Talk:Chicago/Southwest Side

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Latest comment: 11 years ago by Peterfitzgerald in topic More closed listings
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Godless disorganized mess

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Yes this article is a disorganized mess, and yes it contains no information about the areas around Midway. This will change; I am trying to sort things out (WT-en) here at present. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 00:55, 27 August 2007 (EDT)

Sorry I can't be of aid. I've only ever been to Midway - I have no sense of the area at all. (WT-en) Gorilla Jones 01:28, 27 August 2007 (EDT)

Chicago Blues Museum

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OK, I drove by this place to try and confirm whether it is open, but I actually couldn't find it. From all accounts, the collection is awesome, but no sense listing it if it's missing:

  • Chicago Blues Museum, 3636 S Iron Street, +1 773 828-8118. This museum is huge and has an excellent collection of blues paraphernalia and exhibits related to blues in Chicago today and in history. The museum also has exhibits pertaining to Chicago's African-American history in general, especially about the Bronzeville district in the 1920s and 30s. Phone to confirm hours.

--(WT-en) Peter Talk 19:45, 18 October 2007 (EDT)

I talked to a guy on the phone, who seemed surprised to have a caller but warmed up when I mentioned an interest in the blues. He said the museum is temporarily closed because their exhibits are traveling in Europe right now, and they intend to re-open in April 2008. (WT-en) Gorilla Jones 12:17, 16 December 2007 (EST)
Honestly, signs of life are enough reason IMO to put this attraction back into the article, with a note that it plans to reopen in April, and that even then you should definitely call before adding it to your travel plans. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 15:59, 16 December 2007 (EST)

Sleep listings

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Moved in for the following reasons:

Me: "How much are your rooms?" Guy: "We're not allowed to give any information over the phone."

Me: "Hi, is this the Parks Hotel?" Guy: "Naw, we ain't got no hotel today, brother. Too cold!"

Phone disconnected:

Too cold? Hahaha! I had a feeling there'd be some interesting conversation come of this little project! --(WT-en) Peter Talk 15:59, 16 December 2007 (EST)

Closed? listings

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I think these are closed, but I'll do a drive by at some point to check since contact info can be really unreliable in some parts of the city.

  • Cuddle Inn, 5317 S Ashland Ave, ☏ +1 773 778-1999. 7AM-2AM daily. A long-time, cozy, friendly blues joint that has seen some famous performances. The club is in a tough part of the neighborhood, so you will want to park close by. 
  • Checkerboard Lounge II (New Checkerboard Lounge), 1634 W 69th St, ☏ +1 773 471-6497. Tu-Sa noon-1AM. The closing of the legendary Checkerboard Lounge in Bronzeville due to code violations saw its move to the rather wealthy Hyde Park neighborhood. This move did not please all of the original club's fans and a second club claiming the name has sprung up in a decidedly non-touristy (read: dangerous) neighborhood. This club offers jazz and blues performances nightly Tu-Sa, but be sure to double check by phone before heading out there. 
Yep, closed, shame. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 21:16, 28 June 2008 (EDT)

Video rentals

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Copied from User talk:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald#Chicago/Southwest Side buy listings

hi peter,

i noticed you took off my listing for the video strip shop in chicago's southwest side. I actually do shop for videos when traveling to keep the kids busy when we are indoors and i think its more important than the listing already showing for "western wear" and "fake puke." The shop even delivered to us which made it very easy on us. When we did go there the owner actually gave us a bunch of places to take the kids this weekend.

i did use this site while searching for things to do but noticed there isn't anything mentioned for the southwest side which we are staying. Please do add more things on here for kid oriented entertainment. —The preceding comment was added by (WT-en) 68.78.32.184 (talk • contribs)

I couldn't agree more that this article needs more good buy listings. My main concern with adding the Video strip is, as I noted, that video rentals are pushing it for a travel guide—I can't think of any time I've seen any listed in any travel guide. This worry goes a little further on Wikivoyage than I would assume in a traditional guide, because we have to be careful in drawing the line to prevent business establishments from filling up these articles with plugs for themselves. The main way of doing that is to limit listings to truly unique neighborhood establishments that travelers might go out of their way to see. (Sanches Bros Western Clothes fits that bill in spectacular fashion, in my opinion.)
All that said, I've restored the listing simply because the section is so limited at present. I'll be tempted to trim it out if we can drum up more high quality listings for the article in the future. I also replaced the description, as it was a copyright violation from citysearch. Hope the guide was otherwise useful! --(WT-en) Peter Talk 01:30, 11 May 2009 (EDT)
Odd Obsession in Chicago/Wicker Park rents videos, although I listed it because it offers an eclectic overall experience, focusing on extreme rarities. But I guess that's a similar case. The fact that the Video Strip will deliver to a hotel in an otherwise quiet part of town (with a lot of hotels) probably makes it worthy of inclusion, for now at least. (WT-en) Gorilla Jones 01:36, 11 May 2009 (EDT)

Star nomination discussion

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A question arose recently regarding what a big outlying district article should ideally look like. I actually was not nominating this article precisely because I thought that type of article was a little too strange to serve as a template for most articles, but now that this type of article is more prevalent, perhaps it would be nice to have a star to look to. I know this area inside and out, and have actually visited every listing aside from the hotel and library lists. Where sections look thin, like "do" and "buy," it really is because there isn't much of interest to list there. I'm pretty sure this article meets the requirements, and have felt that way for some time—I just didn't have the motivation to nominate it. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 19:16, 6 January 2010 (EST)

