tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post8956454185324385232..comments2023-11-05T06:51:51.312-06:00Comments on Here Comes Johnny Yen Again...: A Change is Gonna Come...Johnny Yenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06561248220244037567noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-301385618791602252007-06-28T23:38:00.000-05:002007-06-28T23:38:00.000-05:00Lulu -- I don't get your comment: "The people who ...Lulu -- I don't get your comment: "The people who live in that neighborhood knew that there was an SRO hotel there when they moved in or bought property there." <BR/><BR/>Of course they did. I bought a place less than a block away two years ago. I have no problem whatsoever with the Diplomat, and I'll actually be a little sad to see it go, though I'm not sure the change will be bad (depends on what replaces it -- we'll see). I do think we need more affordable housing in the neighborhood, not less. Do you think the neighbors are forcing it to shut down or something? It's the owner who is selling it -- the property is worth $4 million and they want to cash out. It really doesn't matter what the neighbors think. You can't force a property owner to carry on operating a seedy hotel just because you miss the good old days when the neighborhood was more dangerous. <BR/><BR/>These kinds of knee-jerk reactions against "gentrification" drive me nuts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-89193516239157281072007-06-18T11:19:00.000-05:002007-06-18T11:19:00.000-05:00Hmm..the Diplomat. I can't specifically blame the...Hmm..the Diplomat. I can't specifically blame the hotel residents for this, but I suspect one of their junky denizens: About 15 years ago I sat in something horrible...I'll spare you the details...on the bus bench at Belmont and Sheffield. An elderly lady, with her eyes bugging out, said "you got somethin' on your coat" God bless the owners of nearby Thai restaurant, who let me into their employee bathroom to hose down.EAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03574786138648252991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-5304226487598310032007-06-15T10:40:00.000-05:002007-06-15T10:40:00.000-05:00"Bubbles"-My first year as a teacher, working as a..."Bubbles"-<BR/>My first year as a teacher, working as a sub, I was sent nearly every day to Jenner Elementary, just a few blocks from that building, right in the heart of Cabrini. I took the el there. Ah, youth...<BR/><BR/>Ha-- if I hadn't already known you were a former Chicagoan, I'd have figured it out with the "Monkey Ward" comment-- that's a total Chicago thing.<BR/><BR/>Glad your dad was okay!Johnny Yenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06561248220244037567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-71946422685057428162007-06-13T22:30:00.000-05:002007-06-13T22:30:00.000-05:00Holy Bernard Goetz, Batman!OMG, too funny! Thanks...Holy Bernard Goetz, Batman!<BR/><BR/>OMG, too funny! Thanks for the laugh!!<BR/><BR/>My dad was mugged by Cabrini Green. (He worked at Monkey Ward Corporate) They shot at him and missed - too high. Broke off a huge fingernail in his pocket, so they missed the money clip. Took his brief case (work only) and wallet (no money, before credit cards were a comodity). Funniest.... missed a gold Omega watch and an 18k gold and precious stone ring!!!<BR/><BR/>He didn't do much walking around there again. My mom:: I TOLD you so!!!!!! :-)bubbleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04309024574089677684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-43157573056186754132007-06-13T13:27:00.000-05:002007-06-13T13:27:00.000-05:00Kim and I live right across Montrose-- around Mont...Kim and I live right across Montrose-- around Montrose and Western.<BR/><BR/>If you had a tall blonde-haired guy who talked too much wait on you at Jury's, that was me.Johnny Yenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06561248220244037567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-45145825187808657442007-06-13T13:05:00.000-05:002007-06-13T13:05:00.000-05:00We lived actually a little west of Lincoln Square,...We lived actually a little west of Lincoln Square, over near the Rockwell stop of the brown line.<BR/><BR/>I definitely ate at Jury's at least once during that time.Splotchyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15427992716600704581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-77593481231739763772007-06-13T12:52:00.000-05:002007-06-13T12:52:00.000-05:00Splotchy-Where in Lincoln Square did you guys live...Splotchy-<BR/>Where in Lincoln Square did you guys live? Did you ever go to Jury's? I work there.<BR/><BR/>Kristi-<BR/>Thank you!<BR/><BR/>I had a knife pulled on me in a fight once-- in East Rogers Park, of course. I took the knife, which was tiny, away from the guy. He was much smaller than me (he had started the fight) that I didn't have the heart to beat him up.