Bears Route

Growing up if we went to the Bears stadium (or Sox park for that matter) the area nearby was dicey, at best. Over the years they have really cleaned the area up, by tearing down warehouses and building new restaurants and condominiums and, of course, by razing the projects that were a haven for crime and weren't pleasant to drive by, either.

You can walk all the way back from Soldier Field along the lake up through Grant Park and into downtown (or River East, as they call it now) by the big Blue Cross building across from Millennium Park.

In the old days you wouldn't even think about driving along State Street once you got past the edge of the south loop by where the big police station was. But nowadays they have torn down almost all of the projects and you can go almost all the way down State Street to Soldier Field without feeling like you are taking your life in your hands.

The last projects, the called the Ickes Homes at Cermak and State, are now scheduled for demolition, according to this Chicago Tribune article (where the blurry photo comes from, taken through a chain link fence, which is appropriate). In recent years when Dan and I have driven by them on the way back from Soldier Field they have gotten more and more dilapidated every year, and still have crowds of idlers hanging around out front eying you as you drive back from the game. When these projects are gone the whole path from Soldier Field up State Street and into the loop will be a nice drive with all new condos, restaurants, and businesses.

Whatever people say about Daley, probably most of it is true, but he ought to get more credit for tearing down these projects, since they were obviously a blight on the city. No one else had the guts (or the power) to make this happen, apparently. But if you are with someone who hasn't been in the city for a decade or more take them to the South loop and they will just be amazed by the transformation from skid row and scary looking projects into a modern and rebuilt city. All the way to Soldier Field, at least...

Cross posted at Fire Ron Turner