With 117,527 residents, Austin is the most populous neighborhood in Chicago. Yet neither Megan nor I, nor any of the friends we talked to before we went, had ever heard of it. For a while it looked as though we may even skip the neighborhood entirely. The articles that we read told us that Austin was a poor, predominantly African-American neighborhood with drug trafficking and gang problems. Eventually though, curiosity prevailed and we decided to drive out there for lunch on a Saturday afternoon.
As we exited I-290 and drove north into Austin, it was immediately evident that this was not an affluent neighborhood. The advertisement on a park bench read: "Addicted? We can help." The storefront signs were all cracked and fading, and there was no shortage of boarded up buildings. But unlike Auburn-Gresham, it didn't feel especially dangerous or hopeless. In fact, hope seemed to be a theme. There were churches everywhere. On nearly every corner there were large, sometimes ornate, houses of worship, each one enough to satisfy the spiritual nee
ds of entire neighborhoods elsewhere in Chicago. But that wasn't enough in Austin. There were also storefront churches in the middle of blocks between the larger churches. In places there were two of these mini-churches (which could have been restaurants or hair salons weeks earlier) right next to each other. It seemed as though there were entire blocks where the only storefronts open for business were churches. And they weren’t just for show. Most of the people we saw on the street were dressed up in suits and dresses, mingling outside of churches. Did I mention this was a Saturday?
Our first (and as it would turn out, only) stop of the day was MacArthur's Restaurant for some “Fine Southern Cuisine”. The restaurant was set up like a cafeteria. Upon entering, we waited in a line that wound its way to the back of the restaurant to a long counter with the day’s selection of food sitting in warming trays behind glass. As we made our way to the counter we passed pictures on the walls of celebrities and political figures who had dined at MacArthur’s (Governor Blagojevich was one of the few we recognized). There were also several small flat screens that scrolled the day’s menu and prices (an entrée and 2 side dishes for $8). The wide selection included entrees from Salisbury steak to fried catfish and sides of vegetable
s, pastas and potatoes. As we waited in line, Megan and I became aware of a situation that doesn’t occur very often in Lakeview—of the 50 or so patrons and employees in the restaurant, we were the only white people. But how often, we wondered, do white people come out to Austin for soul food? “Well, we can’t be the first ones,” I said to Megan as we waited in line. “Governor Blagojevich was here.” We also realized that we were under-dressed for the occasion. Like the majority of the people we saw on the sidewalks, the patrons of MacArthur’s were all dressed up, presumably coming from church (where else?).
For lunch, I ordered the pork chops with mashed potatoes and spaghetti (I know. It was a bad combination at the time, and it was a bad combination for the rest of the day. But how could one resist?) Opting for the classic soul food experience, Megan went with the fried chicken, yams, and collard greens. We sat at a small table near the front window of the crowded, but quiet, dining room. At the table were plastic bottles of two condiments - vinegar and Tabasco sauce. We both really enjoyed our meals. Megan made it about halfway through her big plate of fried chicken, and I crammed down the majority of my enormous portions of pork chops and spaghetti. As expected, neither one of us particularly liked the collard greens, but we’re glad we tried them (like cooked spinach but with a bitter aftertaste). The cornbread that came with both of our plates was also pretty good.
Our bellies bursting at the seams, we left MacArthur’s and hopped back in the car to explore Austin. We drove south through Columbus Park--a huge, well-landscaped expanse in the southwest corner of the neighborhood--then back north up Austin Ave past the dignified old brownstones along the boarder of Oak Park. As we made our way east, we saw some of the rougher parts of the neighborhood that reminded us more of Auburn-Gresham. The one big difference was that everything was more spread out. But there were still the tell-tale blue CPD strobe lights atop street lights and the groups of young men hanging out on corners. By and large though, we thought Austin was a surprisingly nice neighborhood. During our brief visit we felt a strong sense of community and always felt safe.
With the pork chop/spaghetti combo making my stomach feel uneasy, and not many other options in the area for entertainment, we decided to break rule #2 and call it a day, glad that we had opted to visit Austin after all. On our way back home we debated just how nice the neighborhood really was in relation to the rest of Chicago--Megan focusing on the churches and the nice parks, while I argued that the groups of young men standing on the corners likely weren't just waiting for a bus. We decided to use the internet to find out what gave Austin such a bad rap.
The verdict: Not only is Austin a rough neighborhood, but by many measurements, it's the worst in Chicago. With 30 homicides in the last year, Austin is the deadliest neighborhood in Chicago (Greater Grand Crossings is 2nd with 23). Granted, it has the largest population, but even per capita it is in the same company as some of the notorious South Side neighborhoods. In fact, according to the Chicago Police Department, on that Saturday alone, a total of 51 crimes were committed in the neighborhood of Austin. The list of offenses included a robbery, an aggravated assault, two aggravated batteries, two burglaries, three vehicle thefts, an arson, two simple assaults, 17 drug arrests, and a host of other crimes. Even during the few hours we were there a car was stolen two streets away from where we ate, and someone was stabbed on the sidewalk 6 blocks away. (Note: if you live in Chicago, check out that link above. You'll be amazed at the kind of stuff that goes on in your neighborhood on any given Saturday night.)
