Lake View in decline? (Chicago, Lincoln: transplants, 2015, apartments)

[UC18]

Originally Posted by marothisu

I can't think of a single edgy spot in Old Town to be honest

Like I said not edgy so much as hints of former edginess. I was thinking of Old Town Ale House, which is one of my favorite artsy-type dive bars anywhere in the city. It now feels pretty out of place in Old Town (would fit better on the fringes of WP/Bucktown, Logan Square, or possibly Pilsen), but is what I imagine Old Town must have felt like in the 60's and 70's when it was a center of the counterculture (as well-summarized by drover above). And yes, there is the LGBTQ history and ongoing presence there, as well.

And anyone who thinks Wicker Park is still a place where "only hipsters hang out" must be not only extremely conventional but also completely clueless. I mean, there's a generic yuppie sports bar right at the Milwaukee/Damen/North intersection now. Yes, the overall area still has more remnants of hipness than Lakeview, which has more than Lincoln Park, which has more than Old Town, but only because its history as a center for that was more recent-- i.e. 20 years ago instead of 30-50 years ago. I'm no hipster, but I'd have run far away from that chick, too, just based on her utter lack of awareness of her own city, unless she just moved here in the past couple months.

[UC18]

Originally Posted by Drover

Old Town was edgy when my mom hung out there in 70s.

I know this isn't Old Town, but that reminds me of my dad telling me about how Rush Street was party central for young people when he visited Chicago as a 19-year-old in late 60's (when the drinking age was 18, of course). When he told me this it suddenly occurred to me that the current Viagra Triangle geezers who frequent the area might be the same people who never left!

Originally Posted by Drover

Crate and Barrel was a single store where they literally just opened the crates and barrels as they arrived, put 'em out on the floor, and used that as their display setup.

Wow. I honestly had no idea that was the original Crate and Barrel, or that they started in Chicago, or about the origin of their name. I have only ever known them as a suburban-style big box chain store, which unfortunately makes them blend in quite well with the other such stores in that area now.

[ToriaT]

Yes the original Crate and Barrel was a single very "in" store in Old Town way back in the sixties and early seventies when Old Town was still a destination for hippies as opposed to hipsters were still around. Full of little head shops and people selling The Seed. Gentrification then crassification followed and many people moved north to something called "New Town" (really Lakeview) because rents were more affordable and it was less gentrified. When I lived there back in the seventies, The entire tiny street of Elaine Place was vacant and boarded up and Boys Town had yet to arrive. In those days you would not really cross Halsted and points west were considered too crime ridden and Wicker Park and Bucktown were "the hood". Nobody went there.

As far as I can see Lakeview is not exactly in decline but its been surpassed by other areas for the hipster crowd. Its also been plagued by certain crime problems and spill over issues due to the prevalence of bars in some areas.

[5Lakes]

Originally Posted by Bird4Prez

I would say that Lakeview is more for thirty-somethings with young families than it was in earlier decades. Wicker Park, Bucktown, Logan Square, Ukranian Village and other blue line/near west areas may be geared towards the younger set.

I don't think this is true. At least it's not what I have observed unless it has changed dramatically in the last couple of years (I don't hang out in Lakeview very often these days). To me the Lakeview/Lincoln Park nightlife scene always seemed to skew younger than in Wicker Park. I would still think that Lincoln Park and Lakeview are the top hoods for young people just out of college to move to. If anything, the bars in Wicker Park that attact a younger crowed are the newer sports bar type places that are like Lakeview/Lincoln Park style bars.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by UC18

Wow. I honestly had no idea that was the original Crate and Barrel, or that they started in Chicago, or about the origin of their name. I have only ever known them as a suburban-style big box chain store, which unfortunately makes them blend in quite well with the other such stores in that area now.

Whichever "that" one you're thinking of isn't the original location. The first one was on the 1500 block of Wells.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by 5Lakes

I don't think this is true. At least it's not what I have observed unless it has changed dramatically in the last couple of years (I don't hang out in Lakeview very often these days). To me the Lakeview/Lincoln Park nightlife scene always seemed to skew younger than in Wicker Park. I would still think that Lincoln Park and Lakeview are the top hoods for young people just out of college to move to. If anything, the bars in Wicker Park that attact a younger crowed are the newer sports bar type places that are like Lakeview/Lincoln Park style bars.

