Quote:
Originally Posted by kolchak
I think he meant that in China there are passages under the roadways that are less dark and scary - not exactly the case with lower Wacker etc.
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What you don't find the Damen underpass into Pilsen as warm and inviting as I do?
Fact of the matter is that Chicago was far more intensely industrial at it's peak than even China today. Industry simply doesn't concentrate like it used to. It requires far more spread out infrastructure than turn of the century multi floor factories and warehouses. This combined with the fact that they were built 100 years ago means a lot of our infrastructure isn't as pretty as the new stuff you see in China. That's ok though, the industrial aesthetic is Chicago as much as second empire is Paris. It defines the place and has now been embraced by our city rather than rejected as a sign of blight. That's the greatest thing about what is going on in the West Loop and other areas. We are reviving these buildings and infrastructure to preserve it for posterity.