Unsafe areas to avoid in Chicago?
 

2 ladies traveling to Chicago for the 1st time - need to know what areas to avoid?? <BR> Thanx!!

West side. South side.

Near south and near west sides have been heavily gentrified. The mayor lives around 1600 south, for heavens sake! Don't worry about wandering into a bad neighborhood - the tourist areas are very safe. Pickpocketing is the biggest crime.

Tourist areas are safe. Chances are that you won't accidentally stroll into a bad area. The only thing I tell tourists is not to take the el and connect to a bus to the museum of science and industry. Direct busses from Michigan avenue only.

You'll be just fine. I lived in Chicago for 3 years and never wandered into a bad neighborhood. Put it this way: To end up in the bad part of the south side, you would have had to try really hard to get there. It is a 25 taxi drive from downtown in the direction of nothing.

Studs is right about avoiding the south and west sides. If you find yourself at the Rush/Division area (area with alot of bars) DO NOT go any farther west on Division (past the bar area), its a crime-ridden housing project area. And do not go further south on Michigan Ave than the Museum of Science and Industry. I have lived here for 31 years, my whole life, so I kind of know.

Ask whereever you stay when you get there and don't sweat it in advance. You can go to Hyde Park on the south side, which is the neighborhood that has the Museum of Science and Industry, on the south side. It's a great neighborhood with a great university in it. (Michigan Ave does not go to it, so I think the previous poster meant the Field Museum, which is farther north.) My family lives in Hyde Park and we have regularly taken city buses to and from downtown. Granted, we may be the last white folks off the bus, when we get out near the Museum to our home, but we have never had a single problem, other than a pigeon pooping on my sister's head at the bus stop.

I remember hearing somewhere not to go behind the AMTRAK station away from the river?

Chicago is huge in area. Some of these posters are stereotyping and generalizing in a vast way. Most tourists never get out of the Loop or the Near North areas. I myself, and most of my family has lived in various parts of the North, South, Southwest and Far Southern parts of Chicago and now live in Far Southwest Chicago proper, near UIC (for school) and in assorted Western, Southern and Southwest "burbs". Shana knows what she is talking about because she does it.<BR><BR>There are about 50 different neighborhoods in Chicago and all are slightly or greatly different. South side is vastly different in various sections. I travel for medical reasons into almost every area on the "South" side and know which have higher or highest crime rates. The worst crime rates are not always on the South or Southeast sides, as everyone assumes. Chinatown has had very bad stats. Some North areas have bad stats. <BR><BR>You don't really need to worry about this. As a tourist there will be so much to do downtown that you won't be wandering out of the most central area, unless you are here for a very extended stay. Take the Architectural Foundation tours if you are going to Pullman.

Donna - <BR><BR>Did you grown up in the city or the suburbs?

I think Donna is from the 'burbs. The area west of Division is called West Old Town and unless your afraid of people who own $700,000+ homes I would avoid this area as well. There was a time when this area was bad but times have changed.

oops - i meant "grow" up

I grew up in the "city" the northwest side to be exact.....<BR><BR>To ar: Have you forgotten about Cabrini Green? It is exactly west of the Division St. bar area!!!!

I think that you have forgotten that Cabrini Green WAS there. They tore it down to make half million dollar condos and townhouses.

Cabrini Green still stands!

Much of Cabrini Green is still there. I agree I'm not going that far west. Especially if I'm a tourist.

http://www.voicesofcabrini.com/redevelopment_pics.html<BR><BR>I am sure that the residents will be lining up for the 5 dollar coffe here.

Maybe they will line up to buy one of these homes:<BR>http://www.suntimes.com/output/business/mcl30.html<BR><BR>Only 200k-600k<BR>Yea, I would stay out of that hood! You may get hit by someones limo driver.

Hey Donna, just wondering. How you you think the people at Cabrini sleep with the wrecking ball swingning about?

Probably pretty easily, since they are used to sleeping with the sound of gunfire. Touche

Yes, it is too bad these people were not born white upper-class racists like yourself. Take that silver spoon out of your mouth and stick your foot back in it.

Hello, I'm from the northwest side, not Lake Forest

I do not want to battle with you. It just irks me when people misslead others. Why is the area behing M.S.I bad? It beacause BLACK people live there? Many students live there that attend the University of Chicago(one of the top Universities in the US). Most of them believe it or not are white! I have often been in that neighborhood alone and on foot. I can not remember that name of the place(Uncl Joes?) great rib joint. My aunt had a flower business there also. Never was there a problem.<BR>As far as Cabrini goes, I think I proved my point. If you are really afraid of those people I will send you a link to where the students were relocated and then you can avoid those areas also. <BR>http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/04-01/0401map.htm<BR><BR>No I am not Jesse Jackson and I am not African-American either.

I live in West Old Town and in 3 years my townhome appreciated in value by 150%. I could move to the Northwest side now and buy the block if I decided to sell.<BR>I love the people who live in this area including people in Cabrini. Treat everyone with repsect no matter where you live. That's the beauty of this city.

No Jessee -- but you certainly are a typical liberal IDIOT!!

Beware of the Northwest Side - it's full of racist chicks with big hair/mall hair/outdated hair (take your pick) and bad makeup. When they start having babies, they move out to Schaumburg to hang out at Woodfield Mall.

ouch :)

Donna -for someone who grew up in the city, you don't know it very well. Taking Michigan Ave south will NOT take you to the Museum of Science Industry. The Museum is at least 2 miles east of Michigan Ave (and taking Michigan Ave south to get there WILL take you through a few bad neighborhoods). Nice advice.

Once again, please wake me when all of this childish jabbering is over.

To Thanks for Nothing: I did not mean that the Museum was on Michigan, I meant that most tourists go to the museum and that most tourists hang out on Michigan Ave so do not go further south than the museum. At least I don't hide behind a fake email address. You can shove your comments!!

Donna, I think people just want you to admit that you meant the Field Museum, because there are plenty of "bad areas" NORTH of where the Science and Industry Museum is, regardless of whether you stay on Michigan Avenue. <BR><BR>I agree with everyone who says the tourist areas are safe, and that tourists are unlikely to wander inadvertantly into a "high crime" area. Donna, you couldn't have been west of Division very recently because the area is rapidly gentrifying as Cabrini is being shut down, people are being relocated, and new mixed income communities are being developed in this very convenient area.