What is going on in Uptown???? (Chicago, Cicero: middle-class, buying, tenants) - Illinois (IL) - Page 16 - City-Data Forum

Lookout Kid · 12-01-2009, 12:39 PM

Here are two quotes from Mike Royko regarding Helen Shiller when she was a new Alderman in 1987:

"Shiller's main motive was that she was building a political power base which included as many winos as she could drag to the voting booth."

And:

"One of the most depressing sections of Chicago is the Uptown area on the North Side. Shabby apartment buildings, vacant stores, wino bars, littered vacant lots, junkies, muggers, and career down-and-outers. It also has a new alderman, Helen Shiller, and she has a vision of what that seedy old neighborhood should be in the future. And apparently her vision is that Uptown should remain a seedy old neighborhood".

Avengerfire · 01-17-2010, 02:41 PM

Even old people are a target...

Man charged for beating, robbing elderly man in Uptown - cbs2chicago.com (http://cbs2chicago.com/local/eldely.man.beaten.2.1431091.html - broken link)

Avengerfire · 02-01-2010, 08:25 AM

Morons.

Teen shot near grade school on North Side - Chicago Breaking News (http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/02/teen-shot-near-grade-school-on-north-side.html - broken link)

Chicago60614 · 02-01-2010, 09:14 AM

Wowsers! I was waiting for the bus at 4200 N. Clarendon at 8:15am this morning. The kid was shot at 4251 N. Clarendon at 8:25am.

I'm surprised, as that's actually a really nice area for the most part.

Avengerfire · 02-01-2010, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

...The kid was shot at 4251 N. Clarendon at 8:25am...

The shooting actually happened at 4401 N. Hazel.

Chicago60614 · 02-01-2010, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

The shooting actually happened at 4401 N. Hazel.

Oh really. I guess my "south of Montrose" bubble is still unbroken.

Gtownoe · 02-01-2010, 01:02 PM

^^ It's still an ok area.

It's never good when things like this happen but whenever something happens on the Northside people get all crazy. We should do whatever we can to make sure it happens again but its not like the area has suddenly transformed.

Lookout Kid · 02-03-2010, 12:45 PM

It is amazing that Montrose remains such a dividing line. And Hazel has some of the nicest homes on the North Side just a few blocks south. A few blocks make a huge difference sometimes. There are occasional shootings south of Montrose (very occasional), but for the most part the crime in this area (Buena Park) is very low.

I had a girlfriend once who grew up near 94rd street in the Upper East Side of Manhattan in the 70s and 80s, and the Harlem projects literally began at 96th Street. Paul Newman and Woody Allen were her neighbors, but two blocks north was a different world. No one thought anything of it either.

Chicago60614 · 02-03-2010, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

It is amazing that Montrose remains such a dividing line. And Hazel has some of the nicest homes on the North Side just a few blocks south. A few blocks make a huge difference sometimes. There are occasional shootings south of Montrose (very occasional), but for the most part the crime in this area (Buena Park) is very low.

I had a girlfriend once who grew up near 94rd street in the Upper East Side of Manhattan in the 70s and 80s, and the Harlem projects literally began at 96th Street. Paul Newman and Woody Allen were her neighbors, but two blocks north was a different world. No one thought anything of it either.

I agree 100%. I actually find Buena Park to be nicer than northern Lakeview. It's such a clean, quiet and beautiful tree-lined area. I live right at Buena and Sheridan by the Library, and in the past two years I've been amazed at how quiet it is after what everyone told me when I said I was moving to Uptown. The only areas I ever see that have issues at all is right along Broadway, north of Buena a bit, and then by the Uhaul. Still though - it's certainly nothing like up north.

You cross Montrose, and for the most part - BOOM - you're in "Uptown". It really is a huge dividing line, but from a casual glance you'd never guess.

My friend kept sending me articles about crazy things happening up around Wilson and Leland, saying stuff like "be careful!" "look, this happened in Uptown!". I kept telling him to calm the hell down, but he didn't quite understand until he started to come visit and was baffled and confused at what a nice area it was. Not I tease him when we're walking along near Clarendon or going to Bar on Buena. "OMG, be careful!!".

Chicago60614 · 02-03-2010, 03:54 PM

Also - I still get so "confused" when I'm up between Montrose to just north of Lawrence. I mean this general area is where Uptown is at its worst, but from driving through it's really hard to pinpoint exactly what is going on. You've got beautiful old restored architecture and well kept buildings, you've got 10 story dumps that look awful, you've got wig shops and trashy liquor stores, you've got cute cafe's and nice restaurants, you've got crazed people and ghetto trash walking around, and then next to them you've got yuppies and trixied up moms pushing their strollers, gated/boarded up buildings, and brand new 4-10 story high end condo buildings.

I was driving through last Wednesday and my friend made a comment all the sudden how the area we were driving just made no sense. He was saying how the Red Line cutting across Wilson and all the awesome old art deco architecture really could make that neighborhood very kick ass without a TON of effort. It's not even a "bad" area - it's just a "messy" area as far as some of the buildings and a lot of the street people.

It's curious how it's ALWAYS right on the cusp of flipping, but just keeps holding on. Obviously a lot of that has to do with the extremely high level of social services, drug rehab places and low income housing all crammed together. It's just enough chaos and craziness that it won't release its grasp on the area.