What are the densest, most NYC looking neighborhoods in Chicago? (Naperville: condo, living in)

[ChicagoMeO]

HEY OP! New York is not going to look like chicago, because New York City is older and hasn't been destroyed by a major fire in 1971 like we had. So a lot has gone. Plus Chicago is a different city.. You might get one or the othre but not both.

First, Google Maps are your friend - check out the following ideas -

I think for architecture - Prairie St and 18th Street is a historic area that might have some historic houses you might like.

also, I just learned that behind the Catholic Cardinals house, the sidewalk is wooden, he lives in that mansion near North Avenue and Clark.

500 block of Belden too.

Astor street.

I think North Michigan Avenue looks something like Times Square, sorta. That would be 600 to 900 North Michigan.

Hey you could take a peek at Trump Tower, i mean, Donald Trump is from NY.

Alta Vista, further north, might be good.

The 800 block of Hutcherson is a historic district in Chicago

[marothisu]

The Archbishop's mansion is on State, not Clark. Woodblocks were used in alleys back in the day before the great fire. A few in Lincoln Park still have it too.

If you want to see what Chicago may have looked like a little bit before the fire, go to Lincoln & Wisconsin and then walk West and South. This area wasn't affected I don't think by the fire so the building code is different with structures closer together than most parts of town. Although I'd say it reminds me more of Boston than NYC.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by marothisu

The Archbishop's mansion is on State, not Clark. Woodblocks were used in alleys back in the day before the great fire. A few in Lincoln Park still have it too.

If you want to see what Chicago may have looked like a little bit before the fire, go to Lincoln & Wisconsin and then walk West and South. This area wasn't affected I don't think by the fire so the building code is different with structures closer together than most parts of town. Although I'd say it reminds me more of Boston than NYC.

I love that neighborhood. Thats actually one of my favorite parts of the city.

[Nafster]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

Yes, we all know that having an address immediately outside the city limits automatically makes one a rube, even if they were in the city frequently for work and for entertainment/socializing, because transportation and the internet don't exist.

Oh puh-leez.

What you said, despite your sarcasm, is actually correct.

Did suburbanites pay Chicago taxes? Did they vote for Chicago elections? Did they really work and breathe in Chicago? Do they really go out to the city THAT often?

This isn't so much against you or Chicago suburbanites as it is the people in general as a whole: Many of them leave the city, never having lived in it at all or for years, and think they are experts on it.

I tell them: best to stick to your expertise on Naperville, or Skokie, or if you're in California, Orange County.

You are right about the transportation but Internet? Surfing on brokehipster.com or looking at pretty pictures of Chicago on Flickr or Google Street view doesn't land anyone a medal qualifying them to talk about the city.

[marothisu]

^ I actually have a few friends who live in Chicago and don't know anything about the city really outside of a few small areas. One of them reminds me of Tex, a lot, actually. Also, anytime I invite him to go anywhere so he can see other things, because he refuses to pretty much go anywhere beyond a handful of small areas and then complain that the entire city *must* be like the Loop, he'll just make up a really lame excuse to not go. One time I invited him to come with me somewhere at 9pm and he refused, saying he had a coworker's kid's birthday party at 5pm the next day. I have another acquaintance who's been here 20 years and the first time she had ever been to Wicker Park was last summer. She still thinks Bucktown is really dangerous too. She claims to know the city, yet if I even mention closeby things to downtown like Noble Square, she hasn't a clue what I'm talking about. She also has literally said numerous times that anything west of Western is "not Chicago." She'll disregard when I tell her that probably a million people live west of Western in the city (well I don't know the actual number, but it's a lot of people).

I really don't put a lot of stock into things. I know people who work in the Loop who live in the burbs and go to Lincoln Park, Lakeview, or Wicker Park a few times a month, but they still know nothing about the city and I'd never rely on them for any information about the city.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

I love that neighborhood. Thats actually one of my favorite parts of the city.

It's a beautiful, beautiful area that people tend to miss a lot. It's awesome on a perfect fall day too as it really reminds me of the NE. There's a few architecturally interesting areas like that such as Pilsen, which wasn't really subjected to the "raising of Chicago" everywhere and you can see what some neighborhoods may have looked like before that happened. There are still bits and pieces of downtown/Gold Coast too that are cool. Around me in Gold Coast there's still some beautiful row homes and mansions. Luckily they are in great condition and private, so they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

HEY OP! New York is not going to look like chicago, because New York City is older and hasn't been destroyed by a major fire in 1971 like we had.

1871.

>I think for architecture - Prairie St and 18th Street is a historic area that might have some historic houses you might like.

It's a very small area surrounded by new development, but still worth checking out....when you have nothing else to do. The Widow Clarke house at 1827 S. Indiana may be open for tours. Call first (it's usually not open).

The area in Old Town north of North Avenue and just west of Lincoln, referred to by several posters as being very nice, is called the Old Town Triangle and is one of the old-money areas of the city. It was probably the first area to be restored to its original beauty by the urban pioneers of the 1960s. (The Astor Street area never got run down.) This area is well worth visiting and has a number of cute pubs, shops, etc. as well as houses.

[grapico]

The only areas that come close to a NYC vibe is the Gold Coast/Streeterville/Old Town or a small part of Printers Row that has the old lofts and stairways on the side of the buildings, but they won't be near as busy. A lot of them offer "doorman" buildings and the areas are for the most part have lots of highrises and for the most part built out. While I'm not a big fan of the area the Viagara Triangle when it's slammed is a bit reminiscent of some areas in Manhattan.

[marothisu]

The side streets in the Gold Coast south of Viagra Triangle and west of Michigan Avenue are also slammed with people in the summer/nice months too. That area is a little bit more neighborhoody. The new Argo Tea Plaza/Connors Park at Wabash, Rush, and Chestnut is a good new people watching spot. A lot of people go by there. Not far away there's a few restaurants (i.e. Cru) with outdoor patios that's good for people watching too. There's always a lot of people going by this general area.

As Grapico mentions, a lot of high rises and there's still more on the pipeline so it'll continue. There's a 35 story residential tower being built right near the area I just mentioned above too.

[grapico]

Originally Posted by marothisu

The side streets in the Gold Coast south of Viagra Triangle and west of Michigan Avenue are also slammed with people in the summer/nice months too. That area is a little bit more neighborhoody. The new Argo Tea Plaza/Connors Park at Wabash, Rush, and Chestnut is a good new people watching spot. A lot of people go by there. Not far away there's a few restaurants (i.e. Cru) with outdoor patios that's good for people watching too. There's always a lot of people going by this general area.

As Grapico mentions, a lot of high rises and there's still more on the pipeline so it'll continue. There's a 35 story residential tower being built right near the area I just mentioned above too.

Yeah that's probably the best bet, all around there. There is an upscale vibe to the area also that can be similar to Manhattan and a lot of the buildings around there offer small studios.