I was an unabashed booster of Chicago. I may not be into the Kool Aid as much as some who claim that it's the best city in the world but I think if you stack it up against some of the 'greats', it certainly holds up. It's even better than most when you start looking at hard-to-quantify qualities like livability. I don't know for how much longer I'll be able to boast about Chicago though, the city is really starting to get under my skin and not in the good way. I'm finding more and more reasons to dislike the place and fewer reasons to defend it. Before I tear the place down, I should explain what was once so special (to me) about the city.
While I was born in Chicago proper (Addison & Central) I was raised in a suburb. I certainly appreciated
the beauty of the town and the safety within but a part of me was always attracted to the edginess of Chicago. I was staying with my grandparents--at Lawrence & Elston--one weekend as a young boy when we were awakened by The Chicago Fire Department. We had to evacuate as the next door neighbor's house was ablaze and could possibly spread. They contained the fire but we learned a day or so later that the fire was arson committed by thieves who'd ransacked the house and were trying to cover their tracks. While that notion scared me a bit, it also instilled in me the inherent danger of Chicago, which was thrilling to a young impressionable boy. To complement that danger, I was also infused with an intense awe of the city reinforced by near-constant field trips to Chicago; trips taken on school buses and trips taken with my parents or friend's parents. Once I was old enough to be trusted, I also embarked on trips to the city on my own or with friends. Wax Trax!, Wrigley Field, Cabaret Metro, The Aragon Ballroom, Mama Desta's Red Sea, Due's Pizza were all regular haunts. Not to mention the world-class museums, parks and architecture.
Of course, most suburban kids dream of one day living in the city and I was no exception. As soon as I had saved up enough for a security deposit and a few months rent, I moved to (then) dicey Wicker Park in the early 90's. Prostitutes and gangbangers outnumbered Land Rovers and million dollar condos then. (I cringe when I recall my landlord telling me she spent $200,000 in 1993 on that brick three flat we lived in, which a few years ago sold for over $1 million.) Along with the seedy underbelly was the constant discovery of living in an historic neighborhood. The relics of 'Polish Broadway' (Division Street), the mansions of Hoyne Ave and Pierce Street and the streets where Nelson Algren's stories played out. Living in the city was to always be learning. Sometimes the lesson was 'lock your windows' or gang members will make their way in and off with your stereo and leather jacket. I did nearly a decade of service in the city proper before getting engaged, married and moving back to the burbs.
While I don't spend as much recreation time in the city as I used to, I do still work downtown and what I see, hear and read about day-to-day is disheartening. I see once diverse neighborhoods being homogenized by Starbucks, Chipotle and Bar Louie. It used to be you could find great independent coffeee shops, Mexican food and local taverns, it's getting tougher. Metered parking, while never plentiful, could be found at a reasonable price until this year. After the selling out of the city's meters to a private equity firm, you'll now need deep, strong pockets to carry all the quarters (24 to park for just two hours) you'll need for an on-street spot. A garage? Anywhere from $12-24 for the same two hour period. A mayor whose malapropisms and inarticulate speech were once mildly amusing have become increasingly more embarrassing with the
national spotlight now shone on Chicago as it bids for the 2016 Olympics and the fact that our President hails from here. And the cronyism politics of Chicago, which used to be cause for the occasional eye roll when things got out of hand is now a constant source of actual ire with Todd Stroger in charge. Even though our Governor is supposed to do his job from Springfield, the last one preferred to stay in Chicago and that decision gave us another big black eye right after Chicago finally produced an honest politician in Barack Obama. That rare great law/ordinance--ticketing drivers using hand-held cell phones--is toothless and rarely enforced. More restaurants have likely been cited for serving foie gras than motorists for driving while talking. Instead, they made every other intersection a 'blue light camera' and those not equipped with those are 'red light cameras' that catch scofflaws blowing through intersections. It's getting tougher by the day to enjoy this place. And seriously, to go on a rant like this without mentioning the relentless Chicago weather or The Chicago Cubs is saying something.
State your case, for or against? Is the city better now or worse?
They named the guy who failed to improve the CTA system, the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools.
It's atrocious. Mayor Daley needs to leave, he can hardly read himself. He's an embarrassment.
Posted by: Ara | Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at 10:12 AM
The character of Chicago has changed tremendously since the 80's and not for the better in my opinion. Daley's vision of turning it into a glorified suburb has been a sad thing to watch. He definitely doesn't understand the nuances of what makes a city like Chicago special. But as you mentioned, it still has a lot going for it despite the lameness of those in charge.
I live in LA and think Mayor Villaraigosa is a major douche too, so I guess there's no winning these days. The infrastructure here is laughable among other things, but at least you have the beautiful weather to make up for it.
Hey, does anyone else remember the park with the dancing phallus neon artwork that existed in Chicago in the 80's? That's some edginess you definitely wouldn't find these days; )
Posted by: Jay | Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at 07:19 PM
I had similar feelings about Chicago growing up - and certainly look back fondly on our frequent trips to what was an 'edgy' city. I never ended up living there, but I think that what you find annoying about Chicago is pretty much true of every major city these days. Cities have made a great effort to stop the suburban drift, raise the value of inner-city housing, and increase their tax base.
But, they have also introduced a lot of obnoxious measures to raise funds (the >$100 parking ticket in NYC for example) and marginalized a lot of what made 'the city' a special place. I honestly have no idea how the surviving book shops, small restaurants, and boutique stores survive nowadays - and with this current recession and financial crisis they may become distant memories.
One bright spot, though, is that the bland corporations will probably go down with them. I see even Starbucks is struggling these days :-)
Posted by: Jeff | Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 01:47 AM
Ken - For me the city has lost its hold on me. The thought of living there and raising a 4 year old seems ridiculous to me. But 10 years ago, I never wanted to leave the city. The taxes and politics are embarrassing and the parking costs are ridiculous. But, I have to imagine that it is the same in most major cities.
The guy next to me at work is a 25 year old who lives in Wicker Park. He recently said to me that "my (his) generation will never leave the city". We'll see. Where we would search out the Map Room or the Burwood, he and his buddies search out Le Passage. They never knew Wax Trax and the homogenization of the city is something that they have grown up with.
I miss the version of the city that I lived in from the early 90s until 2002. I also miss the fact that I much less responsibilites and could go whatever whenever. I don't know if I miss living in the city during the 90s or me being in my 20s more. It was a great time and the perfect age to live in the city. Now, not so much.
Posted by: Brian | Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 01:57 PM
I want, in no particular order, a yard, a deck, a basement and a garage. And some more storage.
Aside from that, the city is still fine, especially up in Edgewater where we live. It's an area that was ok/sketchy 5-6 years ago, that has definitely seen noticeable turnover, particularly in the past 24 months, but still with that slight creep of Chicago danger.
But I will move out without thinking twice the day that the above conditions are ripe.
Posted by: MacGregor | Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 03:55 PM
Good post Ken. While I swore for many years that as long as I lived in Chicago I would not move to the suburbs, my tune has definitely changed. One of the unmentioned irks of city life (particularly life on the North Side): Traffic sucks - you'd think in a city with such great accessibility to public trans that neighborhood traffic wouldn't be much of an issue. Bullocks. Unless you get out before 10am on Saturdays or Sundays, expect it to take 3-4x as long to make a 2-3 mile trip to Target, Home Depot, etc... I've sat at stoplights for 3-4 cycles, stoplights backed up to the next stoplight, etc.... It never used to be like that in the 90's, but I guess that comes with the expanding population and the "push west" of the north side.
Posted by: Andy | Tuesday, March 03, 2009 at 01:39 PM