Chicago: Brunch and Gentrification
I took a trip to Chicago last weekend and greatly enjoyed taking the buses and trains across the city. I spent a couple days at an Airbnb in Little Italy, my old stomping grounds. I looked in awe and disappointment as new hip spots had replaced the old Italian classics. I viewed the old abandoned project building Chicago had planned to turn into a museum. They never got the funding. My host seemed disappointed when I noticed there was a brand new public library. But, why? I maintained my optimism. Housing all over is too expensive.
“Yeah, the library looks nice, but the projects are on top”.
“What? You mean, like lower income…on top of a library?”
“The neighborhood wasn’t too happy about it”.
“Ah, maybe the homeowners, but it looks like a nice spot to relax and read a book”.
We had brunch at SKY (S.K.Y.), a controversial restaurant where I used to live, in the gentrifying Pilsen neighborhood. This was one of the top brunches I’ve ever had. We chose from a 3x4 column of delicacies with one item per column. Our waiter informed us that he was a native Oaxacan and that we would be making a terrible mistake to skip out on the mezcal. We agreed.
My courses consisted of a homemade tahin-based Japanese cucumber salad, a smoked salmon WOW Bao, and short rib & potato hash. He even surprised us with free dessert!
We shared a goat cheese and mushroom appetizer as I began to feel the pleasant and joyful feeling from the bloody mary and 3 mezcal pours. As I dined with my constituents at this new neighborhood establishment, they informed me that this restaurant’s inception brought a number of concerns to the anti-gentrifying residents of the neighborhood. Our waiter reported that he was happy to be working there. He even took us to meet the owner and chef, Stephen.
Brunch aside, when I was on the bus, I was reminded of the human contact missing from Los Angeles. This is a lonely city. In LA, you have to go to a restaurant, bar, or social place to engage with others whereas in other urban areas, this can happen en passant. Getting a like on your Instagram post just doesn’t have the same effect despite the dopamine it provides. It wasn’t so much the brunch or the bus I enjoyed, but the relationships. Millennials are the most connected, but also the most socially isolated generation. I enjoyed people watching, developing connections over brunch, and wondering where we’re all headed.
Gentrification has its ups and downs and neighborhoods change. Human connection must be a constant.
