Westside of Chicago, An Unexpected Family Outing

I was Heading into downtown Chicago from Loyola University medical center after I dropped my grandmother off for a procedure. We had planned to visit our other grandma at her office while we waited. Traffic was horrid on the 290 Inbound Expressway, so I decided to shortcut into the city and bypass through the Westside. It was fairly early in the morning at 10 AM, that's early for the Westside. We took Madison Avenue inbound. And here's a collection of photos from our experience.

More Photos from the Westside, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

I grew up in Chicago, born and raised. I grew up on the northwest side, however once I started a career I have had some experience and reason to be in the inner-city and the Westside. I've worked with youth groups and at the banks CRA program requiring me to go into low income communities with financial education programs and other outreach funding. My husband, in his early administrative days worked at an Elementary School in Englewood. I visited with my then 2 year old son. Heres a poem about my experiences there and during that time. 

More Photos from the Westside, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

There are a significant amount of church's and other counseling and support organizations along the route we took down Madison Ave. Easily over a dozen each of church's + public services.  While driving in today I had my younger son and baby girl with me. Now people who are familiar with Chicago might be alarmed the idea that I went through the Westside community with my two kids but again it's a relatively safe time to go if you're going to do it, the go in the morning. I wanted them to see how other people live, so I didn't avoid the area. I wanted them to see what it's like without having money in your life to do what you want (yes, I realize the issue is more complicated then that).

More Photos from the Westside, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Westside of Chicago, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Here is someones car parked in front. Exceptionally large rims. And this also feeds the message that if your poor why would you buy expensive rims. Partially becaus this is one of the ways to have status in the community.

There are specs of beauty as you can see in these communities. My 2 year old baby girl shouted from the backseat when she saw this long mural, some will call it graffiti, I think whoever did that was pretty darn talented artist.

Westside of Chicago, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

I also pointed out advertising to the kids, I wanted them to notice that most of the "for rent" and "for sale" signs were hand-painted, as were a lot of the business advertisements on the banners. In these communities people have money to start a small shop that they've probably saved up I order to buy for quite some time. However to add the additional advertising and marketing that's needed, in this category they will make the best of what they already have, paint and supplies!! Often the result is coming up with beautiful art. Which, I would argue making your own signs and advertisements adds to the theme and brand of the type of store that you're going to own.

Westside of Chicago, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

And then there's this, the mass advertising for shoes!

Westside of Chicago, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

More Photos from the Westside, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

And then there's some of the things that I saw that I didn't explain to the kids, there was a prostitute servicing her John right on the main street sidewalk. When they were done he got up and buckled his pants like nothing happened. Then I saw a few drug deals go down just a few feet and steps away from CPD squad cars.

The community was bustling for that hour of the day, my neighborhood doesn't even have that many people walking around in it at that hour of the morning, which tells me even the Westside community residents know it's a safer time to get around and get your business done in the morning. Even the liquor store is open already at that hour so plenty of people had their bags full for the day.

It's a bit of a shock driving through this area, in my city. I've driven through the old Cabrini Green housing projects, I've been inside an Elementary in Englewood, worked for years at a youth service in Lawndale. I've driven trough "K Town." Granted my outreach was not in depth/ or intense, but I have seen things with my OWN eyes. It's shocking (for me) to see what poverty combine with access to drugs can create this type of emptiness.

Westside of Chicago, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

More Photos from the Westside, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

These corners (waiting at the bus stops) were across the street from each other kitty corner.

The picture (above) of the bus stop near the stop light, notice all the garbage. In my community if this debris wasn't picked up by the city, the community would take care of it.

I have to admit, I understand the Shady Bundy and Donald Sterlings of the world. These men are not educated about the issues - or just don't care - about the vicious cycle that exists in poor inner city life. And I'm certain they haven't seen the communities I have, if they did they'd only blame the people anyway - there is no empathy in racists. Living in Poverty and addiction, amongst philosophies of violence and instant revenge with a gun, is a mix of circumstances so complicated that politicians and lay folk truly don't understand the dynamics. So, similarly to my 84 year old Babcia and my father, we end up blaming people for their own life condition. We cannot even fathom (having come from long lineages of successful families, both poor and wealthy), what it means to be poor, uneducated and addicted, living in violence. I remember the movie where the slum landlord had to go an live in his building by court order for 30 days. It's Hollywood, so of course there's a happy ending, but the point of bringing to life some of the inner city issues was clear. Another great punishment for a racist, like the Donald Sterlings of the world, move them into the city, help them understand the cycle of suppression and poverty.

