Wanna complain about Chicago? (Cicero, Irving: hot , live, visit)

[xenourtv]

I agree with most of what you said. The biggest factor why I told myself it was time for me to leave my hometown was that I realized Chicago lacks of diversity and segregation in neighborhoods. There is really no integration in certain neighborhoods at all. I lived at Lincoln Park/Lakeview for 2 years and I could tell you, it would have been a shock to see a black person walking or shopping. Of course big cities have affluent neighborhoods that are predominantly white, but there are at least some forms of integration like a Manhattan in NYC and Buckhead in ATL. The segregation is so visible in Chicago it is unbelievable. Police corruption and just too much ethnicities also played a role into me moving.

Im also glad that you pointed out that right now it seems as if everybody here comes from Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, and any surrounding suburb or town in Illinois. I remember during Thanksgiving at Lakeview, there were so many parking spaces, I was telling myself this was the way I remembered Chicago being like. I actually saw people of other races walking around. Basically their is just no sense of community at all anymore. It is hard for someone like me to say I was raised in this neighborhood, because right now my old neighborhood going through what is called "gentrification" and the peeps that I ran into all the time on the streets occasionally back in the day are being replaced with transplants from the states the surrounding states that I mentioned.

This is why a lot of true Chicagoans dont support the whole gentrification process because basically it destroys the concept of home. I mean a person coming from a small town in the Midwest could always go back home to that same small town and chances are things will be the same. For Chicagoans like me the neighborhood is gone. All I have are memories of that mom and pop shop in which I bought my chips, now in place of it is a big condo for the wealthy. I did not understand it before, but now I know how people who used to live in the Cabrini Green neighborhood feel, and I know what the people in Pilsen and Washington Park are thinking. Its all about making the big dollar I guess, but it is sad whats going on. But hey Chicago is more beautiful then ever IMO and I did enjoy seeing and running into many beautiful women every time stepped outside while I was living in LP, but it is just a flat out shame that most true Chicgoans are being pushed away from their original neighborhood.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by xenourtv

Im also glad that you pointed out that right now it seems as if everybody here comes from Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, and any surrounding suburb or town in Illinois. I remember during Thanksgiving at Lakeview, there were so many parking spaces, I was telling myself this was the way I remembered Chicago being like. I actually saw people of other races walking around. Basically their is just no sense of community at all anymore. It is hard for someone like me to say I was raised in this neighborhood, because right now my old neighborhood going through what is called "gentrification" and the peeps that I ran into all the time on the streets occasionally back in the day are being replaced with transplants from the states the surrounding states that I mentioned.

This is why a lot of true Chicagoans dont support the whole gentrification process because basically it destroys the concept of home. I mean a person coming from a small town in the Midwest could always go back home to that same small town and chances are things will be the same. For Chicagoans like me the neighborhood is gone. All I have are memories of that mom and pop shop in which I bought my chips, now in place of it is a big condo for the wealthy. I did not understand it before, but now I know how people who used to live in the Cabrini Green neighborhood feel, and I know what the people in Pilsen and Washington Park are thinking. Its all about making the big dollar I guess, but it is sad whats going on. But hey Chicago is more beautiful then ever IMO and I did enjoy seeing and running into many beautiful women every time stepped outside while I was living in LP, but it is a shame that true Chicagoans are just going to be left with memories.

This is one complaint I just can't get on board with, and while I generally try not to bother complainers on a complaint-specific thread, I can't let this one go uncommented upon.

For better or worse, this city has always been about transformation ever since a handful of white guys built a fort here, and probably even before then. The Chicago of 1900 was very different from the Chicago of 1880, the Chicago of 1950 was different than the Chicago of 1920, the Chicago of 1980 was different than the Chicago of 1950, the Chicago of today is different than the Chicago of yesterday, and the Chicago of tomorrow will be different than the Chicago of today. And none of these snapshots-in-time are any more or less "authentic Chicago" than any other. People have always come and gone through this city, to and from Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, and places well beyond. Neighborhoods have always been in transformation. So now you sympathize with the people of Pilsen and Cabrini Green? Do you feel no similar sympathy for the previous generation of residents that were displaced by those who are currently complaining of being displaced today? Does anyone in Pilsen complaining about ethnic displacement ever stop to ask why their neighborhood is called "Pilsen" and not "Guadalajara?" If you want your town frozen in time like an historic re-enactment, move to Colonial Williamsburg. If you don't like change, Chicago is the wrong place to be and it always has been.