So it turns out we were both right (me more so than Megan, of course). Austin was an interesting place and we enjoyed our afternoon there. If you're craving some tasty soul food or a good ol' fashion church crawl, Austin may be the place for you. Just don't push your luck.
As we exited I-290 and drove north into Austin, it was immediately evident that this was not an affluent neighborhood. The advertisement on a park bench read: "Addicted? We can help." The storefront signs were all cracked and fading, and there was no shortage of boarded up buildings. But unlike Auburn-Gresham, it didn't feel especially dangerous or hopeless. In fact, hope seemed to be a theme. There were churches everywhere. On nearly every corner there were large, sometimes ornate, houses of worship, each one enough to satisfy the spiritual nee
ds of entire neighborhoods elsewhere in Chicago. But that wasn't enough in Austin. There were also storefront churches in the middle of blocks between the larger churches. In places there were two of these mini-churches (which could have been restaurants or hair salons weeks earlier) right next to each other. It seemed as though there were entire blocks where the only storefronts open for business were churches. And they weren’t just for show. Most of the people we saw on the street were dressed up in suits and dresses, mingling outside of churches. Did I mention this was a Saturday?Our first (and as it would turn out, only) stop of the day was MacArthur's Restaurant for some “Fine Southern Cuisine”. The restaurant was set up like a cafeteria. Upon entering, we waited in a line that wound its way to the back of the restaurant to a long counter with the day’s selection of food sitting in warming trays behind glass. As we made our way to the counter we passed pictures on the walls of celebrities and political figures who had dined at MacArthur’s (Governor Blagojevich was one of the few we recognized). There were also several small flat screens that scrolled the day’s menu and prices (an entrée and 2 side dishes for $8). The wide selection included entrees from Salisbury steak to fried catfish and sides of vegetable
s, pastas and potatoes. As we waited in line, Megan and I became aware of a situation that doesn’t occur very often in Lakeview—of the 50 or so patrons and employees in the restaurant, we were the only white people. But how often, we wondered, do white people come out to Austin for soul food? “Well, we can’t be the first ones,” I said to Megan as we waited in line. “Governor Blagojevich was here.” We also realized that we were under-dressed for the occasion. Like the majority of the people we saw on the sidewalks, the patrons of MacArthur’s were all dressed up, presumably coming from church (where else?).For lunch, I ordered the pork chops with mashed potatoes and spaghetti (I know. It was a bad combination at the time, and it was a bad combination for the rest of the day. But how could one resist?) Opting for the classic soul food experience, Megan went with the fried chicken, yams, and collard greens. We sat at a small table near the front window of the crowded, but quiet, dining room. At the table were plastic bottles of two condiments - vinegar and Tabasco sauce. We both really enjoyed our meals. Megan made it about halfway through her big plate of fried chicken, and I crammed down the majority of my enormous portions of pork chops and spaghetti. As expected, neither one of us particularly liked the collard greens, but we’re glad we tried them (like cooked spinach but with a bitter aftertaste). The cornbread that came with both of our plates was also pretty good.
Our bellies bursting at the seams, we left MacArthur’s and hopped back in the car to explore Austin. We drove south through Columbus Park--a huge, well-landscaped expanse in the southwest corner of the neighborhood--then back north up Austin Ave past the dignified old brownstones along the boarder of Oak Park. As we made our way east, we saw some of the rougher parts of the neighborhood that reminded us more of Auburn-Gresham. The one big difference was that everything was more spread out. But there were still the tell-tale blue CPD strobe lights atop street lights and the groups of young men hanging out on corners. By and large though, we thought Austin was a surprisingly nice neighborhood. During our brief visit we felt a strong sense of community and always felt safe.
With the pork chop/spaghetti combo making my stomach feel uneasy, and not many other options in the area for entertainment, we decided to break rule #2 and call it a day, glad that we had opted to visit Austin after all. On our way back home we debated just how nice the neighborhood really was in relation to the rest of Chicago--Megan focusing on the churches and the nice parks, while I argued that the groups of young men standing on the corners likely weren't just waiting for a bus. We decided to use the internet to find out what gave Austin such a bad rap.
The verdict: Not only is Austin a rough neighborhood, but by many measurements, it's the worst in Chicago. With 30 homicides in the last year, Austin is the deadliest neighborhood in Chicago (Greater Grand Crossings is 2nd with 23). Granted, it has the largest population, but even per capita it is in the same company as some of the notorious South Side neighborhoods. In fact, according to the Chicago Police Department, on that Saturday alone, a total of 51 crimes were committed in the neighborhood of Austin. The list of offenses included a robbery, an aggravated assault, two aggravated batteries, two burglaries, three vehicle thefts, an arson, two simple assaults, 17 drug arrests, and a host of other crimes. Even during the few hours we were there a car was stolen two streets away from where we ate, and someone was stabbed on the sidewalk 6 blocks away. (Note: if you live in Chicago, check out that link above. You'll be amazed at the kind of stuff that goes on in your neighborhood on any given Saturday night.)
So it turns out we were both right (me more so than Megan, of course). Austin was an interesting place and we enjoyed our afternoon there. If you're craving some tasty soul food or a good ol' fashion church crawl, Austin may be the place for you. Just don't push your luck.
1 comment:
LOL. You guys should check that crime site before you go to any neighborhood.
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