Jun 22 2007
OMG I’m Downtown
My blood pressure rises whenever I hear people call certain areas of Chicago “downtown”. This week I was walking from Streeterville, westbound on Grand heading to State St. A mother, father and two children were in North Bridge by the Nordstrom when the daughter asked if she was downtown in an exciting, naïve tone.
I jumped into the conversation as I walked by and said, “No, you are in North Bridge – it’s a sub area of River North that the real-estate folk came up with. Downtown is thattaway” and I pointed towards LaSalle and Wacker for them. They looked at me with a little shock and bewilderment. I know it’s surprising that there are other areas of the city besides the loop with big buildings; it’s not Schaumburg.
When I visit New York, San Francisco or London I take the time to learn the neighborhood names. Tribeca, North Beach, and Russell Square are all areas that I have become familiar with in non-home cities
Loading ...
As a migrating, soon-to-be-former suburbanite, I can say that pretty much everyone out here refers to the area of the city between Wrigley Field and Soldier Field as “downtown”. Hell, before I started really looking into this city and learning about its neighborhoods, I was certainly one of those people who stood on Jackson, trying for that perfect camera-phone shot of the Sears Tower.
People in the suburbs don’t know any better because they don’t need to. They have Woodfield and that’s all they need. Some of them don’t know which is the Sears Tower and which is the Hancock Building. Hell, some people in the city don’t know which is which.
(Also: You were right by where I work. North Bridge-area is ~3 buildings away from mine.)
You must have a lot of prick inside of you for coming up with this post… What a waste.
sat·ire (str)
n.
1.
a. A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit.
b. The branch of literature constituting such works. See Synonyms at caricature.
2. Irony, sarcasm, or caustic wit used to attack or expose folly, vice, or stupidity.
Learn it people.
::blink::
I AM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LPTS AND I AM ABOUT TO UNLEASH HOLY HELL ON YOU PEOPLE! HOW DARE YOU SET UP THIS FAKE SOCIETY TO MOCK THE LINCOLN PARK TRIXIE SOCIETY!
THIS ISN’T OVER.
ABBS
you are a douche-bag. let the little kid think shes downtown.
Being an ass and ironically being an ass = still being an ass.
I wish I could be as faux-important as the rest of you.
I have the same pet peeve. Wicker Park, Lakeview, Boys Town, etc. are NOT DOWNTOWN!!
Well Abigail I’ve been waiting FOR MORE THAN A YEAR for the LPTS website to go online.
tribeca is considered downtown. anything below 14th street is downtown. fyi - downtowns have neighborhoods too.
Dear Big Time Fancy,
Please be advised, your posting on above noted subject is grounds for barring from the City of Chicago. Simply stated, you are not allowed.
Warm Regards,
A Person of Far Superior Intellect.
OMG you people are just as bad as them. I’ve lived in the city all my life and never started refering to certain areas by a specific name until all of the yuppies started moving migrating here in hordes. Any real chicagoan will consider streeterville “downtown” as well as river north. Pretty much anything south of division and east of lasalle “is” downtown.