[xenourtv]

You mentioned transformation, and I dont consider transformation tearing down a building and using up that land to make a condo, or buying some small business owner out and changing that store into tanning salons, special cafe shops, and trendy restaurants. Transformation in a neighborhood is developing what the community already has, not destroying it and changing it to make it more appealing towards a certain demographic. In this case it seems to be more like caucasion folks with degrees from the Midwest. What about the people who were already here before them? They might not have degrees, but why should they feel not welcome in their hometown when they go to a Lincoln Park, Lakeview, GC or any other terribly segregated neighborhood in Chicago. Why should they have to stand and see there neighborhood get torn down and be replaced with fancy businesses and restuarants.

Nieghborhoods grow and expand while keeping that sense of community alive. Apparently in Chicago, a lot these neighborhoods with that sense of community are vansihing cause they are being destroyed, bought out, or whatever so they can target a specific demographic or audience and basically the people who were raised in those neighborhoods from the beginning are considered insignificant.

[AngryTypingGuy]

Yeah, I've noticed the same thing happening in NYC too. Every time I visit the place it looks like there's more preppy-dressed yuppies walking the streets than the last I visited. There's less and less New Yorkers and more suburbanites moving in from areas like Long Island, Westchester, and New Jersey.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by xenourtv

You mentioned transformation, and I dont consider transformation tearing down a building and using up that land to make a condo, or buying some small business owner out and changing that store into tanning salons, special cafe shops, and trendy restaurants. Transformation in a neighborhood is developing what the community already has, not destroying it and changing it to make it more appealing towards a certain demographic. In this case it seems to be more like caucasion folks with degrees from the Midwest. What about the people who were already here before them? They might not have degrees, but why should they feel not welcome in their hometown when they go to a Lincoln Park, Lakeview, GC or any other terribly segregated neighborhood in Chicago. Why should they have to stand and see there neighborhood get torn down and be replaced with fancy businesses and restuarants.

Nieghborhoods grow and expand while keeping that sense of community alive. Apparently in Chicago, a lot these neighborhoods with that sense of community are vansihing cause they are being destroyed, bought out, or whatever so they can target a specific demographic or audience and basically the people who were raised in those neighborhoods from the beginning are considered insignificant.

Unfortunately for you sir, you're not in control of the definition of "transformation" or "destruction." Transformation is not defined as "a gradual change according to my own personal aesthetics." "Destruction" is not defined as "a change that does not comport with my own personal aesthetics." Change is inevitable everywhere, especially in a town as vibrant as Chicago. Either cope or find that elusive, imaginary place to live where nothing ever changes and move there.

[Chi2NYC?]

Originally Posted by Drover

Does anyone in Pilsen complaining about ethnic displacement ever stop to ask why their neighborhood is called "Pilsen" and not "Guadalajara?"

i have to admit that i do chuckle about this whenever i come across anti(white) gentrification sentiment in pilsen.

as long as we use a private market to decide where people can live, and that market is tied not just to individual houses but their surrounding neighborhoods, gentrification is going to happen. luckily chicago is big enough that there are plenty of places for displaced people to relocate. i feel more sorry for california expatriates who can't afford to live back in their birth state then chicagoans who have to move ten blocks away.

[sukwoo]

Originally Posted by xenourtv

You mentioned transformation, and I dont consider transformation tearing down a building and using up that land to make a condo, or buying some small business owner out and changing that store into tanning salons, special cafe shops, and trendy restaurants.

You do realize that there are VAST swaths of the city of Chicago where residents would benefit from tear downs of dilapidated buildings and influx of new businesses. There's more to Chicago than Lincoln Park.

Also, forty years ago, "keeping that sense of community" often meant keeping black people out of white neighborhoods. I doubt you'd endorse that view today. Why are some kinds of change acceptable, and others are not? It was okay to let Mexicans move into Pilsen and displace the Bohemians, but its unacceptable to let yuppies move in today?

