Two Chicagos
In this post, I seek to compare my experiences living in Chicago in a South Side neighborhood (Hyde Park) vs. a North Shore neighborhood (Gold Coast). The perspective is first-person and observational, but I have tried to supplement my experience with data where possible. I moved to Chicago in September 2021, as the seasons were changing and a stifling 80 degrees turned to a brisk 50s. I was living in Hyde Park, a neighborhood much further south than the Lakeview or Lincoln Park neighborhoods where you will find more twenty-somethings . I had signed a one-year lease, thinking I would soon be starting a two-year Master of Public Policy program at the University of Chicago, before ultimately deciding to defer for a year. Instead of walking one mile each day to the Harris building at the south of campus, I was holed up in my apartment working remotely for a tech company. I lived off of 53rd St, considered to be downtown Hyde Park, on a more residential street. Further down 53rd St is Harp
