New Town Redux by CoreyBlack
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Description
In my earlier post, New Town, I showed the intersection of Belmont Avenue and North Broadway Street in 1986. At the time it was the heart of a heavily GLBT neighborhood in Chicago called New Town.
Nearly 25 years later, the area is called Lake View East, and like most of America, it has been overrun by yuppies and their “upscale” trappings. Despite the pervasive suburban sterility of the place, there is still a definite, though subdued, Queer vibe there. A feeling that has only intensified since the massive GLBT Center on Halsted opened its doors in 2007. This is how the intersection looked when I tried to recreate the original 1986 photo (and it’s very difficult to figure out exactly where you were standing over 20 years later, without the photo handy) on October 22, 2009.
Comments (5)
auntietk
beachzz
You still got the feel of this area so well. And once again the vibe is the same, Castro, San Francisco, with all of the same kinds of trappings--another super city shot!!
Chipka
The more things change, the weirder it becomes when you see that they're the same. I think what really gets me about this photo is the story I have about the building on the corner--wasn't there a greasy spoon there? I remember going there with my friend Jeremy, after browsing around Barbara's Books and scoring a fancy-schmancy magazine with Traci Lords featured inside. It was right after her scandal blew over and she was moving into other forms of entertainment. Jeremy and I sat in that restaurant, eating something greasy and looking at magazines, before deciding to go back to his place, drink loads of vodka and watch The Exorcist and see how many of the Devil's lines we could quote. Okay, that has nothing to do with this photo, but it actually stirs those memories because I know that corner so well, and I remember the characters who used to prowl around there, the ones like Saro and Zoe O, and the chubby blond guy who thought he was Diana Ross. I am glad the building remained, it's a wonderful architectural gem, and I'm happy the Daley Machine didn't bulldoze it.
Rainastorm
Well..renewed Town perhaps but there is still a feel (most likely your awesome POV) to it that shouts age and dignity...love this old building...its beautiful!! Great contrast to the fairly brand new Dodge Ram pickup hauling its way through the streets.
elfin14doaks
It looks a lot like downtown Oshkosh. Nice capture.