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

no kidding! was your band in this:

You Weren't There - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No. I don't know most of those bands (I remember Tutu and the Pirates well) after 1979 I wasn't playing anymore and I never liked the Punk social scene, just the music. I thought social punkers were jerks (the guys anyway); must'a been my West Side street corner "greaser" background. I always wanted to pop the jaspers. (Which reminds me of a story)

Our band was called DNA and then later Rodan. We played bars and parties and opened for Golden Earring at the Rialto in Joilet and for The Jam at Beginnings. There weren't many places for Punk bands to work early on; lots of hard rock and Metal joints though.

[aragx6]

I learn something new about Tom everyday

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

gotta disagree on West Town. They have many fine attributes, but there is absolutely nothing punk about those hoods, and never has been.

In the 80s and early 90s Lake View at Belmont/Clark is where you'd wanted to be for a long time (the Alley is about all that's left), much of that crowd and energy has migrated west - if you go to Belmont and Damen you see stuff like this:

Bleeding Heart Bakery local sustainable punk rock pastry

But I'd wager the staff there (who are really the only aspect of the operation that is punk - $4 muffins sure ain't) all live further west/north, where it's more ragged and cheap.

Keep going west on Belmont, you'll see more remnants of the old punk scene, tattoo parlors, divier joints in general, Kuma's has a heavy metal vibe but also a punk element, etc. Late Bar at Belmont and Central Park is trying to resurrect some of the old Medusa's scene.

So I'd say check out Avondale, and northern Logan Square, it's where it's at. There are even a good number of Latina teenagers I see with dyed hair nowadays.

oh fer cryin' out loud, why did the bozo above resurrect this thread? didn't realize how old it was, sorry...

Yeah, wondering why you dug that up... My recommendations are probably a little dated now... (Though the OP, years ago, said she was a punk clothing designer, but never said she was looking for punk. Just that "edgy", "artistic" vibe. Which the neighborhoods I named sort of have, even if it's fakey. But, like I say, this is a wicked old thread.)

By the way, did YOU dig this up, or did someone resurrect it and then get their post deleted?

[Avengerfire]

The OP ended up moving to Lincoln Square for a year. She moved back to Seattle though. I do not know where she is now...

And someone else did bring this thread back up-the post was deleted.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

She moved back to Seattle though. I do not know where she is now...

She probably covered the tatoos, removed the metal bits, let her hair grow out natural, got a job at Boeing and married an accountant.