Neighborhood Strolls - Chicago with Kids - page 215

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stroller-friendly Kopi—A Traveler's Café, where you can get a mean mango smoothie,
or at Ann Sather, where you can get gooey fr esh-baked cinnamon rolls (plus free advice
for moms from the very motherly owner).

7 BUCKTOWN/WICKER PARK

Home to the thir d-largest concentration of ar tists in the countr y, this neighborhood is
rapidly gentrifying. Over the past centur y the area has hosted waves of German, Polish,
and, most recently, Spanish-speaking immigrants (not to mention writer Nelson Algren).
Heading north on D amen Avenue, you'll pass hot ne w restaurants, stores featuring the
latest in alternativ e cultur e, and loft-dw elling yuppies sur fing the gentrification wav e
that's washing over this still-somewhat-gritty neighborhood.
The go-go gentrification of the Bucktown/Wicker Park area has been followed by not
only a rash of r estaurants and bars, but also r etailers with an ar tsy bent r eflecting the
neighborhood's bohemian spirit. M ixed in with old neighborhood businesses, such as
discount furniture stores and religious-icon purveyors, is a proliferation of antiques-fur-
niture shops, too-cool-for-school clothing boutiques, and eclectic galleries and gift
emporiums. Teenagers will love this walk—in 2001 the neighborhood was the location
for MTV's The Real World: Chicago, so if your kids have watched the show, either origi-
nally or in its plentiful r eruns, they might r ecognize many of the ar ea's r estaurants

and bars.
To get a feel for the neighborhood 's artsy vibe, str oll up and do wn Damen Avenue,
starting from the intersection with North Avenue. Head north for the best concentration
of restaurants and shops. One notable kids' store along your path is the children's cloth-
ing store The Red Balloon Company, 2060 N. Damen (p. 248). When you're ready for
a br eak, stop at Silver Cloud B ar & G rill, 1700 N. D amen, for grilled cheese and
tomato soup (p. 153), or pop acr oss the street to Northside Café, 1635 N. Damen, for
a burger or a beverage on the huge outdoor patio (p . 153).

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