UNIV 101: CONNECTIONS TO CHICAGOAmanda, Christian, Sarah, & Syed

Let us take you around Wicker

Park!

DEMOGRAPHICS • Wicker Park is no doubt the home for many middle aged bachelors. The

median age for this neighborhood is around 33.31 years and the population chart shows that a vast majority of the population is in the 20s and 30s.

LET'S TALK ABOUT MONEY • The average household in Wicker Park has two people, and only about

15% of homes have children. • The median income of people in Wicker Park is around $90,000 a year.• This explains why there are so many brand name stores in the

neighborhood as we saw for ourselves. People have money to spend!

HISTORY • Incorporated 1837• Rolling Mill Steel Works - 1857• Industrial based• Irish - first residents• Population increase following Great Chicago Fire• Germans, Norwegians, and Jews • Decline 1930-1975• Slow rebirth

ATTRACTIONS... WHAT CAN I DO THERE?

• Wicker Park fest: July 25th-26th• Music from both big bands and small, unique food stalls, and art from local

artists• Green Music Fest:

• A music festival with completely biodegradable cups, forks, and plates for a minimal environmental impact festival

• Wicker Park Farmers Market:• So many fresh and seasonal fruits, vegetables, jams, handmade pasta all from

local farms (if you’ve got the money, because $4.00 a lb for green beans is crazy)

• Corbett vs. Dempsey: • An art gallery for contemporary, 20th century, and midwestern art

ATTRACTIONS... WHAT CAN I DO THERE?

• There is a huge variety of restaurants in Wicker Park, so you're bound to find anything you might have a taste for!

• Mexican: Big Star, Antique Taco, Las Palmas• Southern/American: Lillie's Q, Schwa, Smoke Daddy, Trenchermen• Vegetarian/Vegan: Mana Food Bar, Native Foods Café, Handlebar• PIZZA: Piece Brewery and Pizzeria, Lou Malnati's • and many, many more!• A lot of restaurants are BYO

SHOPPING• There are tons of vintage and second hand shops, which even at these

stores everything is unsurprisingly very expensive. Vintage Underground, Second Time Around, Kokorokoko, Crossroads Trading Co. are a few examples on N. Milwaukee Ave.

• They have a Chrome store which is apparently a big thing in Chicago• There are also chain stores such as Marc Jacobs, Aldo, and Urban

Outfitters

WAIT...WHERE IS THIS PLACE AGAIN? HOW CAN I GET THERE?

• Take the Red Line to Lake from Loyola• Transfer to Blue Line• Get off at the Damen stop

One of the first things we saw after getting off the Damen Blue stop was a

man drawing a mural on a wall.. Wicker Park is famous for its art scene, as you will

see

On the day we came, there was a farmers' marker

going on. Unfortunately it ended before we

got there. We highly considered if we should take these guys as our

souvenirs to Loyola.

Who said art was only pictures? This

fine piece of engineering was

like a motion detector, except it only made a noise

when someone walked AWAY from it. We realized that

this was kind of sad!

Since we went on a Sunday, there was a Bears game going on. As we were

walking through Wicker Park (the actual Wicker Park. not the neighborhood, someone yelled at us and said the

Bears had just won. What an awesome day.

Wait... the Bears won AND we got free

donuts? Well, only one of those is true.

Remember, $89,000 median income.

SYED'S PERSONAL REFLECTION• I really enjoyed the experience at Wicker Park because it showed me a

view of Chicago which I rarely see. I live in West Ridge, which is still Chicago but my surrounding blocks are very residential so not much goes on. In Wicker Park, I was fascinated with the culture of art, fashion, sports, etc., everything that Chicago is known for. We went on a Sunday, and the day was beautiful so there were so many people walking around with their pets. People were saying hello to each other randomly, so overall it was a very welcoming feeling when we were walking. One thing that did surprise me was a couple that was walking around and had a sign that said "need money for food and weed". Now that I think of it, we should probably have taken a picture of them. wicker parkdonuts are tasty

AMANDA BETHANCOURT-SZYMANOWSKA (ABS)' REFLECTION

• I have been to wicker park only a few times,once to go to shopping at urban outfitters and another time to work at Green Music Fest. Green music fest was really cool and you really go the feel of the people there. I'm glad I got to explore more in depth this time around and show my classmates a little piece of my city.

SARAH'S REFLECTION• Going to Wicker Park was a really cool experience! Although I am not from

the city, I grew up only 40 miles from here, and all I know is the downtown area. It was awesome to explore a new part of Chicago. I enjoyed the culture of Wicker Park. It was very different from the parts of Chicago that I'm used to. I enjoyed going into all the vintage shops and looking at cool street art.

• It was an authentic Chicago experience for me because Chicago's neighborhoods are so diverse, and getting to explore that diversity is what exploring Chicago is all about. It's more than just a big silver bean.

CHRISTIAN'S REFLECTION• Enjoyed being in Wicker Park• No real impact on opinion of Chicago. Just putting a face to a name• Not an authentic Chicago experience: too many childless young couples • Learned more about my independent nature during the experience• Surprised at the size and nature of commercial district

RESOURCES• Coorens, Elaine. "History of the Wicker Park District." Neighborhood History. Wicker Park

Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

• https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=corbett%20vs%20dempsey%20gallery

• http://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=restaurants&find_loc=Wicker+Park%2C+Chicago%2C+IL

• https://www.google.com/search?q=restaurants+in+wicker+park&ie=&oe=#q=restaurants+in+wicker+park&rflfq=1&tbm=lcl

• "Find Your Perfect Home." Chicago Neighborhoods. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.