Wanted: Chicago's version of Southie (Cambridge, Bridgeport: school, to live in, racist)

[brinegar312]

To those who are in Chicago and know about Southie, is Beverly or Bridgeport (or some other place) more of a Southie kinda area? Thanks.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by brinegar312

To those who are in Chicago and know about Southie, is Beverly or Bridgeport (or some other place) more of a Southie kinda area? Thanks.

Do you mean the Southie of old, or the new yuppified Southie? Bridgeport may be the closest, as it is (was) more working class Irish than Beverly. Like Southie, Bridgeport is a lot less Irish and more yuppie than it used to be.

[brinegar312]

I'm talking the intersections of E Broadway/ L Street/ Dorchester/ Old Colony...that area.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by brinegar312

I'm talking the intersections of E Broadway/ L Street/ Dorchester/ Old Colony...that area.

I'm more of a Cambridge/Somerville type of person, so I can't say I spent much time in Southie.

[brinegar312]

Ha! I used to live in Prosepct Hill Park in Slummaville...

Originally Posted by sukwoo

I'm more of a Cambridge/Somerville type of person, so I can't say I spent much time in Southie.

[eevee]

I never hung around Southie either (grew up mostly in Roxbury) so don't know the street names all that well, but is this the area around the Andrew T stop and OC projects? I don't know Chicago that well, but Bridgeport does seem like the closest comparison to old school Southie, though I've heard some other parts of Chicago/the burbs have larger St Paddy's Day parades

I can say that, like Southie, Bridgeport does have a reputation (deserved or undeserved, I can't say since I don't know, but it seems to have gotten better according to others) of being racist towards blacks. I'm black and when I was younger avoided Southie, and when I first checked out Chicago, I was told by many to avoid Bridgeport b/c of racial tensions. having hung out in both parts of Southie and parts of Bridgeport, it seems like the tensions have died down, but having never lived in either area, I can't say for a fact.

[Drover]

Canaryville, just south of Bridgeport. Might as well have filmed Gone Baby Gone there. Aesthetically, the main streets through Hegewisch sort of give me that "Southie" vibe. Not too similar ethnically though.

Beverly and Bridgeport (mostly anyway) are more up-market than Southie. Especially Beverly.

[Lookout Kid]

I think it's funny that "Southie" and the "South End" have similar names... I was confused about that the first time I went to Boston, and ended up somwhere I didn't want to be.