[Doyi's Blog] Pilsen Impressions: Then and Now

Here's the post that I should have written in the first week: first impressions. Because it's been only a month since my moving into Chicago, the timing is still, nonetheless, appropriate. 

So, I live in Pilsen. 

I'm not sure how familiar you are with this neighborhood, but until now I sure wasn't. Assuming that you know as little as I did, here's some information: Pilsen lies in the Lower West Side of Chicago, about a 25-30 minute train ride from Downtown. Filled with Latino food, culture, and people, it's a predominantly Mexican area (although for hundreds of years it was an Irish one). 
To be honest, Pilsen isn't the richest or safest part of town. At least a decade ago, gangs and drug dealers used to hover street corners. Crime rate has long been an issue. Sidewalks and alleys aren't always clean, and buildings are not the most tall or reconditioned.

In fact, the unfamiliarity scared me a little. I'm not going to lie; at first, I didn't really like Pilsen. Among all the other possible neighborhoods in Chicago, this wasn't the most ideal place for me. I wanted a more urban setting--something more sophisticated, secured, and stylish. However, the worn-out architecture, graffiti walls, and just the entire atmosphere of the community neither appealed to me nor came across as modern. Most of all, I did not feel safe. The neighborhood's (now fairly out-dated) notoriety, as well as the fact that not many Asians and Caucasians live here bothered me a little bit. I might sound racist or offensive, but this was the truth. Pilsen was not the environment I was used to. I felt uncomfortable, and I could not call it home. 

To break my walls of prejudice, I had to spend a lot of time with Pilsen. I didn't mean to, but my daily travels and agendas pushed me to experience the area first-hand. From small trips to the Family Dollar to walks to the Damen & 18th bus stop, Pilsen naturally became the setting of my routine. And during those trips, I got to revisit the site everyday and refresh my original impressions of the community. 

First of all, it wasn’t as empty as I thought it would be. You could hear music nearby each block, for whatever occasion, from stores attracting customers to groups having a carwash. Street vendors often decorated the streets and sold clothes, accessories, and mexican food. At one point in my Neighborhood Walk assignment, I even unintentionally ended up on a block party--full of mexican flags, food, and people--when we momentarily got lost on our way. There always seemed to be something going on. Even during moments without music, my eyes were constantly kept busy. Colorful murals of people, patterns, and forms filled the walls of buildings. It felt like an art town, full of energy and excitement. Some of the wall paintings were political, strongly asserting equality and acceptance of undocumented workers and residents; they read phrases like, “we are a nation of immigrants,” and “no human being is illegal.” Pilsen’s unique identity, as well as expression of its identity, charmed me.

As I've mentioned earlier, it's only been a month since I lived in Pilsen. That means I'm still not 100% adjusted to or completely comfortable with the neighborhood. However, I am much more open to the community and its culture and characteristics than before. I realized that I've been filtering out all the positive aspects of Pilsen with my fears and assumptions, and that there's more to it the more I explore it. Most of all, I am happy to have come here and try out some authentic quesadillas :). I hope I gain more knowledge and understanding of Pilsen throughout my time in Chicago, and possibly bring 'em back home. 


-Doyi-

This is a graphic piece I did for my Art Seminar, capturing my feelings and impressions of Chicago, and specifically, Pilsen. The top consists of a Chicago neighborhood map, and the bottom, the skyline of the city. At the center is Pilsen's mural of famous Mexican women (original photo by Corey Nunn)