Bill planned Wrigleyville/Boystown.
Me, William, Kris, Joe, and Sara all joined in.
We'd already done East Lakeview some time ago. Both Wrigleyville and Boystown lie within the larger neighborhood of Lakeview, but deserve their own 'Hoods.
This 'Hoods was nostalgic for pretty much all of us. We had all (except maybe Joe?), at one time or another, lived in the neighborhood. And so we were revisiting places we'd been. There was a lot of remarking on how things had changed. Lots of memories. Lots of feelings. I lived on Roscoe between Halsted and Clark, myself. For only 2 years back in my 20s. But still, we did a lot of living in those 2 years.
Got off at the Addison stop. My old stop. Now only reviled as the stop for Wrigley that clogs up the red line on game days.
Passed by the Nisei. My old bar. Husband was on a dart league there. I used to grade papers there. I had my husband's 32nd birthday there. Much love to my old dive. One of the oldest bars in Wrigleyville. And the former hang of the Japanese American Community.
Oh there's Gold Crown liquors! I used to buy crappy wine there.
We all met at the Pick Me Up Cafe. Which I'd weirdly only been to once before. Though I'd lived a block away. We ate a stupid amount of food, in a truly cute and neighborhoody context. Not much of that left in Wrigleyville.
We stopped in Strange Cargo. Which is now (2018) in Andersonville. They moved super recently. Another piece of old Wrigley gone. I got some Obama socks.
Popped just west of Clark to look at an old Jewelry building, now condos.
And with that we entered the belly of the beast. Wrigley central. Getting bigger and more characterless every month. There were huge new bars all around us. They were still working on the hotel at the time. Now (2018) open. Tons of construction.
We hit a couple of oldies but goodies.
We had jager shots at the Cubby Bear.
William had his first Malort at the GMan (formerly Gingerbread Man). He was not impressed.
Cubs park has even changed. Now there's a huge lawn out front. Called the Park. Games and drinking and eating. A strip mall. Newer condos ring the park proper.
That old gas station is still there across the street on Clark, serving as the office for the parking lot.
Remember when I ran into my Aunt and Uncle who were drinking at Vines!? We took a pic through the gate. Hilarious coincidence.
There was a game that day, so the place was HUMMING. We followed some fans around the back so we could get a look at the old scoreboard. Saw a few rooftops, too.
There's an old firehouse tucked behind the field.
Continuing North on Clark we stopped outside the Metro. Not sure if I ever really noticed how nice the exterior of that building is. My first time inside was back in the 90s to see Tim's band, the Drovers, when Julie and Kris and Jada were in town for Spring Break. I forgot my ID and Mike had to drive it up for me. Since then we've seen a few more shows. Not a ton. No seats. And we're old now. We saw M Ward there. Pretty sure I saw Iron and Wine there. I'm still pissed my mom wouldn't let me go there back in high school when the Dyslexic Apaches were opening for a secret Smashing Pumpkins show. Pissed.
We passed by Snow Junkie. Not open. But don't fret. Brooke and I went back in Nov. Snow Junkie pics. I recommend those eggettes filled with candy and ice cream!
Time for some history. We walked Alta Vista Terrace. This cute street of homes that mirror each other in a diagonal. Like London rowhouses. Built 1904. So pretty. So well kept. And of course there was an owner and a dog taking in the day on their patio and she talked to us a bit about the neighborhood. 'Hoods magic.
Bouncing from Clark/Wrigleyville East to Halsted/Boystown we rolled around some residential areas. We saw some big old courtyard apt buildings. A synagogue.
And popped out at the Kit Kat Club.
The Brown Elephant, where I used to thrift, is no longer there. But the Center on Halsted is. We've taken Max to storytime with Drag Queens there. Storytime with Drag Queens pics. And we've taken Max to a drag show for kids. Drag show for babies pics. It's a Gay community center with a lot of youth programming. We poked around. They have a nice timeline describing the history of the Center. There's a rooftop we could NOT get out onto (hoods down).
South on Halsted is a cool old police station.
Lakeview Presbyterian is a really pretty old Church.
And near that is the Salvation Army College (formerly a private mansion). Both of which we visited on an Open House Chicago Excursion. The Salvation Army visit was especially notable, because the Sargent leading the tour was OBVIOUSLY into Bill. After the regular tour was over, he let us hang around and help clean up. Then he took us, privately, to the upstairs and showed us the banquet hall room/stage area and some of the more private quarters. Then he gave Bill his card and invited him to come sing with the school sometime. I mean...
Open House Chicago Salvation Army College and Lakeview Presbyterian pics
There's my old Jewel!
Some of the side streets running between Clark and Halsted are really pretty. My old street, Roscoe, unfortunately has seen a lot of old buildings torn down, and new cookie cutter condo buildings go up (no offense, Tom, who used to own one). But Newport Ave still retains a lot of its old houses from the early 1900s. And trees. So nice.
There was a wait at the Chicago Diner, so we sat inside for a drink at Roscoe's. There were a lot of costumes that day. A bunch of handmaids. Did it have something to do with Rugby? Help me remember, y'all.
The Chicago Diner is vegetarian. So I had their 'award winning' shake. And some sort of fake corned beef. It was fine. People go nuts for it.
We hiked down to look at the Mandel brothers warehouse. Which maybe now houses the bathhouse? Do I have that right?