I won't solve anything here in this post. But at least my kids will be able to empathize and understand the TRUE issues in the inner city poverty cycle. Maybe we can educate the next generation to truly make a difference.


Make Mistakes. Breathe, Reflect, and don't forget to Laugh.Out.Loud.

Poem: The Cycle

The Story Behind the Poem:

Abuse and neglect carry over generations, it becomes a "parenting style."  How could a child raised in such an environment: ... know how to raise her own children? Break the cycle? Lift herself out of such hopelessness and tragedy for a beautiful life? 

My husband worked as an administrator in the inner city schools for several years. The stories he told me inspired this poem. Many many scary stories. All the more horrifying BECAUSE they were TRUE. Working in the ghetto, gives you perspective on issues you cannot even begin to understand, unless you've been there. All of the stories collided in my mind as if lived thru the eyes of a little girl. 

I wrote this poem in 2008. However, years later another accidental ride through the inner city reminded me of this time in my life, a Visit to the Westside of Chicago through photos. 

Westside of Chicago, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

The Cycle

Growin' old, age 3, didn't get beat,

Gettin McD's and somethi' sweet.

'Cause My mama gave me $5 today,

Gonna sit now on a porch 'n play.

Mama came home, she didn't say hi,

Sat next to her watchin' the bruise heal on her eye.

Watchin' TV, sesame street, 

Elmo the monster is cute, he has Red feet.

Starting school, I didn't know why?

Grandnana said education Is mine.

Walked in, my belly aches,

Wishin' for some hotcakes.

Sitting in the office again, I was yellin' at my friend.

A mama came 'n, her boy was 8. 

Signin' him up for school a little late.

He touched a pencil 'n the desk, 

When she looked at him her eyes popped out of her head!

He put his hand down real fast,

He looked at her know'n this peace wouldn't last.

She said he was dumb, she didn't know what to do, 

so she decided to send him to skoo'.

Graduat'n today, mama was late,

My diploma shows I did great.

High schools ah'ight, boys get'n in so many a fight.

My boyfriend asked me if I'm gonna have my baby tonight.

by: Areyousureaboutthatblog Author

Not Authorized for Reproduction Without Permission
Make Mistakes. Breathe, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud

Poem: Making Mulch

Making Mulch

City living,

Requires More creative thinking.

A compost pile is easy to start,

And all it takes is a part,

In your yard where you can,

Make the food to Feed your garden.

Find a place that's outta the way,

But easily accessible on a snowy day. 

Making mulch can be a year round task,

Think of the reward your commitment won't be crass.

First, use a chicken wire net,

Then, shape a circle, that's the easiest bet.

No digging is required, 

Maybe a small staketo keep higher.

Then remember to fold the top in,

Otherwise you'll getta new frien'.

This big guy will be your doom,

Since he'll eat your gold, in the tummy of the raccoon.

by: Areyousureaboutthatblog Author
Not Authorized for Reproduction Without Permission

Make Mistakes. Breath, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud

City Mouse and Country Mouse… ideas on deciding to live in an Urban Area or a Rural Area?

I thought about moving recently. Packing up the whole family to either a nearby suburb to be closer to my dad or to Northwest Indiana, closer to my mom.   This analysis is strictly my opinion on some of the benefits and deficits of living in a Rural Area and an Urban Area. This list is related to the life-things and business we look for as a family, like outings to do with our family, time in nature, cultural experiences, etc. And for sake of this public blog-conversation, I am going to leave the matters of our specific family details, and those pluses and minuses, OUT of this blog.

Positive Reasons to Live in a Rural Area (vs. New York, Chicago or Other Major Metropolitan Area), and the negatives of city life…

1.  Home Purchase Power, Price Comparison – for the price of our Home in the City which is a 2-story family size home, 3 bedrooms and 2½ bath, 15 miles out of downtown, roughly 2,500 sq ft, 1½ times the size standard city lot, ample yard for a garden and kids play area, we could significantly increase our space in a rural area. We could have an even larger 5 bedroom home, full basement, in ground swimming pool and easily have an acre of land – just for the yard.

2.  Property Tax Comparison. Ha! There is no “comparison! The property tax in the rural area is 25% of our city property taxes. Done.

If you are reading this post, please post a comment below on what you liked - or didn't  - about this read. Does the topic interest you and you want to know more? Submit a question and I am happy to tackle it.

3.  What long lines? Clearly a rural area has less people; So long lines are a thing of the past! If you want to “run” to the grocery store for a quick purchase YOU CAN! There probably 3 cashiers to help you. In my town, there’s one cashier and self checkout….and of course the LONG LINE of 10 people in each lane waiting to pay…with a check!

