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Soldier Field and United Center are not that urban - that is very true. Not even close to the urbanity of Wrigley Field. US Cellular Field is pretty much the same way - there is stuff when you walk a few blocks away but there's still a few huge surface parking lots. Soldier Field at least has a bunch of high rises to the west, but still it's not that urban. The only true urban pro sports venue in Chicago is Wrigley Field. The others are **** and United Center - don't even get me started. Luckily some things are being built right around there again though.
Soldier field is in an urban park area, across from the sheds aquarium. Its more like an urban campus. Since when is green space in the city not part of the urban area, ie. Is grant park not an urban park?
I appreciate both but outside of attending a game would choose neither as a destination in either city honestly - prefer other areas of both Chicago and DC
Agree - and in Chicago in the same area I prefer Boystown just to the east actually only because Wrigleyville is an annoying place full of thousands of drunk bros. Better other vibrant areas for sure though. I feel the same way about DC - Gallery Place was alright but I actually much prefer other areas. Your assessment about what Gallery Place is like is how I feel. It's a nice place, but I don't feel it's necessarily UNIQUE.
Soldier field is in an urban park area, across from the sheds aquarium. Its more like an urban campus. Since when is green space in the city not part of the urban area, ie. Is grant park not an urban park?
An urban park and sheer urbanity are two different things. We're talking about built environment + people here not a park there. Sorry but Soldier Field's area is nowhere near the urbanity of Wrigley Field's area.
Middle of the city to most people would mean IN the city and in the dense parts. People are too enthralled with downtown areas, and this is me saying it as someone who lives on the 25th floor in a downtown Chicago pad.
Most big cities have many centers of activity. You wouldn't literally say that the Barclay Center is not "in the city" in NYC because it's not in Manhattan or a downtown area. The overall neighborhood Wrigley Field is in actually has more people in it than River North, Streeterville, Gold Coast, and Old Town combined, which are all downtown neighborhoods. In fact, even if you added the Loop to that mix, that downtown area would not have a much larger population than Lake View. Downtown isn't even the densest overall part of Chicago - Edgewater is.
The area that Wrigley Field is in is just as dense as some downtown areas. Just because there's no high rises for 4 blocks of Wrigley Field doesn't mean it's not that urban. And comparing overall miles isn't of percentages is dangerous. DC is almost 3.5 times smaller than Chicago, physical area wise. You can't say "Oh well, it's 4 miles outside of downtown so...." It's a big lack of understanding of how larger cities work. Only 4% of the population of Chicago actually lives downtown - just because some other area doesn't have a ton of high rises doesn't mean it's less urban.
To me if you're talking about urban you're talking about more than just building density. You're talking first and foremost about population density. While there aren't that many buildings that are right next to each other in DC, the distance between most buildings in these areas of Chicago is just a food or two. The McDonald's near Wrigley Field is a severe anomaly for the overall area. 99.9% of the area is packed together pretty nicely - not literally next to each other like area of DC, but the distance between buildings is usually no more than a 2 or 2.5 feet. This is not enough to stop and think "holy ****, I am in a suburban environment."
After that to me it's street vibrancy - which can be how many people live in an area and population density. Not only that but how many people visit there. How many people visit there is harder to determine - population density is easier since we have actual numbers for that at the census block and tract levels.
No denying that both of these places are urban and vibrant no matter what's going on but how closely packed the buildings are is just one part of the overall formula.
I guess I don't understand the comparison honestly. Gallery Place is downtown. It's D.C.'s times square. Video Screens everywhere and all. It has crazy pedestrian traffic 24/7 seen only on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
I don't agree at all. There is something called "a city" and then there is the "center" of it. If every area in the actual city is the "center of the city" then there really isn't a center is there? So when someone says the "center of the city" when it comes to LA do you think of Venice or Century City? The Mission or Marina District in SF?
I don't think either, actually. If you honestly think that a large city like Chicago has just one center of activity, then you know nothing about the city. This is a common tourist mistake - they visit and they stay downtown because they think this is where allll the action in the city is because they assume that downtown actually has a huge share of the population. Yeah, a lot of people live downtown, but there's more people who live elsewhere. Are you going to tell me where the action is in my own city, or are you going to let me tell you as someone who actually lives here?
