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 | Chicago Common Sense Advice / Sketchy Neighborhoods Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 69 |  |
 | |  |  | Common Sense Advice / Sketchy Neighborhoods: Don't be paranoid! | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
If you're a tourist in Chicago, seeing all the tourist sites--Sears Tower, Navy Pier, Museum Campus, etc.--you'll be in the safest neighborhoods in the city. There are many warnings on this site about avoiding other neighborhoods like Chinatown, the whole South Side, West Side, Cabrini Green, and other projects. But there is really nothing to fear. Chinatown has long been a popular neighborhood for locals and tourists alike, so you will never be alone. Additionally, it has friendly people, and great shops and restaurants. Most of the tourist attractions on the South Side--University of Chicago and Museum of Science and Industry--are located in Hyde Park, a culturally-flourishing neighborhood, one of the most diverse in the city. Other South Side attractions--the Garfield Park Conservatory, DuSable Museum, or U.S. Cellular Field--are located in other, so-called "bad" neighborhoods, but parking is a breeze, and odds are you won't be spending too much more time in those neighborhoods anyway, so don't worry about it. The West Side of Chicago houses a predominantly-Hispanic neighborhood, one that is rich with culture (and great food), and should not be missed just because you won't find rich, white people living there. As for the housing projects, city efforts are underway to improve those areas, but in the meantime, don't worry if you happen to drive through one. There aren't any popular tourists sites there, so you probably won't find yourself there, but if you do, just proceed with the same caution you use in any neighborhood and you'll be fine. Sure, you can have a good time seeing all the popular tourist attractions in the city, but If you follow all the warnings on this site, you'll miss out on a lot of great things Chicago has to offer. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Common Sense Advice / Sketchy Neighborhoods: Safety in Chicago | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Chicago is a large city and has the same crime problems as any large urban area. Use common sense and the same precautions you would in any large city and you should be fine. Watch for pickpockets on public transportation and on the street, don't walk in deserted parks/streets after dark and grab a taxi if you feel uncomfortable in your surroundings or are traveling late in the evening and don't know where you are going During the day or night it is generally safe to walk on well lit/high traffic streets near the Magnificent Mile, River North and the Gold Coast. The loop (business district) is safe during daytime hours but after the business people go home for the day, it becomes a lot less populated. You might think about taking a cab if it's late at night. If you are venturing into the neighborhoods, ask your concierege about the safety of the area and the best way to get there, sometimes public transportation is perfectly fine, sometimes you are better off using a cab, esp. if you are traveling solo. There's probably no reason for anyone to venture into the worst neighborhoods in Chicago since they typically don't have any tourist attractions or restaurants that would appeal to tourists. Neighborhoods change quickly though, empty lots, bars on windows, lots of beat up cars and housing projects are usually a really good sign that you are somewhere you don't belong. I've inadvertantly driven through a couple of these areas recently trying to avoid highway construction, Austin and Englewood are two of the worst, if you are not familiar with where you are going, stick to the major highways even if it means a little more time in traffic. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Common Sense Advice / Sketchy Neighborhoods: Are the bad areas really dangerous or am I lucky | Tip Rating:  | | | | |
I've lived in Chicago (Elmhurst) for about 19 months and I've been to more places in the city than people who have lived here for 40 years. I've been to and thru many supposedly bad neighborhoods in the city, during the day and night. I've cruised down Martin Luther King Drive between Chinatown and 103rd, Halsted from Cabrini all the way to Sibley, Division from Cabrini to Pulaski, The "K"'s, Western from Morgan Park to 159th, Cottage Grove and Lake Park Ave down thru Chatham and Pullman neighborhoods, and many more. I've been thru all those places on weekends, late at night, and in the summer, stopped at those infamous chicken, rib, fish joints to get food, and never had anybody bother me once. I wonder why that is? I'm white, I'm from Kansas, I definitely didn't belong down in those areas. Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe it has something to do with me looking like an NFL fullback, or maybe it has something to do with how I acted. I got an extremely valuable piece of info from a couple of friends of mine who happen to be native residents of those areas. They told me that all you have to do is pretend like you know exactly what you are doing and where you are going, and don't care or even appear to notice what is happening around you. Sounds simple, right? It works, I've tried it many times. I'm not suggesting that you do what I have done and voluntarily venture into the areas mentioned above. I am saying that they are only as bad as the amount of fear that you have and SHOW. God knows I was quite fearful at times, but nobody knew it. People will leave you alone if you mind your own business and stay out of theirs. Be careful, be courteous, and enjoy the exciting diversity the Chicago has to offer. It is an amazing experience! Leave a Comment