And you HAVE to end at Sidetrack. Especially when it's showtune Sunday. That place is so huge. Bigger than when it was my particular playground. Joe had never been. We were agog. So we all got their classic frozen drinks. They were disgusting but potent, as always.
And then Jeremy came and picked me up.
This neighborhood is hard to put a handle on. Cause it's always changing. Always. Hopefully the Wrigleyville side can retain some of its funk. But it's looking less and less likely as it sanitizes all of its personality away. Make it more safe and palatable for the suburbans coming in for a game. Boystown is also getting a scrubbing. As rich young families buy up houses, all the dildo shops and raunchy clubs start disappearing. Plenty of young gay community still there. But the elders have moved north to Andersonville or Edgewater. We'll see what this place looks like in another 10 years.
Popped just west of Clark to look at an old Jewelry building, now condos.
And with that we entered the belly of the beast. Wrigley central. Getting bigger and more characterless every month. There were huge new bars all around us. They were still working on the hotel at the time. Now (2018) open. Tons of construction.
We hit a couple of oldies but goodies.
We had jager shots at the Cubby Bear.
William had his first Malort at the GMan (formerly Gingerbread Man). He was not impressed.
Cubs park has even changed. Now there's a huge lawn out front. Called the Park. Games and drinking and eating. A strip mall. Newer condos ring the park proper.
That old gas station is still there across the street on Clark, serving as the office for the parking lot.
Remember when I ran into my Aunt and Uncle who were drinking at Vines!? We took a pic through the gate. Hilarious coincidence.
There was a game that day, so the place was HUMMING. We followed some fans around the back so we could get a look at the old scoreboard. Saw a few rooftops, too.
There's an old firehouse tucked behind the field.
Continuing North on Clark we stopped outside the Metro. Not sure if I ever really noticed how nice the exterior of that building is. My first time inside was back in the 90s to see Tim's band, the Drovers, when Julie and Kris and Jada were in town for Spring Break. I forgot my ID and Mike had to drive it up for me. Since then we've seen a few more shows. Not a ton. No seats. And we're old now. We saw M Ward there. Pretty sure I saw Iron and Wine there. I'm still pissed my mom wouldn't let me go there back in high school when the Dyslexic Apaches were opening for a secret Smashing Pumpkins show. Pissed.
We passed by Snow Junkie. Not open. But don't fret. Brooke and I went back in Nov. Snow Junkie pics. I recommend those eggettes filled with candy and ice cream!
Time for some history. We walked Alta Vista Terrace. This cute street of homes that mirror each other in a diagonal. Like London rowhouses. Built 1904. So pretty. So well kept. And of course there was an owner and a dog taking in the day on their patio and she talked to us a bit about the neighborhood. 'Hoods magic.
Bouncing from Clark/Wrigleyville East to Halsted/Boystown we rolled around some residential areas. We saw some big old courtyard apt buildings. A synagogue.
And popped out at the Kit Kat Club.
The Brown Elephant, where I used to thrift, is no longer there. But the Center on Halsted is. We've taken Max to storytime with Drag Queens there. Storytime with Drag Queens pics. And we've taken Max to a drag show for kids. Drag show for babies pics. It's a Gay community center with a lot of youth programming. We poked around. They have a nice timeline describing the history of the Center. There's a rooftop we could NOT get out onto (hoods down).
South on Halsted is a cool old police station.
Lakeview Presbyterian is a really pretty old Church.
And near that is the Salvation Army College (formerly a private mansion). Both of which we visited on an Open House Chicago Excursion. The Salvation Army visit was especially notable, because the Sargent leading the tour was OBVIOUSLY into Bill. After the regular tour was over, he let us hang around and help clean up. Then he took us, privately, to the upstairs and showed us the banquet hall room/stage area and some of the more private quarters. Then he gave Bill his card and invited him to come sing with the school sometime. I mean...
Open House Chicago Salvation Army College and Lakeview Presbyterian pics
There's my old Jewel!
Some of the side streets running between Clark and Halsted are really pretty. My old street, Roscoe, unfortunately has seen a lot of old buildings torn down, and new cookie cutter condo buildings go up (no offense, Tom, who used to own one). But Newport Ave still retains a lot of its old houses from the early 1900s. And trees. So nice.
There was a wait at the Chicago Diner, so we sat inside for a drink at Roscoe's. There were a lot of costumes that day. A bunch of handmaids. Did it have something to do with Rugby? Help me remember, y'all.
The Chicago Diner is vegetarian. So I had their 'award winning' shake. And some sort of fake corned beef. It was fine. People go nuts for it.
We hiked down to look at the Mandel brothers warehouse. Which maybe now houses the bathhouse? Do I have that right?
And you HAVE to end at Sidetrack. Especially when it's showtune Sunday. That place is so huge. Bigger than when it was my particular playground. Joe had never been. We were agog. So we all got their classic frozen drinks. They were disgusting but potent, as always.
And then Jeremy came and picked me up.
This neighborhood is hard to put a handle on. Cause it's always changing. Always. Hopefully the Wrigleyville side can retain some of its funk. But it's looking less and less likely as it sanitizes all of its personality away. Make it more safe and palatable for the suburbans coming in for a game. Boystown is also getting a scrubbing. As rich young families buy up houses, all the dildo shops and raunchy clubs start disappearing. Plenty of young gay community still there. But the elders have moved north to Andersonville or Edgewater. We'll see what this place looks like in another 10 years.
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