  • Support. Very well written, perfect formatting and definitely an inspiration for other difficult large city districts. --(WT-en) Burmesedays 10:09, 7 January 2010 (EST)
  • Support. Once again, the Chicago Juggernaut provides an inspiration for us all. A couple of things: Linda's Lounge is missing hours and Holiday Inn Express needs a phone number - other than that, all good; I especially love the pictures of the food. (WT-en) PerryPlanet Talk 11:21, 7 January 2010 (EST)
  • Support. No opinion on accuracy or completeness as I know nothing about the area, but the article looks good. One jarring detail is the apparently random variation between Union Stock Yard and Union Stockyard, but there may be a good reason for this?. Cheers, (WT-en) Peter (Southwood) Talk 04:12, 9 January 2010 (EST)
There are some very minute and easily correctable things that I noticed:
  • "In the southeast are a couple of far-flung African-American neighborhoods." (Understand section) Does this just mean the neighborhoods are on the far outer edges of the city/area?
  • "The big sights on the Southwest Side are the Union Stockyard Gate. Period. And even that is a pretty small attraction for how out of the way it is." (See section) The grammar seems a bit odd. Is the Union Stockyard Gate just one attraction/place or are the "sights" referenced within the yard? Should it be, "The big sight on the SS is the USG"? (making it singular) I think this is the case, because it is referred to as "that" in the next section rather than "those". If not, then perhaps it should be "The big sights on the SS are in the Union Stockyard Gate"?
  • Why is the Chicago Blues Museum closed? Is it indefinite or is there a reopening date?

On a personal note, I learned from this article that it is "mother lode" rather than "mother load", which I had always assumed was the spelling. (WT-en) ChubbyWimbus 14:11, 9 January 2010 (EST)

I've taken care of the outstanding concerns above (and the quirky/bad grammar was intended to put humorous emphasis on the fact that there isn't much to see here, but it was probably a little too eccentric). The Blues Museum exists in the abstract, but his warehouse, by all reports full of incredibly interesting stuff, has been closed for at least two years. I think he's found more success in letting the collection tour, so the museum is in an indefinite limbo. (Incidentally, there is also the question of mother lode v. motherlode. The dictionary claims both are acceptable, and "mother lode" is the version slightly more commonly used per google .)
The one thing I have not been able to nail down are the hours for Linda's Place. I'm certain it was open as recent as last summer, and it's been around for decades, but their phone number is at present disconnected... If they've closed, that's a huge loss for the blues. I'd hate to remove it without solid confirmation that it is indeed closed, since I'm proud of the fact that our Chicago guide is the only guide to Chicago of any sort that has comprehensive coverage of the city's real blues clubs. But if deemed necessary, I'll remove it, since to my great disappointment I'm no longer there to just drive over to make sure (and have a drink). --(WT-en) Peter Talk 17:19, 9 January 2010 (EST)
  • Almost support I like the article in general but two points I would like to see changed:
  1. Sleep: It is split in two section which neither has the usual three levels. I think it should preferably have a price range indication or the usual budget/mid-range/splurge split as Chicago is in other areas rather expensive. I would feel a bit lost where to stay with this current structure
  2. Get around: If taxis can not be hailed, could you add at least one or two numbers of local taxi companies (or is there a general taxi number some areas have?)?

I hope we get this to star as it is very interesting to read. Thank you for your efforts, (WT-en) jan 07:30, 18 January 2010 (EST)

I sorted the sleep section by price, and put all the Midway Hotel Center hotels under mid-range (it makes sense to group them, as they are all on one compound). For taxis, we give the big four's numbers at Chicago#By taxi. I suppose we could link the word "taxi" back to that section of the main article, but if we made such a decision, we should do that for all the district articles (and for all forms of transport, buses, trains, etc.). --(WT-en) Peter Talk 14:27, 18 January 2010 (EST)
Support Sorry for the late reply but Peters changes and answers were fine for me and I didn't thought that I need to confirm that. (WT-en) jan 15:11, 11 February 2010 (EST)
No problem, I just wanted to make sure ;) --(WT-en) Peter Talk 15:47, 11 February 2010 (EST)
Is there any reason you don't mention the Red line in the "Get in" section, even though Garfield and 63rd seems to be within the district on the map, and it runs just outside the eastern boundary for the remainder of the border? --(WT-en) Stefan (sertmann) talk 14:40, 18 January 2010 (EST)
Good point, and fixed. That side of the district is far less travel-relevant, but it's good to explain nonetheless. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 14:52, 18 January 2010 (EST)

More closed listings

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Latest comment: 11 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion


  • Izzy Rizzy's House of Tricks, 6034 S Pulaski Rd, ☏ +1 773 735-7370, fax: +1 773 581-4626, . M-F 10AM-9PM, Sa 10AM-7PM. You also might want to take a gander at Izzy Rizzy's. The kids will love you if you take them here. Magic kits, fake dog doo, Santa costumes, whoopee cushions galore. 
Izzy's is closed as of 6 Apr, with no clear plans to reopen a physical location. --(WT-en) Peter Talk 22:45, 29 April 2010 (EDT)

And more:

  • Lagniappe - A Creole Cajun Joynt, 1525 W 79th St, ☏ +1 773 994-6375. Tu-Th 11AM-8PM, F-Sa 11AM-10PM. A small little joynt that serves incredible gumbo! The Cajun seafood entrees are also excellent, and $5 wangs 'n waffles always sounds just about right. $5-15. 

I'm not 100% positive about Lagniappe, but it certainly looks to be closed. --Peter Talk 22:12, 16 April 2013 (UTC)Reply

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