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Originally Posted by killaviews
Gentrification in Lincoln Park definitely caused the decline of anything interesting. The main retail corridor went from Barney's Co-Op from and nationally recognized independent shops to Flirty Girl Fitness and nail salons (Flirty Girl Fitness has since been replaced by something even more basic). Lincoln Park and parts of Lakeview has become not only boring, but unattractive. The businesses don't put in the effort, I think, because so there are so many residents with money that you don't need to try very hard to get customers. New places open up with just a vinyl sign.
It's not all the neighborhood's fault, though. Something that bugs me is that local media is only fascinated with the next trendy spot. Restaurants and stores flock to Logan Square and Fulton Market because that is where all the attention is. There have been a few decent places in LP that have tried and failed. It's sad because they get no coverage. And the residents of LP and Lakeview also flock to these neighborhoods because that is where they are told to go, and their local spots flounder.
I'm optimistic that the tide will turn again. Eventually, the concentration of people and money will win out. I think the Viagra Triangle is the perfect example. It wasn't blighted with empty storefronts, but it was not interesting. It has been shifting towards interesting again with restaurants like Nico and Somerset.
Lincoln Park's return to destination-status may be starting with a Parsons Chicken and Fish. While it seems like a no-brainer (dense and wealthy), but business are afraid to step up and the cost has to be higher as well. I was in LP recently, on Clark street, trying to find a place for dinner - and there is nothing and everything at the same time. It's like a mall food court.
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How would gentrification cause the departure of Barney’s? I’m pretty sure that was Net-a-Porter/Mr. Porter, the general decline of department stores, and the fact that the location was probably never productive enough for Barney’s’ private equity owners compared to their stores on both coasts.
Isn’t Parson’s he place in Logan Square with negroni slushies? If so then the whole point of going there is to sit at a picnic table in the back and get wasted on those while playing bocce. It won’t be cool if it sets up in a former chain restaurant space in LP.
News flash kids - the most wealthy neighborhoods are never the most trendy or interesting, anywhere in the world. Downtown is cooler than Uptown, and Brooklyn is cooler still. East London is cooler than West London. Eastern Paris is cooler than Western Paris. In all of these cases ‘cooler’ includes better shopping, better restaurants and better nightlife... in our opinion. For other people, like the average Lincoln Parker or Upper West Sider, the best shopping means Banana Republic, best restaurants means a nice Italian that doesn’t serve anything ‘weird’, and best nightlife means closing before midnight so they don’t hear any noise. All cities have both types of neighborhoods.
Lincoln Park is Chicago’s Upper West Side, not its West Village. It has never been cool.