4.  PARKING!!! Woo-hoo…parking is everywhere. Less door dings, less fender bumps, and no bumper scratches. There is literally parking everywhere you go. And it’s not parallel parking, real parking lots, with brightly painted lines, and ample rows where 2 cars can fit and pass with ease. Streets, stores, restaurants, schools, I can go on and on. In my neighborhood, 15 miles out of the city center I still struggle to find parking relatively close (within 3 blocks) of my destination, and in my neighborhood. Thankfully we have a garage – otherwise – eek! No issues with parking in rural towns.

5.  Fresh Air. The air IS different in non-urban areas. There is no je no se qua? Smell, stench, odor, or other “description” of the air – other than AHHHH! Fresh.

6.  Nature….Animals really do exist beyond birds and rats! IN the surrounding suburbs you can find forest preserves, nature centers and other refuges, away from the concrete jungle and miniature yard dwellings we call city life. We always see horse farms, cows grazing, sheep, lamas and alpacas. It’s truly Mother Nature right at our fingertips. The other benefit of Northwest Indiana is the Dunes. “Dune land” as it’s is lovingly called has the natural sand dunes, beaches and hilly areas. GREAT for days the beach, picnics, and living with nature as a pastime. There are regular (but not daily) children’s activities.

7.  Cleanliness. There is no need for street sweeping here. The roads are nearly litter free. No cigarette boxes (but a few butts here n there). Less grime, goo, gunk, and yuck. Needless to say those darn NO PARKING signs hung to our neighborhood poles and trees limiting street parking for 3 days due to impending street cleaning are gone too!

8.  Courtesy! Ah, Courtesy, a concept of an era gone by….event tough I am militant about my children being courteous and learning there manors, unfortunately we have plenty of examples around town where people are not courteous, there downright rude! Obnoxious! Ignorant! And let’s not forget potty mouth truck drivers cursing everywhere!  (This lack of courtesy and bad behavior from us city folk could be a plus for living in the city: if I always wanted to teach my kids WHAT NOT TO DO!) When we are in Indiana everyone, mostly, is SOOOOOO ridiculously polite. They don’t speed talk, there overall pretty calm, and relaxed. It’s pretty cool to experience.

9.  Schools – we have school aged children, so clearly there needs to be a good school. In the suburbs you can definitely find some great schools (but the property taxes may kill you, as well as the house price – depending on where you may look of course). Luckily in the NW Indiana area there is a magnet school opening up. That is a tremendously wonderful benefit considering all the factors above. Additionally there’s such overcrowding in our school system. Issues from the nation are simply AMPLIFIED in an urban environment. In the particular suburbs we looked at the ONE or TWO schools we pretty good. 

10.It’s quiet! It’s oh so quiet. No sirens, no slamming, screaming, neighbors, bumps, thumps and in general it’s just, peaceful.

11.Safety: I am a scaredy cat of a mom, always worried about everything and anything that can happen to my kids. We have a great yard here in the city, where we play and the kids are safe. But in a rural area there play space could be so much larger. It’s relatively more safe…but I think that’s almost a false sense of security. Accidents and child related dangers are everywhere in the U.S.!

So I guess I’m moving along into the Opposite of this Benefits List,

Positive Reasons to live in the City, Our Urban Oasis, and the negatives of rural life…

1.       Culturally speaking, I am gonna start here with the BIG ISSUE – we are a culturally diverse family, and even if we weren’t I want my children to be exposed to other cultures. We don’t even have to walk a block to meet someone from another culture. My children know who their neighbors are, where they come from in this great world, and know about other languages and foods. Culture is EVERYWHERE in our urban oasis. Signs are in many languages, and we can drive through “pockets” of neighborhoods to shop, walk, and visit cultural sites right here at home. There is more culture in a one block radius of my city then in the rural area.

2.       You DON’T have to drive everywhere – We are a walking family, and in the city it’s great to be able to walk to our grocery store, our park, our bakery, our deli, even the fast food joint for an occasional treat. It’s all right here – walking distance. So for OUR family the parking issue is usually few and far between. There is the unspoken benefit of the rich sights and sounds (and smells) everywhere – and at all times of the day and night. And our kids get lots of practice on looking both ways before they cross the street, street signals, cross walks (and jay-walking laws).

3.       Public Transportation! With the added sprawl of where to go it is so easy to park at the train station or bus depot and take a ride downtown – with the other urban dwellers. AND the train ride IS NOT OVER AND HOUR LONG. It’s a manageable trip with youngsters. The sights and views out the windows are a nice treat – and of course plenty to talk about.