[Visvaldis]

I grew up in Logan Square, same as the thread starter, but during an earlier era. To give you a clue, when I was a high schooler at Lane Tech, the Prudential Building was the city's tallest building. Now, it's a dwarf.
I spent almost 40 years in the city. In the early 70s I drove a cab for five years, so I know the city layout very well.
Unlike most of the posts I never lived in any of the hip areas such as Lakeview and Wicker Park. They were too expensive, plus I felt comfortably at home in Logan Square.
But I departed Logan Square, my last residence (for 6 years) in Chicago was in the area of Belmont and Cicero. It's an ordinary part of town, heavily Polish, but it was fine for me. Connections to the Loop are very good, by bus and Blue Line I could be on Dearborn Street in about 40 minutes. Many years ago I complained (muttering obscenities) about the CTA, but in comparison to other places, the CTA has a very good system which gets you around quickly.
At the end of 2001, after losing my job at Wards, when they went out of business, I made a big mistake by moving to louisville, kentucky.
Now, I'm stuck here but miss Chicago.
There are still some pleasant areas of the city to live, mostly on the NW side. Portage Park (Irving Park and Central) is somewhat quiet. The rents are still reasonable. I never felt threatened when walking the streets at night.
Surely, Chicago will never shake the reputation of a high rate of murder, and the winters can be brutal. Political corruption is a fact of life in Chicago.
The city does have some good points;
Because of the Polish population there are many stores where you can buy all sorts of European style foods at much cheaper than in the German delis in Lincoln Square. Try Gene's Sausage Shop (it's really a grocery) in the 5400 block of Belmont. Or try Wally's Grocery on Milwaukee Avenue.
I also appreciated going to see foreign movies at the Music Box on Southport, or spending several hours in the Art Institute, which is rated as one of the world's best art museums. Chicago's radio stations are much better than in Louisville. You also have several college stations for alternatives. I miss Channel 9 and watching the Cubs.
In Chicago you can buy anything you want, someone, somewhere will have it.
Being politically left of center I also miss the city mentality. Chicago has a window to the world. Many take an interest in events that occur all over the globe. Not the case in smaller cities.
I am an artist and certainly miss the great selection of art supplies at Pearl Paints on Chicago Avenue.
In 1976 I departed Chicago to live in Germany for many years. There I encountered some strange perceptions about Chicago; such as dead bodies all over the place and muggers at every second street corner. Apparently everyone knew the name Al Capone. In Frankfurt I even saw a pizzeria named after him. One German had seen a photo of downtown Chicago with all the tall buildings and assumed the entire city limits looked like that. Also, several didn't want to believe me when I told them that Lake Michigan is so large you can't see the other shore.
I just thought I'd add something to this thread, because, in spite of all its dents, scratches, and faults I like Chicago. I wish I was there right now.

[ekg56]

I also grew up in Chicago during the times that the Prudential building was the tallest building. I remember going up there. I can remember being in grade school and watching the Hancock being built. I grew up in Rogers Park. I would go to bars and walk home at 2 AM and I was never worried. The 60s and 70s, Chicago was a great place to be a kid. We were at the lake all day in the summer, skated all winter in the neighborhood parks. We moved to WI, 20 years ago. I love WI but miss Chicago. My Mom died last year and we are selling our family home in Rogers Park. I still love visiting there. There is nothing like it.

[Mathead]

I love to hear about the days of old Chicago from residents. At one time I was enthralled by the history of the town and what people who grew up there thought of it. My family is made of immigrants who moved there in the 70's, so I can relate. I did not grow up there but lived in Chicago for a few years.

I sympathize for people who grew up there and see it changing in a manner they don't agree with.

I'll admit I am the ultimate free marketeer. However, I disagree with the idea that Chicago's current gentrification is an exact example of the market at work. For those who want some type of govt intervention regarding homogenization of neighborhoods, keep in mind the govt has played a huge role in gentrification. Daley Jr shut down neighborhood taverns back in the late 90s, now there is a fraction of what there once was.... I recall Starbucks getting millions to set up shop in certain areas of Chicago, paid for by the city....What do you think this smoking ban is going to do to blue collar bars and small business owners?....

I still believe Chicago does not have a good economy. Not horrible but look at any Forbes, Wall Street Journal listings of towns ranging from "Best career towns or towns with best economies" Chicago never makes the top ten or 25 in most cases. Money magazine did rank Naperville #2 as the Best city to live in America. Other than that, Chicago's economy is weak for a city that size.