Gangsters and Ghosts of Chicago
10.05.21
My roommate, Reine, got a tour experience gifted to her as a birthday present from her Aunt. She decided to take us four roommates where we would learn about the ghosts and gangster’s of Chicago. This was definitley a bonding experience for us because we would walk through the city at night and learn more about our city together. The stories through the night were exciting to learn about and is something I want to share.
This tour was interesting to listen to and we got the know the history of the city better. Yet, it wasn’t about the facts and stories for me. It was an experience to finally walk the streets in Chicago that shouldn’t be walked by alone at night. I noticed that sidewalks were emptier and the numerous amounts of dogs were gone.
Jeweler’s Building | 35 E Wacker Drive
We began in front of the Jeweler’s building, it is diagonally across from the Trump tower. At the top of the building, a popular speakeasy existed. On the other floors of the building, Jeweler’s worked in their office’s and carried their valuable briefcases full of diamonds and other stones after a long day of work. The famous Al Capone and his gangsters spent nights in the building, having the time of their lives. Now, as you can assume, the gangsters would rob the jeweler’s as they were leaving their day from work and the gangsters became wealthy.
Riverwalk |
Walking down to the Riverwalk after a few minutes I felt a stronger breeze. It was night time and so the rays of the sun weren’t keeping me warm. The moving tide of the water set a mood for the stories we were about to hear. In 1871, the great fire of Chicago caused people to jump into the water to save their lives. However, meat shops used to exist beside the river where they would dispose of animal byproducts and grease. The entire river ignitied and everyone in the river died. There was another tradegy in 1915 when an eletric company was hosting a cruise. The 10 year old boat had problems that weren’t fixed and all 844 of its passengers sunk. Supposedly, people today report that they feel cool air pass by or even spotting of spirits.
Speakeasies and Al Capone |
Chicago is a popular city to be in. There have been around 3,000 speakeasies, 800 of them in the Loop alone. Al Capone was a famous gangster of these streets after he moved from New York. He was always getting into trouble since the age of 14 when he slapped his teacher across the face. Along with his interest in speakeasies, he really loved the arts. He spent time at places like the Chicago theatre or spots like the Green Mill Lounge.
Our tour guide had to speak up very loud so that the entire tour group could hear her well. She seemed young with much knowledge on the city, especially with an interest in the history of it. As we stood in front of the Chicago theatre her presentation got cut off by a homeless man of the street. He walked through our crowd saying her speech was bullshit and that we shouldn’t listen and we waited until he passed by. I admired the Theatre even though I’ve seen it millions of times. It brought me back to think about a professional dance performance I came to see with my best friend a few years back. This spot never gets boring with the shining lights and bright headlines. I noticed security guards standing at all times to secure the area and keep people safe.
We walked through some alleys and heard some more stories…
The tour had come to an end after we ended on the most haunted place in the city, The Congress Hotel. This time, I won’t share the story because I want the reader’s of my journal to have a chance to possibly go on this tour and learn about it for themselves.
The four of us girls needed to get back home because it was getting late. It was such a beautiful night out and we really wanted to do a little bit more walking. We were hoping to see the city through the reflections of the bean but when we got there, it was fenced up. It was disappointing to recognize that some of the most popular places of Chicago have to be secured through the night time.
We played music off our phones while we walked down to the L. We felt comfort by listening because otherwise we would drown in fear.
An app I was recently introduced to put everything into perspective. The citizen app truly makes it known that shootings, robberies, and other crime is happening everywhere, all the time.
Map:
Reading Journal:
In “Cities Belong to Us,” Hollis cites Henri Lefebvre’s idea of “the right to the city.” How is “the right to the city” defined in the article? Who has the right to the city? Who has “access” to public spaces? How do the articles by Cadogan, Stafford, Ward, or Dumke help illustrate the meaning of this quotation and the consequences for public space?
In the article, “the right to the city” is described as how it sounds. Everyone has a right to the city because it is public. The time we spend involved in our city also depends on our “right” to it. We can take certain actions to make changes for the better. The article says, “being part of the city is no longer determined by ownership or wealth, but by participation”. I believe that walking the streets of the city often and taking advantage of its experiences like myself and my other classmates gives us more of a “right” to it. The other articles help illustrate the meaning of this quote by saying some people have more possibilities than others. Let’s say a person just moved to the city and has all of the streets and shops to explore. They enjoy their time exploring, yet they don’t have the same experience as the rest because they have less of a right. The rest of us have taken part in doing something good for our city and creating a “footprint” where we got involved. While there’s no consequences in the public space, there’s an advantage for the locals. (196)
