Visiting from Ireland (Chicago, Ina: crime, home, neighborhoods)

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by The_OkGatsby

Haha well unfortunately I'm English living here about 8 years so I don't quite have the legitimate Irish accent Maybe I'll find an English bar :P

Thanks for all the replies though, that layover video was very interesting

Just drop a few 'fooks' and you're hired.

[doublenickels]

Didn't you hear about that Irish lady who got hit with a hammer on the North Side and went back to Ireland with brain damage?

[tompope]

By the way, The_OkGatsby, nobody else has mentioned it yet, so I will: that is an awesome user name! Are you actually named Gatsby (or Gatz or Jay or James)? Do you go around calling everybody "Old Sport"? Do you pine for an unreachable old flame who symbolizes a more generalized yearning felt by us all? Or is it just random? In any case, well done.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by doublenickels

Didn't you hear about that Irish lady who got hit with a hammer on the North Side and went back to Ireland with brain damage?

Yeah, speaking of brain damage...

[jwaiter]

Originally Posted by The_OkGatsby

4. The most important part!! The best nightlife spots? More specifically house music.

The house scene moves around a lot - the clubs change music scenes nightly, you need to know where to go and when. The best way to find the scene is to go to Gramaphone Records on Clark Street and pick up the dozens upon dozens of flyers advertising the dj's and where they'll be and when. Gramaphone is where the whole scene is centralized, the dj's all buy their records there, every event is advertised there, it's probably the best house music record store in the world, not kidding. Here's their web site... Gramaphone Records Chicago

That said, here's 3 clubs that often have house music, there are no clubs that are 100% house, the scene moves nightly...

Output Lounge

GRANDBAR | GRANDBAR CHICAGO | late-night spot

Smart Bar -

[doublenickels]

So sorry. It wasn't a hammer. Public news reports indicate that Natasha McShane and Stacy Jurich were beaten with a "baseball bat". It's been two years since the brutal attack on the North Side of Chicago and Natasha McShane is still unable to speak or walk, according to news reports. McShane is back home in Northern Ireland. There is no way I would advise a person from Ireland to visit Chicago. What more do you need to say, after such a horrific street attack on two helpless women, who were merely walking on the public way? Chicago is a very dangerous place for people who are NOT FAMILIAR with the volatile and dangerous locals.

Originally Posted by Drover

Yeah, speaking of brain damage...

[Drover]

Right, there's never been any street crime in English or Irish cities. That would be a concept the OP is completely unfamiliar with.

[Larry Siegel]

The assault on McShane was one of the worst moments in our recent history. And it occurred in one of the better parts of the city. Fortunately violent street crime in "established" i.e. non-ghetto parts of the city has become much rarer in the last 20 years but there is still some danger. The OP is a male and less likely to become a victim. I wouldn't discourage English and Irish visitors from coming here.

To the OP: Work in a bar. Men with Irish or English accents are very popular with the girls so if you can get interviewed by a young lady, you'll probably get hired :-) There are hundreds (or maybe thousands) of Irish pubs in Chicago.

[doublenickels]

Many people posting here can't put Chicago crime conditions in perspective because they are not natives. They would have you believe current condtions in Chicago are "normal". Minimally, a person planning to visit Chicago, should wait a few years, until things cool off.

At this point in history, Chicago is experiencing an EXTRAORDINARY wave of very violent street crime, particularly involving guns. Additionally, there is a large unemployed local population and a large unemployed immigrant population which add fuel, leading to such mayhem as a large number of fatal "accidents" involving pedestrians and autos, and a lot of robberies. If you don't get shot, there are other mishaps awaiting you.

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by doublenickels

Many people posting here can't put Chicago crime conditions in perspective because they are not natives. They would have you believe current condtions in Chicago are "normal". Minimally, a person planning to visit Chicago, should wait a few years, until things cool off.

At this point in history, Chicago is experiencing an EXTRAORDINARY wave of very violent street crime, particularly involving guns. Additionally, there is a large unemployed local population and a large unemployed immigrant population which add fuel, leading to such mayhem as a large number of fatal "accidents" involving pedestrians and autos, and a lot of robberies. If you don't get shot, there are other mishaps awaiting you.

Please provide statistics to support this argument.

Perhaps the last 20 years of murder/violent crime rates?