My mom and her mother would go to Marshall Field’s cafeteria, which was actually very fancy but surprisingly inexpensive (bet it was a “loss leader”). Or my grandfather and I would go to Riis park and catch crayfish using hot dog slices (!) as bait. Just after Marina City was built, you could go to the top of it (the ACTUAL ROOF, not a glassed-in floor) for 50 cents and also take a tour of the then-fancy Eames-era model apartments.
No other large city in the world EVER had such a nice lakefront, park system, and attractions. It took a disaster, the fire, to create it, and another disaster, Chicago/Illinois government, will destroy it.
OMG. I was a little girl when Marina City was completed. I was *sure* that I was on track to grow up (as quickly as possible) and live there with a German Shepherd.
Well, I got half of my dream.
Now, Chicago is on pace to become New Detroit.
I think the reason that people find Chicagoans more pleasant than New Yorkers is because deep down, we are still midwesterners.
Do you remember Wee Folks? I sure do. They had that awesome play area gated off for kids so moms could shop in peace. The owner was a white guy and deeply loved. As the neighborhood demographics began to change, he was constantly told by friends, family, and the community to get the hell out. Instead, he stayed put and sought ways to reach out to his new neighbors.
He was shot to death in front of his beloved little store by those *new neighbors*.