I don't think there's a significant age difference in the nightlife crowd in the two areas. Wicker Park may still have remnants of its hipster days with places like Double Door and Subterranean hanging on, but it's reached levels of sanitation and homogeneity that you found in Lincoln Park and Lakeview, say, 15 years ago. Meanwhile, the hipsters have moved up Milwaukee to Logan Square and are now breaching Avondale, and you'll find the 30s-and-up crowd these days in Roscoe Village, North Center/Lincoln Square, and maybe Andersonville.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

I walked down Clark Street all the way through Lake View yesterday and couldn't help but notice what seemed to be a marked increase in empty retail storefronts. Further, the discrepancy between Lake View and West Town in terms of edgy, creative, trendy eating and retail options has, as far as I can tell, become almost absolute.

I thought Lake View in general just looked very old, borderline run down, and, considering what neighborhoods like Wicker Park are offering, not likely to continue attracting young people in the numbers it previously has/is known for.

I realize Broadway/Boystown has it's own cachet.

Clark Street is easily the crappiest commercial street in Lakeview. It gets far better once you get south of Diversey, but from Diversey up through Irving it's just a lot of bars and look terrible. It's been that way for a long time.

Lakeview is in NO WAY in decline if you live in the area, I've been around there for 13 years now. The huge changes are on streets like Belmont and Southport, they're completely changed from how they were 10 years ago.

I would say Broadway has way more energy and retail, more places for residents and not just bars for visitors/tourists. Broadway is the strong commercial strip in east lakeview, and Southport has a ton of activity in west Lakeview.

Clark is pretty empty and ugly south of Belmont, and north of Belmont it is just a line of dirty bars for Cubs fans and 20-somethings coming in from elsewhere. Clark is pretty dead during the day, it comes alive after nighfall.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by PerseusVeil

This.

Edgy bars isn't what Clark/Wrigleyville is about anyway. The OP needs to take that walk down Clark street, starting at Addison, on a Friday or Saturday night and then comment on the "decline of Lakeview."

You also just described the single worst nightlife corridor in the city.

But youre correct. Anyone compelled to open an interesting, artsy, or boundary pushing establishment is not going to put it there. The bros can "WOOO" to their hearts content in the designated bro zone, and the rest of the city can get on with their lives elsewhere. It makes it a lot simpler.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by UC18

Like I said not edgy so much as hints of former edginess. I was thinking of Old Town Ale House, which is one of my favorite artsy-type dive bars anywhere in the city. It now feels pretty out of place in Old Town (would fit better on the fringes of WP/Bucktown, Logan Square, or possibly Pilsen), but is what I imagine Old Town must have felt like in the 60's and 70's when it was a center of the counterculture (as well-summarized by drover above). And yes, there is the LGBTQ history and ongoing presence there, as well.

And anyone who thinks Wicker Park is still a place where "only hipsters hang out" must be not only extremely conventional but also completely clueless. I mean, there's a generic yuppie sports bar right at the Milwaukee/Damen/North intersection now. Yes, the overall area still has more remnants of hipness than Lakeview, which has more than Lincoln Park, which has more than Old Town, but only because its history as a center for that was more recent-- i.e. 20 years ago instead of 30-50 years ago. I'm no hipster, but I'd have run far away from that chick, too, just based on her utter lack of awareness of her own city, unless she just moved here in the past couple months.

this basically sums it up

The migration of the hipster | Feature | Chicago Reader

[PerseusVeil]

Originally Posted by via chicago

You also just described the single worst nightlife corridor in the city.

But youre correct. Anyone compelled to open an interesting, artsy, or boundary pushing establishment is not going to put it there. The bros can "WOOO" to their hearts content in the designated bro zone, and the rest of the city can get on with their lives elsewhere. It makes it a lot simpler.

Yeah, except many of the bars in River North, Lincoln Park (especially by DePaul), the Viagra Triangle, etc, are all pretty brotastic. There's a ton in Wrigleyville, obviously, but it's hardly contained to just there.

The OP was interested in edgy bars, which pretty much aren't in Lakeview anymore unless he/she would consider some of the gay bars in Boystown edgy, but Lakeview is in no danger of losing its place among the youth of Chicago. Wrigleyville is packed every weekend with college students and recent college grads, as seen with the lines out the door at many bars every weekend.