Neighborhoods: Boystown

Boystown is one of those definite neighborhoods which definitely isn't one of the officially designated community areas within Chicago. It's technically part of Lakeview, which is a sprawling area of general Northside. I'll try and do a more general Lakeview post, but frankly, most of Lakeview's personality comes from its inner neighborhoods.

In Nebraska, Boystown is a center which welcomes runaway teens into a caring environment away from their (sometimes abusive) homes. In Chicago, Boystown has plenty of teens but isn't so strong on the therapy or religious contexts. Instead it's a center of gay culture (and also where my roommate Tad's church is). Boystown is a few blocks full of things like vegan diners and adult stores and thrift stores, along with enough bars that the place lights up at night. Boystown also hosts the Center on Halstead, which is a huge building which acts as a community center and general hangout spot. The Center contains a theatre that performs GLBT shows, as well as a gigantic Whole Foods store and plenty of gathering spaces for sitting around.

Boystown is demarcated through a series of lampposty things down Halstead street, as shown in this picture. When I took the picture, the friend I was with said that I was giving the wrong impression of Boystown by showing the pillar next to a medical center and some apartments instead of boutiques or bars. But frankly, that's one of the cool parts of Boystown; it has plenty of things for the casual visitor, but also enough mundane places that people can actually make it their home. Then again, it also has enough different stores and cafes that you can be a casual visitor over and over without getting bored. It's definitely one of the places I'd take tourist-friends after hitting up more traditional places like the Magnificent Mile.