Getting to Know the Windy City - Chicago - page 27

The West Side
West Loop Also known as the Near West Side, the neighborhood
just across the Chicago River from the Loop is the city's newest
gentrification target, as old warehouses and once-vacant lots are
transformed into trendy condos.
Bucktown/Wicker Park Centered near the confluence of North,
Damen, and Milwaukee avenues, where the Art Deco Northwest
Tower is the tallest thing for miles, this resurgent area has hosted
waves of immigrants (not to mention writer Nelson Algren). In
recent years, it has morphed into a bastion of hot new restaurants,
alternative culture, and loft-dwelling yuppies surfing the gentrifi-
cation wave that's washing over this still-somewhat-gritty neigh-
borhood.
The South Side
South Loop The South Loop—stretching from Harrison Street's
historic Printers Row south to Cermak Road (where Chinatown
begins), and from Lake Shore Drive west to the south branch of
the Chicago River—is now one of the fastest-growing residential
neighborhoods in the city.
Pilsen Originally home to the nation's largest settlement of
Bohemian-Americans, Pilsen (which derives its name from a city
in Bohemia, the Czech Republic) was for decades the principal
entry point in Chicago for immigrants of every ethnic back-
ground. Centered at Halsted and 18th streets just southwest of
the Loop, Pilsen now contains the second-largest Mexican-Amer-
ican community in the U.S.
Hyde Park Hyde Park is like an independent village within the
confines of Chicago, right off Lake Michigan and roughly a 30-
minute train ride from the Loop. Fifty-seventh Street is the main
drag, and the University of Chicago—with all its attendant shops
and restaurants—is the neighborhood's principal tenant.
2 Getting Around
The best way to savor Chicago is by walking its streets. Walking isn't
always practical, however, particularly when moving between distant
neighborhoods and on harsh winter days. In those situations,
Chicago's public train and bus systems can get you almost anywhere
you want to go.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) operates an extensive system
of trains and buses throughout the city of Chicago. The sturdy system