South Loop/Near South Side

The Breakdown

Sparkling new residences line a South Loop street.

An overview: It wasn’t that long ago that the South Loop was much like the West Loop, a haven for industry and not much else.  Today, and very much like present-day West Loop, it is something very different.  Dozens upon dozens of new condo buildings and converted lofts line Michigan, Wabash, State, and Lake Michigan south of Roosevelt Road.  New shops, bars, and eateries occupy the first floor of historic low-rises and new high-rises.  Urban professionals, retirees, and young families are out-and-about at seemingly all hours of the day, taking advantage of the amenities of the neighborhood, or that of the Loop immediately to the north.

The South Loop (or “Near South Side” community area as recognized by the City of Chicago) is also home to one of Chicago’s true cultural gems, the Museum Campus.  You know the usual suspects: the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, and the Adler Planetarium.  However, it’s also home to Soldier Field and Northerly Island (formerly Meigs Field Airport).  Although it’s always been a neighborhood, the South Loop as it looks today is one of Chicago’s newest and up-and-coming areas, if not already there.

Chicago Summer Festivals 2012

Looking for something to do this summer?  How about going to one or more of the endless number of festivals held throughout Chicago's neighborhoods?  From burgers to beer, live music to dance, North side to South side to West side, we have over 70 of the City's unique summertime events encapsulated below.  They're sorted by neighborhood and then in order by date.  Also, a description of each event is given by one of Chicago's top media publications: Time Out Chicago, Metromix Chicago, RedEye Chicago, and Explore Chicago (the City's official tourism website).  So whether in your neighborhood, or the opposite end of town, here are 70+ opportunities to get out and hang with your fellow Chicagoans.

Greektown

The Breakdown

Welcome to Little Athens!

An overview: Greektown, a neighborhood within a larger neighborhood (West Loop), within an even larger neighborhood (Near West Side).  Although not large in terms of geography, Greektown does loom large as a classic, authentic ethnic neighborhood sitting just outside downtown.  Running down Halsted are no fewer than a dozen Grecian restaurants (where you’re just as likely to hear Greek as English), a couple taverns, a few small shops and grocers, and the strip’s new anchor, the recently opened National Hellenic Museum.

Sitting a few blocks south of the Randolph Street foodie’s wet dream, and less than a mile northeast of recently reinvigorated and gentrified Little Italy, Greektown sometimes gets lost in the culinary mix.  But it’s definitely a worthwhile investment of time for a light al fresco lunch with a chilled glass of white wine, or a late dinner in a neighborhood that’s rocking up to 4 A.M.

Temple of Van Buren at Halstedopoulos.

The boundaries: Tiny little Greektown rests entirely within a two by five block area.  Madison Street lies to the north, Green Street to the west, I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway) to the south, and I-90/94 (Kennedy Expressway) to the east.  Running right down the middle is Halsted Street, which is host to the vast majority of the neighborhood’s dining and nightlife.

Population make-up: Greektown is far too small to have its own Census tract.  As of 2010, it shares one going all the way west to Ashland.  The make-up of this particular tract is 64% white, 16% black, 10% Asian, and 7% Hispanic.  There are numerous lofts around the neighborhood that have been converted from warehouses in the past 10 to 15 years, ensuring an always lively, vibrant community.

A brief history: Greeks began to come over to Chicago in the 1840s, and by the early 1900s had established a neighborhood of their own just south of present-day Greektown.  This area, known as The Delta, was the largest concentration of Greeks in the United States for much of the twentieth century, with nearly 30,000 calling the area home.  The development of the interstate highway system in the 1950s (I-290 specifically in this instance), as well as the development of the University of Illinois at Chicago, led to an exodus of most of the area’s Greek population.

Halsted & Jackson.  The heart of Greektown.

Despite this, the Grecian influence never left.  Today, the Halsted strip between Madison and the Eisenhower thrives as a classic ethnic neighborhood, alive at all hours of the day, especially on weekend evenings.  Though not large in terms of geography, Chicago’s Greektown stands as one of the best (if not the best) authentic Greektowns in the entire country.

Getting there: By L, it’s as easy as taking the Blue Line to UIC-Halsted.  Make sure you take the ramp up to Halsted and take a left.  It’ll take you right into the southern entryway to Greektown.  

You can also get there on the bus.  Going north-south, just take the Halsted bus (8).  Going east-west, there’s the Madison bus (20) too.