3 ms·
This block of Chicago is really interesting. It’s like going back in time to when American cities were far seedier places than they are now. It survives in pa
by OldHand2018 5y ago
This block of Chicago is really interesting. It’s like going back in time to when American cities were far seedier places than they are now.
It survives in part because the neighbor across the street is the Metropolitan Correctional Center [1] (an architectural masterpiece that was ruined by painting it about 10 years ago). The other reason it survives is that many buildings are owned in full by people that just aren’t interested in huge piles of money. When they pass away, their children will surely cash out and another skyscraper will rise.
There are quite a few hole-in-the-wall lunch places along this block. My favorite was a fried chicken place with some homemade (?) hot sauce. Around the corner is a fantastic old-school pizza place and I think the guy who runs it owns most of the buildings.
[1] https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/ccc/index.jsp https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/ccc/index.jsp
- pkkim 5y agoAlso the site of Chicago's first Chinatown. https://chicagodetours.com/forgotten-chinatown-chicago/ https://chicagodetours.com/forgotten-chinatown-chicago/
- chitowneats 5y agoI worked at this intersection for half a decade. Your analysis is spot on. As for the chicken, you must be referring to Chicken Planet: http://www.chickenplanetchicago.com/ http://www.chickenplanetchicago.com/
- OldHand2018 5y agoI had to look it up because I knew it by location and not name. It was Mickey’s, not Chicken Planet. The pizza place is Boni Vino and the lunch crowd is floor traders and guys with thick Chicago accents. Full bar at lunch.
- kevinmchugh 5y agoChicken Planet is great but it's not fried, and the hot sauce is wanting
- kgwgk 5y agoI visited Chicago years ago and that prison is one of the I remember. I wondered if the place in the article was in that area but I was too lazy to check... Thanks!
- ForTheTimeBeing 5y agoA few years ago, I lived sever blocks south from this SRO in the South Loop (might be considered Printer's Row) neighborhood of Chicago. It's squeezed between Federal and county buildings, and the commercial district. It's not residential but neither is it an undesirable part of town (w/r/t physical location). Indeed, it's the site of the old Chinatown. It's as if this singular block was forgotten as modernization/gentrification reshaped everything else. It's curious.