Why are there so many threads trashing South Side and West Side neighborhoods? (Chicago: living, floor)

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Banx

Anything west of Western is what I consider to be the starting grounds for the west side/northwest side. Anything before that is what's called the Near West Side, but I'm sure some people will debate this. As for the northwest side, I say the Logan Square area and anything directly west or north of that is the northwest side. Some people say Humboldt Park is the start of the northwest side, I just think that it is just the west side. North Ave. (the central street of Humboldt Park along with Division) is not far enough north in my opinion to be render Humboldt Park (or any other neighborhood along the street for that matter) the north(west) side. Anything on or around north ave, directly above downtown, I consider the Near North Side. I consider Armitage to be the boarder for anywhere that's considered north side or northwest side.

So IMO, I guess technically for me, the northwest side begins at the corner of Armitage and Western.

I pretty much agree - definitely regarding Western.

I'd be amenable to using North as the boundary for the north side when you're a little further east, but I would agree that North and California is *not* what people are talking about when they say "The NW side"

Though what do we call the 6 Corner heart of Wicker Park? That's gotta be NW Side, don't you think? Call me crass, but West Side and fancy boutiques mix like acids and bases, as in, they don't!

[Drover]

^^ I consider anything along the Milwaukee corridor from Grand up to Western to be "near Northwest side." Otherwise Western seems like a suitable "North/Northwest" boundary until maybe it intersects Lincoln. At that point I consider Lincoln the North/Northwest boundary.

[Banx]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

I pretty much agree - definitely regarding Western.

I'd be amenable to using North as the boundary for the north side when you're a little further east, but I would agree that North and California is *not* what people are talking about when they say "The NW side"

Though what do we call the 6 Corner heart of Wicker Park? That's gotta be NW Side, don't you think? Call me crass, but West Side and fancy boutiques mix like acids and bases, as in, they don't!

haha true, I'd group that into the near north side tho, cause it's not really too far out west. Or as Drover put it, Near Northwest Side would seem to work too. Maybe years ago that area would've been considered west side (I used to consider it the westside when I was younger) cause it was so dirty and crime infested before the hipsters took over, and it just blended in with the other westside neighborhoods. Just imagine a bigger, dirtier, and more dangerous version of the westside of Humboldt Park, and you have Milwaukee/Damen/North Ave. in the 80's n 90's. People who used to live around Bucktown nowadays even exagerrate about the area a little bit, saying it used to be the worst neighborhood in Chicago cause it was so ugly. It wasn't far from the truth.

I remember my parents thought their friends were crazy at the time cause they were buying a home in Bucktown back in '96 and they were saying it was going to be an up and coming neighborhood in the future (and my parents were from the southside living around the corner from Cabrini at the time in like '96 or '97, so u can only imagine). Everybody who knew my parents friends thought they were nuts and out of their mind, or just had a death wish. Who woulda known that they were right at the time. I wish I could remember the exact location of the place, but I was too young. There's an old Chicago throwback for ya.

[Venom]

Lawrence and Kedzie Northwest side.

[JoeyPants]

Originally Posted by Banx

Just imagine a bigger, dirtier, and more dangerous version of the westside of Humboldt Park, and you have Milwaukee/Damen/North Ave. in the 80's n 90's. People who used to live around Bucktown nowadays even exagerrate about the area a little bit, saying it used to be the worst neighborhood in Chicago cause it was so ugly. It wasn't far from the truth.

I remember my parents thought their friends were crazy at the time cause they were buying a home in Bucktown back in '96 and they were saying it was going to be an up and coming neighborhood in the future (and my parents were from the southside living around the corner from Cabrini at the time in like '96 or '97, so u can only imagine). Everybody who knew my parents friends thought they were nuts and out of their mind, or just had a death wish. Who woulda known that they were right at the time. I wish I could remember the exact location of the place, but I was too young. There's an old Chicago throwback for ya.

Back in college, circa 1991 I invited one of my classmates to go to Club Dreamerz on Milwaukee ave. As I pulled up in front of the place, back then parking was plentiful, we noticed a couple of gangbangers standing out in front and my classmate crapped in his pants and said "you want to go in there?" Mind you, this classmate was from Little Village.

People forget that not too long ago, that area resembled South 47th street between Ashland and Damen. Isn't Pilsen considered part of the "West Side" Lower West Side I believe it's called. All of Pilsen is east of Western.

[BenCG]

Originally Posted by Chicagoland60426

I'm not going to lie, I rather live in Rogers Park or Uptown than Englewood and I'm African American. Rogers Park is consider bad by Northside standards, but an upgrade if it was on the westside. Even Bronzeville is looking good nowadays. Some parts of Chicago is so run down that gentrification for it in the future is very bleak.

I just moved to Bronzeville from the northside. It's been great so far. Based on crime stats it is safer than a lot of places North and we feel as comfortable walking around at night as most any other place in the city. I do find the reaction from northside friends about the move interesting. There is a fair amount of ignorance of the Southside on the part of Northsiders (and probably vice versa). In the absence of information the tendency seems to be to overgeneralize and assume the worst.

[WhaThe]

Originally Posted by JoeyPants

Back in college, circa 1991 I invited one of my classmates to go to Club Dreamerz on Milwaukee ave...

Ya, I used to go to Dreamerz too. Got a few crazy stories with that place. Mostly I'd take the blue line over there but every now and then would get a ride with someone. We'd park under the tracks or by the park. We learned real quick not to leave anything visible in the car.

I remember walking around drinking and smoking out in the open. Never saw much of a police presence.

I remember the day the hood changed for me clearly. I was walking with buddies drinking on a weekend afternoon right at Damen and Milwaukee. On officer stopped us to have a "talk". Let just say it was made clear that it was going to be a different place from now on.

[Venom]

Originally Posted by WhaThe

I remember the day the hood changed for me clearly. I was walking with buddies drinking on a weekend afternoon right at Damen and Milwaukee. On officer stopped us to have a "talk". Let just say it was made clear that it was going to be a different place from now on.

treated

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by WhaThe

I remember walking around drinking and smoking out in the open. Never saw much of a police presence.

I remember the day the hood changed for me clearly. I was walking with buddies drinking on a weekend afternoon right at Damen and Milwaukee. On officer stopped us to have a "talk". Let just say it was made clear that it was going to be a different place from now on.

I have one magic word for you:

Straw.

As in, put a straw in it - this in my experience seems to impart invisibility to one's fine malted beverage.

[j33]

I remember Dreamerz too, I went there a few times before it closed.