Give me the downlow on Pilsen.

[Lookout Kid]

It's obvious why Pilsen is slowly being taken over by white kids from the suburbs and recent college grads... Location, convenience, and architecture. It's just a few miles from the Loop, has some really beautiful historic blocks and solid brick buildings, and has "L" stops. Also, Hispanic neighborhoods are more easily gentrified because white people are more comfortable living next to Hispanics than blacks (there was a recent study that showed this, but I can't find it). It would have flipped years ago if it were north of Madison Street.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by thiqued

I've never really understood why this neighborhood got so popular. I always assumed it was fueled by white kids who want to brag to their friends about how their neighborhood is so gritty. There are tons of Mexican grocery stores, cheap rents, and good access to public transportation, but there are crime problems and the neighborhood is ugly and you will probably feel like an outsider if you aren't Latino. If you want really want to be a cool kid in a rundown neighborhood, I say to go Rogers Park or Logan Square. I think they are a bit more interesting.

well, I live in Pilsen b/c it ridiculously close to downtown. my school is downtown and I can get to the Library stop and to most of my classes in 30 minutes, 40 minutes TOPS (if there are delays near Clark/Lake). hell, I can see the freaking Sears Tower from my front door! it's close to UIC, the Medical District, has great access to the Metra, and the pink line is a fairly new transit line (much cleaner than portions of the blue line!). add in the cheap rents, then it should be obvious (at least it is to me) why some people move there. Roger's Park is way too far away for me (though I like how close it is to the lake). Logan Sq. is a good alternative (though parts of it doesn't seem that much safer than parts of Pilsen) but I personally don't like how the downtown blue line stops are a slightly further away from my classes (not a huge deal, and if I found a good place in LS, I'd move)

I don't feel like an outsider at all. trust me, there are tons of students, artists, and non Latinos living here. the chunk of Pilsen where I live is quite nice. I live near Harrison Park, which is a great park (I can hang out and watch a baseball game on a nice day),the Mexican Art Museum is right there, the homes are nicely maintained (so much more so than parts of West Humboldt Park), and I can walk to/ take a short bus ride to multiple supermarkets, little cafes, and small restaurants/food joints. yeah, the area has crime issues (though RP and LS also have crime issues yet you recommend them) but it's not the utter hell hole you and others make it out to be

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by thiqued

I've never really understood why this neighborhood got so popular. I always assumed it was fueled by white kids who want to brag to their friends about how their neighborhood is so gritty. There are tons of Mexican grocery stores, cheap rents, and good access to public transportation, but there are crime problems and the neighborhood is ugly and you will probably feel like an outsider if you aren't Latino. If you want really want to be a cool kid in a rundown neighborhood, I say to go Rogers Park or Logan Square. I think they are a bit more interesting.

Location, location, location my friend. It's close to downtown, UIC, has great public transit access, etc. It also has character and some interesting architecture. I expect that City neighborhoods like this and inner-ring suburbs that are also convenient to the Loop (like, gulp, Cicero) will become increasingly popular as time goes on. I see the trend to move away from the City reversing and more and more people becoming aware of the benefits of living close to a major thriving City.

I'm the opposite of you -- I'm surprised it took this long for Pilsen to take off! If this neighborhood was 10 minutes from Manhattan, can you imagine how costly it would be?

[thiqued]

You guys got me. I posted a bit carelessly and I guess I'll have to rephrase here. I understand why its so popular, I just personally think it kind of sucks. This is for a number of reasons, the biggest two for me are its lack of the kind of diversity you get up north and its lack of awesome green space and lakefront. In my mind, these have a pretty major effect on the quality of daily life. Every time I go to Halsted St., it just feels so depressingly sterile to me. Rogers Park is great in my mind because you have the beauty and the ghetto right up against each other, and a million random people crammed together and a ton of great cheap food (of many different varieties). I also associate Pilsen with obnoxious punk rockers and bike messengers, which pisses me off. I don't really care about "crime issues" and would personally have no problem at all living in Pilsen. Rogers Park is actually worse crimewise, and Logan Square may be too.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by thiqued

I've never really understood why this neighborhood got so popular. I always assumed it was fueled by white kids who want to brag to their friends about how their neighborhood is so gritty. There are tons of Mexican grocery stores, cheap rents, and good access to public transportation, but there are crime problems and the neighborhood is ugly and you will probably feel like an outsider if you aren't Latino. If you want really want to be a cool kid in a rundown neighborhood, I say to go Rogers Park or Logan Square. I think they are a bit more interesting.

How about:

1. It's right next to a major university and students need a place to live, and the university itself has been a major investor in the neighborhood's redevelopment
2. It's right next to the medical district which is a major secondary employment hub
3. It's 15 minutes to downtown via public transportation
4. The cost of living to amenities ratio is one of the best in the city

These factors make the area an obvious candidate for gentrification.

[thiqued]

See above. I know this stuff, I'm just being a bigot, I guess, and I'm sure I'll get this exact same response 10 more times tonight. Sorry guys, dumb ass move, I know.

I'll also always associate Pilsen with a spot on WBEZ from some random writer talking about life in the ghetto who commented "I live in the ghetto. I live in Pilsen." then proceeded to carry on in this direction till I got really sick of it. I also have negative associations Pilsen because of the University of Chicago students I knew who moved there really just because it was supposed to make them cool, at the expense of any useful transportation to classes.

[surlycue]

Originally Posted by thiqued

See above. I know this stuff, I'm just being a bigot, I guess, and I'm sure I'll get this exact same response 10 more times tonight. Sorry guys, dumb ass move, I know.

I'll also always associate Pilsen with a spot on WBEZ from some random writer talking about life in the ghetto who commented "I live in the ghetto. I live in Pilsen." then proceeded to carry on in this direction till I got really sick of it. I also have negative associations Pilsen because of the University of Chicago students I knew who moved there really just because it was supposed to make them cool, at the expense of any useful transportation to classes.

You should get off at the Pinkline 18th stop one day and walk around a little bit. The Museum of Mexican Art is really spectacular and FREE. That block has a park on it and some awesome brick wall murals. It's dicey so go during that day, though if you live in RP it shouldn't bother you. That block has some great Mexican bodegas and randomly good Italian food too.

You might be pleasantly surprised.

[thiqued]

Originally Posted by surlycue

You should get off at the Pinkline 18th stop one day and walk around a little bit. The Museum of Mexican Art is really spectacular and FREE. That block has a park on it and some awesome brick wall murals. It's dicey so go during that day, though if you live in RP it shouldn't bother you. That block has some great Mexican bodegas and randomly good Italian food too.

You might be pleasantly surprised.

Been to the art museum, and yeah, it is pretty sweet. Anyway, live and let live, I guess.