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| | | | Common Sense Advice / Sketchy Neighborhoods: Parking, Con Artist, Pick Pockets | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Okay, if you wear jeans and gym shoes, and have a camera wrapped around your neck...you are a prime target for pickpockets. In all my 10 years living in the city, I have never had this happen to me. Try and blend in by dressing well and looking confident. There are many good con artists in the city. One of the old lines is "my car got towed and my wallet was inside and I cannot get it out of the impound lot-can you lend me $5, $10, etc dollars?" Well, no. If you have your keys, the attendants will let you in your car to get your wallet. Don't fall for any sob stories, there are many variations of this story. If you have a rental car, beware the parking tickets! I have paid so many parking fines in my 10 years downtown! I am sure the money spent on fines would be one heck of trip to Europe. Sad but true. They get you for minor infractions, so be careful! Leave a Comment
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| | | | Common Sense Advice / Sketchy Neighborhoods: Neighborhoods | Tip Rating: | | | | |
This is kind of a general word of advice rather than a real warning. Neighborhoods and safety levels can change very quickly once you leave downtown. In fact, very soon after you leave downtown. Some things that I use as warning flags are lots of beat up old cars or cars on blocks, lots of unsupervised children, lots of people apparently without much to do, security signs or measures in stores, and lots of curiosity about who you are. Having read through a lot of the warning tips about Chicago, it seems that most people will want to caution you about the south side, though the west side can be much worse in places. The truth of the matter is, that some of the worst crimes happen in some of the best neighborhoods. Criminals aren't stupid, they go where the money is. Drug dealers aren't stupid either, they don't want heat where they do business. I go to some of the worst parts of the city depending on the reason and have never been hassled, seldom even draw a second look. Nevertheless, even I cross my fingers in some areas, especially later at night. There are some areas of the north side that you might want to be more vigilant in. Rogers Park, Humboldt Park, and Uptown are the ones that come to mind. For all the improvements over the last few years, these areas have been left behind to one degree or another. The south side is generally pretty safe towards the west. I'm not down there all that much, but I would say west of Pulaski. East of there, things can be a bit dicey, but for the most part, no one will bother you, especially during the day. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Common Sense Advice / Sketchy Neighborhoods: Safety | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Contrary to how some protray the city Chicago is, overall, a safe place. Chicagoans take tremendous pride in their city and a very dim view towards crime. The vast number of "block clubs" and community policing organzations can attest to this. Some areas of the city are best avoided, including parts of the far west and south sides. Fortunately these areas contain nothing of interest for the casual visitor, unless the nature of your journey is sociological or humanitarian in nature, so you won't have to worry about accidentally wandering into them. The exception is the Cabrini Green housing project as it is near a touristed area. Located just west of the Brown and Purple line tracks of the El that run near the gentrified Gold Coast and Old Town neighborhoods, it is defintely something to be aware of. Even though the "Projects" are coming down, this area is very unsafe. At night I would avoid walking (especially alone) outside the gentrified areas of Gold Coast, Old Town and Lincoln Park. Unless there's a summer festival going on, even the Loop can be desolate and bleak at night. As with anywhere else, be aware of petty street crime like pickpockets and con men. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Common Sense Advice / Sketchy Neighborhoods: Suburban Law Enforcement | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Not everyone needs to worry about this tip, but it is a good idea to keep in mind that many of the suburbs tend to be much more conservative than the city itself and it is much easier to run afoul of the law. This may be unlikely to see you put in prison unless you do something really dumb, but it can cause you other kinds of inconveniences. For example, if you forget on turn your headlights on in the city, the police are likely to pull alongside you and shout, "Hey @$$hole, turn your lights on" and drive off. In the suburbs, the same offense is likely to have you ticketed and get your car sniffed by a drug dog. They aren't overtly racist, but if you are darker skinned or don't speak English very well, or are white but outwardly appear to conform to some negatively stereotyped group like bikers or rockers or rappers, you could find yourself drawing attention you don't want. Even if less than enlightened, these police agencies do have the full powers of law enforcement and they can make your life miserable. Your typical tourist isn't likely to spend much time in the "burbs" and I don't want to overstate the warning here because 99% of you will never run into a problem, but it really is a very different environment with very different attitudes about authority, behaviour and conformity. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Common Sense Advice / Sketchy Neighborhoods: Chicago is a big city, and in... | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Chicago is a big city, and in any big city there are criminals waiting to take advantage of an unsuspecting tourist. While I'm giving you common-sense guidelines to make sure you're not victimized, please don't think Chicago is a city full of crime because it's not. In fact, most of the sneaky thefts I've heard about took place at least 5 years ago! Things are safer now! Keep your bags close to you. Guys, wear a money belt or keep your wallet in your front pocket. Women, put your purse strap over one shoulder and have the bag resting on the opposite hip. If your purse can easily be plucked off your shoulder, it just might be! Never put your purse on the back of your chair at a restaurant. Also...if you end up eating at a sidewalk cafe, don't set your purse on the ground unless you put your leg through the strap--otherwise, a thief may grab it and run. Wherever you go, just assume that there could be someone watching you, waiting for you to leave your stuff unattended so they can steal it. One popular scheme that someone tries to pull on me every year is the old, 'I locked my keys in my car...would you loan me $40 to pay the locksmith--then I'll get my money out of the car and pay you back.' Of course, the car is always way down the street (conveniently out of view). In fact, there IS no car...no locksmith on the way...and you will never see that money again if you are trusting enough to give it away. My sister had the same guy tell her the exact same story two days in a row in our neighborhood. Fortunately, she didn't fall for it either time. Usually, any hard luck story is a con--unless someone is homeless, of course. Unfortunately, there ARE a lot of homeless people in the city. A large population of them actually LIVE back in the cave-like construction of Lower Wacker Drive (an underground street designed to help people avoid traffic congestion downtown). I get approached by about 3 homeless people everyday on my trip downtown. Some of them are selling a newspaper called 'Streetwise,' which costs $1 and allows them to make a living with a little dignity. It's pretty sad, though. Just so you know, some of them might try to hand you a 'Streetwise' and you might take it, assuming it's free. Then they'll demand payment from you. If you don't want to buy one, it's best to just say, 'No, thank you.' One more important warning if you drive into the city or rent a car once you're here: Make sure you thoroughly investigate your parking spot if you park on the street. Many neighborhoods are zoned residential, which means you can't park on their streets unless you live in the area and have a special sticker on your car. Metered spots are a rare find and you have to make sure you put in enough money to cover the length of time you're parked. They monitor parking meters regularly and will give you a ticket the second your time runs out! If you're renting a car, the city will make the company pay. Of course, the company will make you pay. If you have your own car, you can decide if you want to take your chances by 'forgetting' to pay the ticket. After 5 tickets, the police can put a 'boot' on your tire, rendering your car immovable. They won't take it off until you pay. If you park on the street overnight, make sure you check every sign on the street (not just around your car). If there's a sign anywhere on the street that indicates they tow after 2am or from October-April or between 7-9am, you WILL be towed! It's very expensive to get your car back--not to mention tedious and horribly bureaucratic. They make a lot of money on this, and it's quite a business for them, I'm sure. Be careful!! But please don't let these warnings scare you too much. If you're careful, you'll be okay. These things are just a few small annoyances in a great big city! Leave a Comment
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