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West Town, Chicago
Immigrant Slavs, Puerto Ricans, artsy types, and a proliferation of cafés
converge on the city's locus of cool.
By Elizabeth Kadetsky
The Scene Liz Phair and the Smashing Pumpkins got
their start in the West Town club scene, which has been one of Chicago's last
bastions of cheap beer for a century. A recent economic boom in the red-brick
and Victorian-style neighborhood west of the Chicago River has since brought
together artists, immigrants, and newly arrived families from upscale Lincoln
Park.
The Backstory Eastern Europeans seeking a better
life settled here in the 1870's. But over the past two decades, the drug
subculture that took hold in the 1950's (described in detail in Nelson Algren's
novels) conspired with political unrest, urban decay, and Division Street's
daunting width. Now an influx of artists, refugees from Chi-town's inflated
rents, has spawned the area's rebirth.
Local Fauna Nights are global-village block
parties, with cars flaunting Puerto Rican flags and gallery-hoppers roaming
around in T-shirts with ironic slogans.
The Epicenter Hipsters convene each night at RAINBO
CLUB (1150 N. Damen Ave.; 773/489-5999); the bar's photo booth, red
leather banquettes, and alternative music scene were immortalized in Stephen
Frears's movie High Fidelity.
Restaurants COCO 2723 W. Division St.;
773/384-4811; dinner for two $45. French-trained Nuyorican chef Johnny Quiñones
introduced West Town to sophisticated versions of traditional and modern foods
from Puerto Rico, such as mofongo, a savory tart with a crust of mashed
plantains and pork cracklings. GREEN ZEBRA 1460 W. Chicago Ave.;
312/243-7100; dinner for two $65. Haute restaurateur Shawn McClain's
high-design spot pleases the organic crowd with ingredients from regional farms.
Thanks to McClain's renowned martinis, it caters to lounge lizards too. Don't
miss the Point Reyes blue cheese soufflé.
Shopping CASA DE SOUL 1919 W. Division
St.; 773/252-2520. Nigeria-raised Kennedy Ashinze (who moonlights as
deep-house and global DJ Kennedy Octane) op-ened his boutique this year. It
stocks club gear, one-of-a-kind amulets from Africa, Vietnamese art, and vintage
LP's and magazines. LE FETICHE 1939 W. Division St.; 773/252-5120.
No one seems to mind if you browse in your slippers at this high-end shoe
boutique. The focus is footwear as objet d'art, with Rem Koolhaas's
architectural line, United Nude, as the centerpiece.
After Dark SONOTHEQUE 1444 W. Chicago
Ave.; 312/226-7600. Self-styled international groove merchant Joe Bryl
relocated from Chicago's notorious Vinyl disco to the luminescent DJ booth in
this state-of-the-art sound space, which draws club kids as well as yuppies
slumming on the West Side.
T+L TIP
Know the names of these three revered acts: Stereolab, Smog, and Will Oldham.
You may catch band members in a sneak performance at a local bar
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