4.       Foreign language looks – in our home we speak three languages, and we embrace our cultures. When we visit the suburbs and NW Indiana we experience “the stare-smile.” This non-offensive look is more of a glance that becomes a stare. After I say something in my native tongue to my kids, first the people around us get silent. DEAFINING SILENCE. Then – if I say something else (which I do…) I get the look. This puzzled what did she say glance (which as soon as the person realizes there staring) is accompanied by the quick ear to ear grin and quick fake smile. Remember in the rural area people are polite. And it’s not polite to stare – so they “stare smile.” While humorous to me, I think on an everyday basis I would be frustrated. And I don’t want my kids to be embarrassed of their multi language abilities. And in school I wouldn’t want them to have to “handle” this issue when they will have enough kid-baggage to deal with.

5.       What to do today? The sheer volume and variety of things to do…while the rural areas have nature at your finger tips – cause your living IN IT, in the city you have a WIDE variety of things to go, do, explore, etc. etc. etc. There isn’t ONE museum – there are 10, and there’s 20 forest preserves in our immediate area, there’s visiting downtown, endless restaurants (open long into the day and night). This variety has become our spice of life. We have 4 libraries each offering a unique variety of services and programs FOR FREE! (Well tax dollars do something around here.) The surrounding suburbs are easily visited for their fests and activities. It’s nice deciding how far we want to drive because so much is so close to home.

6.       Not a superfreak! Lacking “experience” – I was debating about putting this bullet in – but it does matter to us. For my kids – I like to slow pace of a rural environment, but not the boredom that may come with it for kids. And some people in rural areas do travel and have a vast variety of world experience, but I would argue you won’t find as many of these “world experience” people as you do in the city. I want my kids to meet people regularly form different places in the world because it will make them well rounded people, and arguably at this impressionable age they will learn a sensitivity to other cultures (as guided by mom and dad). As opposed to say the “stare – Smile” (See above, number 4. Foreign Language Looks).

7.       That SMELL in the air. We live near a bakery, driving home on the expressway at the state line is the distinct smell of chocolate. As a child returning from road trips, that smell was my little indicator that we were nearly home. And now it’s the same for my kids.

8.       Fear of the City – I have a cousin who recently moved to the city form the suburbs. She told me it was a scary experience for her. Going “into the city” was considered unsafe for a woman (yeah, ridiculous I know). She was literally afraid to walk on the block without her boyfriend for the first few weeks. Literally there was a fear of the city. Simply from lack of experience. Obviously if we lived in a rural area we would visit the city often (for activities and for the restaurants) but growing up in the city and visiting are two different things. I also want my kids to have street smarts. I want them to grow up with the caution that you learn being a city kid, about where to sit on a crowded bus, when to cross the busy street safely, and how to handle themselves with strangers. Yes these things apply in rural areas but far more infrequently. By the Way – my cousin rages about being able to walk everywhere for her groceries and daily needs too…

9.       School Variety – while there is overcrowding and other issues in the urban area, if you can afford it there is substantial variety and alternatives to. The nationwide charter school movement is going to make a positive impact on changing the school system. Private schools have tremendous value and educational programming. Yes some are at an added cost, which thankfully we can afford. But I would like to say that even going to the best school – as parents we still need to supplement our childs education at home. Children will not learn everything they need to know in the classroom. Right not there is a push for literacy in education. All my sons does is read and write all day. Math and science earn limited attention in early education. So at home we supplement with multilingual learning, science projects, art and crafts, etc. So weather rural or city we would supplement education at home. But I cannot supplement the eight hours of learning my kids should do at school. So a good core curriculum is critical for us, the rest we will cover at home.

a.       Another thing about schools is the students. Children learn so much form each other. And to my earlier point about culture and world experience. I want my son associating with kids who are from different cultures, who take vacations to other places in the U.S. and around the world. And most important I don’t want them to be ostracized for speaking/learning other languages. If we get the polite “smile-stare” at the store, what will the school kids do….not be so polite I am sure.

I think living in a rural area would be great Monday thru Friday. Peace, quiet, and the calmness of life without the traffic jams and congestion. We would have a reverse commute on the weekends to go IN TO the city to enjoy the AMPLE VARIETY of museums, fairs and fests, cultural food festivals, concerts and theatres….and fighting traffic just like the rest of the world Saturday and Sunday. Yes we can leave EXTRA early and stay extra late to beat the traffic….just like I negotiate my time all the time. Or family and friends would come to visit us on weekends, go to the country Labor Day weekend ….  But we sure would miss them the rest of the year.