Tag Archive
Best of the South Side 2009: Bronzeville
Bronzeville takes great pride in its history as the “Black Metropolis.” A destination for Southern blacks moving north during the Great Migration, it became the cultural nucleus of Chicago’s African-American community, nurturing such greats as Ida B. Wells, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sam Cooke, and Louis Armstrong, as well as the groundbreaking black newspaper the Chicago... »
Best of the South Side 2009: Grand Crossing and Chatham
In the early 1850s, the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway was one of several connecting Chicago to parts south, and competition was fierce. When the Illinois Central Railroad lost a court battle to cross the LS&MSR tracks with its own, it responded in true Chicago style, kidnapping a guard and laying an intersecting... »
Best of the South Side 2009: Pilsen
The neighborhood is named for the Czech city from which many of the area’s late-19th-century residents hailed, but in recent years it has received attention for the effects gentrification has had on this primarily Mexican-American community. Spanish names of taquerías, panaderías, and botánicas still dominate the shop signs, but the demographics have slowly shifted... »
Best of the South Side 2009: Beverly
To those of us who only take public transportation northwards, 95th and Dan Ryan can seem pretty far from home. However, to the intrepid traveler, it’s just a 15-minute ride on the 95 bus west from the Red Line station, or a 20-minute Metra ride from downton’s LaSalle Street Station, to one of Chicago’s... »
Best of the South Side 2008
To those living on the North Side, the general consensus seems to be that, unless you go to the University of Chicago, there’s not much reason to travel south of the Loop. Of course, this is all a lie. Vibrant arts communities have sprung up in Bridgeport and Pilsen, and neighborhoods like Bronzeville and... »
Best of the South Side 2008: Hyde Park
With the success of Barack Obama has come increased scrutiny of Hyde Park such as rarely seen before. Right-wing smears have painted the public consciousness with images of Louis Farrakhan, William Ayers and ivory tower socialists run amok. Yet many cite the University of Chicago’s reverence of the Great Books, its vaulted economics program,... »
Best of the South Side 2008: Bronzeville
Historically known as Chicago’s “Black Belt,” “Black Metropolis,” or even “Black Ghetto,” Bronzeville has long been the center of Chicago’s African-American culture. Famous residents have included Ida B. Wells, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls, and Louis Armstrong. The ’50s and ’60s saw a disastrous urban renewal program replace the area’s theaters and tenements... »
Best of the South Side 2008: South Loop
The South Loop stands today as the best example of gentrification on the move in Chicago. Cranes consistently dot the horizon, as high-rises sprout and come to fruition, housing the city dwellers who are flocking back to urban areas. But the South Loop is a strange place unto itself—rundown blocks border high-end restaurants and... »
