Late Night Culture in Chicago - Present vs. Past? (Naperville: middle-class, sales)

[marothisu]

The Levee sounds interesting. There's actually a bar in Hermosa or something with the same name. The Levee - Hermosa - Chicago, IL

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I think you mean west, right???

Yessir! WEST of State. West.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by chet everett

There are a handful of apartments on Wabash, some on right on Michigan Ave, but the big residential developments have been things like Aqua at Illinois Center -- that is all east of State St... The lack of "small scale" anything over there sorta creeps me out. It is worse than the old Marina Towers in some ways, as at least there is street level places like White Hen (now 7-11)

Yeah, it's a bit weird. It feels more like the high-rise residential developments in the central business districts of smaller American cities, and not like an organic neighborhood feel like you would have in New York or San Francisco. I definitely prefer the dense neighborhoods on the North Side to any downtown living (including Streeterville and River North), but I can see the appeal for some to be close to work, Grant Park, Millennium Park, etc. And Chicago has more interesting architecture than most cities, and some of the rehabbed older office buildings have turned out to be quite nice.

[long101]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Yep, the Union Station side is DEAD. My office isn't too far from Union Station and I usually don't work past about 6pm, but there's been times where I leave work at 8 or 9pm and there's almost nobody out there. There are some people on State and Michigan, but in the west end - absolutely DEAD.

I think its a timing/ weather thing. I left work around 830 last night and walked by Union Station, there had to be 100 people outside (counting the two sides I walk by). I would assume the bulk of these folks are waiting for trains or to be picked up. There is a new bar/restaurant on the river just North of Union Station (I forget the name), which always looks packed.

[snoylekim]

The area around Ogilvie and Union will have evening /early night activity most of the time on weekdays . There are later trains at both stations ( including the appropriately named 'Vomit Comets' on Thursday Nights) . Kent /IIT has evening classes and evening Library hours . Dylans has seasonal outdoor seating, as well as Beggars Pizza. The FFC Gym/Pool and The Wal*mart Market are open past 10 . Between say State Street and this cluster, it can get pretty quiet . it's also a more quiet area on weekend evenings and nights .
As far as later, though , it will get pretty quiet after 11:30 or so . There are no 2/4 O'Clock bars or restaurants , and the WM is only open to PT residents after this hour . The only signs of life are the patrons of the White Hen at jackson and Desplaines.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by long101

I think its a timing/ weather thing. I left work around 830 last night and walked by Union Station, there had to be 100 people outside (counting the two sides I walk by). I would assume the bulk of these folks are waiting for trains or to be picked up. There is a new bar/restaurant on the river just North of Union Station (I forget the name), which always looks packed.

There are two happy hour bars near there (Rivers and South Branch), that's probably why. The street level stuff though is always pretty dead.

[baileyvpotter]

Originally Posted by marothisu

BTW I made a map of current late night "things" (i.e. bars/clubs/lounges, food places, performing arts, hookah bars, convenience/alcohol/grocery stores, strip clubs). There's 3 pages of the map so on the left you have to scroll to the bottom to view more pages. The list is not done yet though, but there's a lot in it:

http://goo.gl/maps/Glkbb

Thanks for this link. Brought back some memories. Was trying to think of the other
bar near Mother's that we used to go to - Butch McGuire's. The original Snuggery
was in Edison Park by the Metra Station and opened the other one
near the Rush St area (forgot when they closed).

[RogersParkGuy]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Since I did not grow up here, I am wondering for those of you who did or who have been here for many years - is late night culture more prevalent now or was it more prevalent in the past, say 20+ years ago?

I am talking about bars that stay open later than 3am, grocery/convenience/food/hookah/performing arts places open past midnight, etc. If I had a guess, I'd guess there was more in the past even though today there are many establishments that fit the above description.

I am 44 and have lived in Chicago my whole life.

The biggest difference in Chicago nightlife now versus 20 years ago is that back then, Chicago was a much more diverse and much more blue-collar city. The nightlife reflected that.

For example, when Mayor Richard M. Daley took office in 1989, there were some 3,000 neighborhood taverns in Chicago (which was way down from historic highs, BTW). By 1997, that number had dropped to about 1,300. However, the number of liquor licenses in the city actually increased over that period. The new licenses went to trendy restaurants, hip night clubs, "alternative" rock clubs and other, more "upscale" businesses.

Most Chicago neighborhoods were much more ethnically distinct 20 years ago than they are now. Local nightlife reflected that. There were bars and clubs that catered particularly to Serbs, Poles, Koreans, West Africans, etc. Most of those places are gone now. Gentrification changed most ethnic neighborhoods into yuppie/hipster enclaves, and the nightlife now caters pretty much to that crowd, no matter what neighborhood you are in.

[williepotatoes]

Originally Posted by RogersParkGuy

I am 44 and have lived in Chicago my whole life.

The biggest difference in Chicago nightlife now versus 20 years ago is that back then, Chicago was a much more diverse and much more blue-collar city. The nightlife reflected that.

For example, when Mayor Richard M. Daley took office in 1989, there were some 3,000 neighborhood taverns in Chicago (which was way down from historic highs, BTW). By 1997, that number had dropped to about 1,300. However, the number of liquor licenses in the city actually increased over that period. The new licenses went to trendy restaurants, hip night clubs, "alternative" rock clubs and other, more "upscale" businesses.

Most Chicago neighborhoods were much more ethnically distinct 20 years ago than they are now. Local nightlife reflected that. There were bars and clubs that catered particularly to Serbs, Poles, Koreans, West Africans, etc. Most of those places are gone now. Gentrification changed most ethnic neighborhoods into yuppie/hipster enclaves, and the nightlife now caters pretty much to that crowd, no matter what neighborhood you are in.

Yeah, the decline of the tavern in Chicago was unfortunate. I used to love stopping in at taps in unfamiliar neighborhoods just to witness the locals and engage in hospitalities. These were often gathering places for some of the most informative and colorful characters found in the hood.

It's unfortunate that too many bad drinking establishments forced a crackdown on all standalone taverns.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by RogersParkGuy

Most Chicago neighborhoods were much more ethnically distinct 20 years ago than they are now. Local nightlife reflected that. There were bars and clubs that catered particularly to Serbs, Poles, Koreans, West Africans, etc. Most of those places are gone now. Gentrification changed most ethnic neighborhoods into yuppie/hipster enclaves, and the nightlife now caters pretty much to that crowd, no matter what neighborhood you are in.

I know what you mean, although you can still go to Polish, Korean, etc bars in the city, but it makes sense that they declined in number. For the record, Chicago is actually more diverse now than it was in 1990 (data reflects that), but I think it may seem less diverse because of the decline of specifically ethnic areas/neighborhoods? That's my guess. The first polish people who arrived here, for example, may have American born kids now who are assimilated into the culture and don't care as much about preserving it than the immigrants, unfortunately.