I’ve been cogitating about where to stay when I spend a week in Chicago in June (it’s my first independent trip in 30 years or so that isn’t work-related, so I’m even more befuddled than usual). One option I’m considering is a studio apartment that goes for $75 a night, which sounds pretty close to what I’m looking for (I wouldn’t use room service or a spa, but I do require a refrigerator since I take my morning caffeine in the form of Diet Coke); however, before booking it I’d like to get some idea of the area.
The website (airbnb.com) doesn’t give a precise address, just that it’s on W Haddon Ave between Damen and Leavitt. The uniformly positive reviews on the property give me the impression that it’s a neighborhood which has seen less than stellar times but is well along the road to gentrification (one reviewer said that it has definitely changed since he lived there , but “there are still some dirty dive bars left between the doggy day spas and yoga studios”). If this impression is accurate, fine — but I would really like to have it confirmed or denied by someone closer to the spot.
For the record, I don’t have much of an itinerary planned at this point. I will probably be visiting the Museum of Science and Industry more than once, and I intend to stop by the Chicago Fire Academy on DeKoven (although Mrs O’Leary was not a direct relative, there is a connection); in addition, I will probably take in a White Sox game and hoist one to Mike Royko at the Billy Goat. Beyond that, I’m pretty much at liberty. All of which is moot since the apartment is within easy walking distance of the el, which I understand pretty much puts the entire Chicago transit system at one’s disposal.
Anyway, I’ve babbled enough; now its your turn. Any and all comments, observations and suggestions welcomed.
[QUOTE=OttoDaFe;12300800
The website ([airbnb.com]
(http://www.airbnb.com)) doesn’t give a precise address, just that it’s on W Haddon Ave between Damen and Leavitt. The uniformly positive reviews on the property give me the impression that it’s a neighborhood which has seen less than stellar times but is well along the road to gentrification (one reviewer said that it has definitely changed since he lived there , but “there are still some dirty dive bars left between the doggy day spas and yoga studios”). If this impression is accurate, fine — but I would really like to have it confirmed or denied by someone closer to the spot.
[/QUOTE]
That’s a perfectly fine place to be. It’s a pretty hip part of town. Plenty of stuff to do on Damen and Division. It is certainly “well on the road to gentrification.” I’d say it’s pretty much most of the way there, frankly. It used to be a cheaper part of town for art types to live in but, much like its neighbor to the northeast, Wicker Park, it’s a melting pot for hipsters, yuppies, and some of the old neighborhood folks.
The “Ukrainian” part of the name is no joke, btw. During the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, the entire neighborhood was absolutely decked out in orange bunting.