It's obvious you don't know **** about the city, seriously.
It has crazy pedestrian traffic 24/7 seen only on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
This statement alone indicates you really don't know anything about Chicago. Michigan Avenue isn't even busy 24/7. It dies down by 10pm because most of the street is retail stores, which close by then. There's not a ton of restaurants actually on the street. I live 1.5 blocks from Michigan Avenue by the way, so don't tell me about my own ****ing neighborhood.
The side streets, however, have more traffic all day long if you're talking about downtown Chicago. State Street, for example? More. Hubbard Street? More. Rush Street? Longer You think that's the only place? Go to Wicker Park at the 6 corners intersection which has traffic pretty much almost all day long. Same as areas of Lake View, Lincoln Park, Old Town, etc etc.
Honestly, I know you're trying to be whatever here, but you're showing how little you actually know about Chicago.
Here's another of Gallery Place. Is there really a comparison? I don't know what their similarities are. Like I said, it's D.C.'s times square. Now, if you want to compare Michigan Ave or somewhere in that part of the city, I could see something.
This statement alone indicates you really don't know anything about Chicago. Michigan Avenue isn't even busy 24/7. It dies down by 10pm because most of the street is retail stores, which close by then. There's not a ton of restaurants actually on the street. I live 1.5 blocks from Michigan Avenue by the way, so don't tell me about my own ****ing neighborhood.
The side streets, however, have more traffic all day long if you're talking about downtown Chicago. State Street, for example? More. Hubbard Street? More. Rush Street? Longer You think that's the only place? Go to Wicker Park at the 6 corners intersection which has traffic pretty much almost all day long. Same as areas of Lake View, Lincoln Park, Old Town, etc etc.
Honestly, I know you're trying to be whatever here, but you're showing how little you actually know about Chicago.
I must agree with Sav that Verizon is in a more urban area
also agree with you that State is likely more active more hours of the day
there is a pretty good mexican place down the street with cool butterfly murals - guess I kind of see the times square thing but is like a suburban incarnation of times or to me feels like like a nicer Market east than Times sq - DC needs to do its own thing more IMHO - it keeps adding stuff without its own identity
I don't think either, actually. If you honestly think that a large city like Chicago has just one center of activity, then you know nothing about the city. This is a common tourist mistake - they visit and they stay downtown because they think this is where allll the action in the city is because they assume that downtown actually has a huge share of the population. Yeah, a lot of people live downtown, but there's more people who live elsewhere. Are you going to tell me where the action is in my own city, or are you going to let me tell you as someone who actually lives here?
It's obvious you don't know **** about the city, seriously.
Where the hell did I ever say anything about the "center of activity"? What is with you Chicagoans today and reading skills? I was NEVER talking about the "center of action", I never mentioned the word "action" once. Are you reading things that aren't there?
The "centers of action" as far as nightlife and fun in SF aren't downtown either. BTW when I visited I stayed with a friend in Lincoln Square and we did most of our partying in the outer neighborhoods away from downtown.
You clearly don't understand jack**** about what I'm even talking about or trying to say.
This statement alone indicates you really don't know anything about Chicago. Michigan Avenue isn't even busy 24/7. It dies down by 10pm because most of the street is retail stores, which close by then. There's not a ton of restaurants actually on the street. I live 1.5 blocks from Michigan Avenue by the way, so don't tell me about my own ****ing neighborhood.
The side streets, however, have more traffic all day long if you're talking about downtown Chicago. State Street, for example? More. Hubbard Street? More. Rush Street? Longer You think that's the only place? Go to Wicker Park at the 6 corners intersection which has traffic pretty much almost all day long. Same as areas of Lake View, Lincoln Park, Old Town, etc etc.
Honestly, I know you're trying to be whatever here, but you're showing how little you actually know about Chicago.
I was giving Chicago the benefit of the doubt because honestly, NYC may be the only city I can think of with more pedestrian traffic than Gallery Place over 24 hours. Michigan Ave gets there during the day in the summer. There are about over 60,000 exits from the metro within two blocks in this neighborhood each day during the week.
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What is with you Chicagoans today and reading skills? I was NEVER talking about the "center of action", I never mentioned the word "action" once. Are you reading things that aren't there?
