Bridgeport
One day while trying to find the urban experience of the mid 20th Century, I wound up in Bridgeport. Much of the north side of Chicago has undergone a sort of beatification to compliment the nice loft condominiums, chain stores and restaurants that have replaced the abandoned warehouses, older salt box homes and struggling small businesses & shops. The south side remains unmolested.
Bridgeport is old school. It's a gritty, well-worn, but cared for place. Lots of small bungalows mixed with older small apartment buildings are all crammed together on tiny lots; a true urban community. On warm nights, the people hang out on their stoops and interact with each other. During the St. Patrick's Day season, many of the houses sport green lights and lighted shamrocks, rivaling the Christmas holidays in outdoor decorations. It reminds me of the Easter lights in Little Italy in Manhattan. This is the city as it was meant to be.
42"X28" | OIL ON CANVAS | 2004