WANTED: Chicago's version of Portland's Goose Hallow (Lincoln: house, buying)

[Lookout Kid]

Old Town is not hipster at all anymore. It's probably more stock broker and options trader. But you could walk downtown...

How old are you, by the way?

[brinegar312]

26 & I am liking the sounds of Old Town at this point.

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Old Town is not hipster at all anymore. It's probably more stock broker and options trader. But you could walk downtown...

How old are you, by the way?

[aragx6]

I'm not a hipster, but I like hipsters. There are lots of types of people just on my street, some are hipsters, some are yuppies, some are single, some are couples, median age is about 25 or so but there are multiples 30s and a few 40s on my block as well.

I don't know Williamsburg enough to comment on its similarities.

Also, I gotta say, Old Town is pretty but painfully dull and way overpriced imo. I'd live in Lincoln Park way before I'd consider Old Town. Unless of course I were 40.

[Lookout Kid]

I think Old Town and Lincoln Park are similarly priced. But if you want something quieter than Lincoln Park that's closer to downtown, Old Town might work out. Same with the Gold Coast (away from Rush and Division or the Viagra Triangle, of course). And perhaps the western part of River North.

I really like the residential blocks around St. Michaels. They have some gorgeous rehabs in that area.

[brinegar312]

What's this Viagra Triangle I keep reading about on the forums?

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I think Old Town and Lincoln Park are similarly priced. But if you want something quieter than Lincoln Park that's closer to downtown, Old Town might work out. Same with the Gold Coast (away from Rush and Division or the Viagra Triangle, of course). And perhaps the western part of River North.

I really like the residential blocks around St. Michaels. They have some gorgeous rehabs in that area.

[Drover]

Viagra Triangle is just south of Old Town; it's the Gold Coast nightlife district, and to party there means to have a lot of money, or at least pretend to. Here is a map of the area -- the actual "Triangle" formed by Rush, State, and approximately Chestnut or maybe Chicago, including a few establishments on Division Street on the northern tip of the Triangle.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by brinegar312

What's this Viagra Triangle I keep reading about on the forums?

It's called the "Viagra Triangle" because it's where rich middle-aged North Shore men go out in their Jaguars and Maseratis to hit on younger women.

[NearWestSider]

Originally Posted by brinegar312

One comment on Wicker Park, however. I am not a hipster. I avoid hipster-areas in most cities I go to. I have heard Wicker Park is kinda like a Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Is this true?

Wicker Park is in decline as a "hip" neighborhood. It is currently in the process of morphing into a post-collegiate consumerist mecca for conformist white kids ala Lincoln Park, but its former hipster status still attracts its share of fruitcakes, weirdos, and phonies. These days, NO true hipster would suffer the embarrassment of admitting to living there.

So if you don't mind posers and wannabees, and you are not put off by Ohio State hoodies everywhere you turn, Wicker Park might just fit the bill. The juxtaposition of exhibitionist on conformist makes for an interesting mix and contrast. The neighborhood is not in stable equilibrium, however, and conformist is clearly destinted to prevail. But in the meantime, its an interesting place for a certain kind of person. Of which I am not one.

Although I personally would choose Old Town over Wicker Park, due to its superior location, I wouldn't dismiss either until you've checked them our for yourself.

[raleightransplant]

Hipsters annoy me in general...there's this vibe that they're trying to be anti-confomist when in reality they're just conforming to each other. It's almost like a status thing...no better than yuppies, ex frat boys, etc., in my book. In my experience, most people I would deem hip don't tend to look at themselves that way, and don't necessarily look the part. It's only when you dig deeper that you see that.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by raleightransplant

Hipsters annoy me in general...there's this vibe that they're trying to be anti-confomist when in reality they're just conforming to each other. It's almost like a status thing...no better than yuppies, ex frat boys, etc., in my book. In my experience, most people I would deem hip don't tend to look at themselves that way, and don't necessarily look the part. It's only when you dig deeper that you see that.

By his post, NearWestSider seems to be a hipster who's angry at the commercialization of "post-Hipster" Wicker Park. He would probably annoy you with his "conformist" B.S.

As a recovering hipster who has just grown out of that idiocy, I kind of like the Wicker Park of today. There are much better restaurants than when I first discovered the area 15 years ago, and that's important to me. There are many fancy boutique shops that I can't (or don't want to) afford, but there are also many useful "daily life" kinds of businesses--like dry cleaners, convenience stores, sandwich shops, and a full grocery store. The art galleries were mostly hack anyway, and they're better off in true bohemia where they can wallow in their suffering a bit more.