an immersive week in Chicago
Where is the real Chicago? Depending on who you ask, the answer could fall anywhere from the affluent Gold Coast to the notorious Englewood. Although the two neighborhoods differ drastically, either answer is valid. No one experiences the reality of Chicago the same way.
The mere aerial view of Chicago is daunting. Staring out on the vast horizon, it is impossible to comprehend the infinitesimal amount of realities each person who has ever set foot here has experienced. My attempt to draw part of the Sears Tower only represents a minute fraction of the endless skyline.
In Chicago, two people could stand just a few blocks apart from each other on the same street yet be in alternate worlds. Division Street best exemplifies this statement. The serenity of Gold Coast, with its shady trees and ornate iron gates, flows into the lively Old Town, with its rich and stimulating atmosphere that offers any commercial amenity. The ghosts of Cabrini-Green line Division Street, haunting the luxury housing that towers over its gravesite. From Seward Park to Pulaski Park, industrial, working-class undertones set in, sprinkled with broken glass and litter. Humboldt Park adds a vivacious Puerto-Rican flair, Latin music floating above vibrant murals. Division Street is home to a variety of cultures and environments, and this diversity is essential to Chicago.
I have not been a frequent witness of culture before living in Chicago. Blocks and blocks of cookie cutter houses was the extent of what I saw. Pilsen opened my eyes to the color and life I lacked in suburbia. Murals and graffiti art pop up on every street corner. The beautiful story of an Aztec warrior fighting for the love of his sleeping princess bride touched my heart. Life is lived with vigorous tenacity here. However, the romanticization of neighborhoods such as Pilsen comes at a cost: gentrification. I pray that this version of Pilsen stays alive.
A neighborhood can live many lives over the decades. Uptown has undergone a cycle of being a center for young professionals to an underdeveloped community back to an up-and-coming center for young professionals. The same century-old buildings have served both rich and poor tenants. Socioeconomic changes are not the only factors in the lives of a neighborhood. A strong sense of community through each new generation may also impact its livelihood. I helped pull out weeds in a small, overgrown garden in Garfield Park. To a passerby, it may seem to be a small patch of life in a desolate part of town, but it represents more than just a recreational lot. This garden is a product of citizens who worked to improve their environments and inspire new generations to progress past their precedents.
After this immersive week in Chicago, I can confidently say I know the city better than I did before, and it knows me back. Not only have I gained a general navigational awareness of the major neighborhoods, I have also witnessed and experienced Chicago in a way no one else has. Slowly, my identity entangles itself with the city, and I cannot be myself without it. My reality of Chicago has evolved.
