As the Pride Parade approaches, I have become more aware of the gay community in Chicago. I find it reassuring. This was also more apparent to me this weekend as I walked up Halsted with all the rainbow flags, and Midsommar Fest. Here are my observations:
The corridor of N Halsted from Clark to about Newport is festooned in rainbows, men-only salons, and specialty shops. Boystown. The traditional gay neighborhood of Chicago. Also attractive to people with neon colored hair who are too calm to be punk. The shops feature lots of pride and tacky novelties. But it's nice to see a street embrace its community without being bashful, I guess.
By contrast, Andersonville is more the neighborhood of the lesbians, (apparently the labrynthine Jewel is the place to pick up chycks). I am told it has a higher per-capita of gays than San Francisco. Andersonville has lots of cool shops, walkin the fine line between quaint and hip. Their stationer, Paper Trail (which I LOVE), has all sorts of interesting products, including gay adoption cards. Tasteful yet PC.
In either neighborhood, you are just as likely to see straight couples hand in hand as gay couples. And that's cool. But I don't know if it's because I am female, or because I am not in college, that I prefer the Andersonville vibe.
on the iPod: "Tango Fugata" - Astor Piazzola
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