<BR/><BR/>I also had a carload of guys try to mug me; they pepper-sprayed me from a car. I had turned my face right before they did it, so I could see out of one eye. They suddenly had a very angry six foot tall 200 pound guy in a leather jacket on their hands. They decided to move on and find an easier mark.<BR/><BR/>I also had four young guys follow me off the el. I turned toward them with my hand in my coat and they backed off. Holy Bernard Goetz, Batman!Johnny Yenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06561248220244037567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-62449936918897856852007-06-13T11:32:00.000-05:002007-06-13T11:32:00.000-05:00I have your solution - you need to move more.I fee...I have your solution - you need to move more.<BR/><BR/>I feel so sheltered - I've never once had a gun pulled on me or been mugged. Why did I have to grow up in the middle of farm land, why?!<BR/><BR/>Seriously - you should write a book about the places you've known in Chicago, you seem to be in tune with a lot of their history and your own stories of association with the place would make for an interesting read, I think.GETkristiLOVEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03873004576844292852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-10308121382914145672007-06-13T11:26:00.000-05:002007-06-13T11:26:00.000-05:00Prior to my wife and I moving in together in an ap...Prior to my wife and I moving in together in an apartment near Lincoln Square, she had a nice big one bedroom apt. near Touhy and Ashland.<BR/><BR/>I think it was only a week or two before she left that apartment that someone got set on fire at the Morse El stop.<BR/><BR/>Ahh, good times.Splotchyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15427992716600704581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-27977999694454332792007-06-13T10:49:00.000-05:002007-06-13T10:49:00.000-05:00Natalie-I can understand that. Lulu-You figured it...Natalie-<BR/>I can understand that. <BR/><BR/>Lulu-<BR/>You figured it out-- Medusa's. And yes, the Diplomat is across the street from Leona's. <BR/><BR/>Good god-- I can only imagine the shows some of the people in Leona's got before they put the curtains in.<BR/><BR/>Splotchy-<BR/>The first time I ever heard the song was at the Gingerman-- they had it on the jukebox. That beautiful opening and Sam Cooke's voice-- all in the context of the civil rights movement...<BR/><BR/>Yeah, the whole Red Line is still a place that you've got to watch yourself.<BR/><BR/>When I was first out of school, in 1986, I lived near Morse and Clark. The neighborhood was declining visibly and rapidly. I started taking the Clark bus from downtown instead of the el. The Morse el stop was not a nice place to be with a bunch of waitering cash in your pocket at midnight.<BR/><BR/>Skyler's Dad-<BR/>I'll bet you've got a few good stories from working there. <BR/><BR/>Beckeye-<BR/>I guess that is some consolation-- nothing good will last forever, but neither will bad things. <BR/><BR/>Big Orange-<BR/>Thanks for the suggestions!<BR/><BR/>Here in Chicago, our big skid row has become a big yuppie magnet. It started when Oprah moved her studios there.<BR/><BR/>Cheer34-<BR/>My landlord's wife has a great saying, that I'm pretty sure is Irish: "God looks after drunks, children and kittens."<BR/><BR/>Lulu-<BR/>Yeah, with stuff like that, I'm always reminded of that line in Casablanca-- when Major Strasser is asking Rick (Bogart) why he moved to Casablanca, he replies, sarcastically, "For the waters." When Strasser points out that Casablanca is in the desert, Rick, still sarcastic, says "I was misinformed..."<BR/><BR/>Bubs-<BR/>He really planned that one out. A Uhaul place? One does not think of a Uhaul place as having much cash around. Obviously he was an amateur.<BR/><BR/>Section 8 is one of those "good on paper/bad in implementation" things, isn't it? When I lived in East Rogers Park in 1986, a lot of the buildings in the area went Section 8, and it contributed to a rapid decline in the neighborhood. I think you've mentioned living there around then. The absentee landlords didn't keep the buildings up or screen tenants-- they just collected their government checks. It got bad around there for a long time.<BR/><BR/>Yeah, absolutely, it's an improvment. Maybe when I was younger I had more tolerance for it all, but now I just see sad, dysfunctional people.<BR/><BR/>Anon. Blogger-<BR/>Absolutely. <BR/><BR/>It's been interesting watching the change in the neighborhood I live in, North Center. There's been a gentrification, but a lot of the regular middle class folks (like me) who've lived there forever have managed to hang in there. It's turned out to be a nice place to raise my kids.<BR/><BR/>Elk-<BR/>I'm pretty sure he ended up in the 400, down the street from Wrigley. It's funny, because Kim lived about a block from it (by Wrigley) when I met her.Johnny Yenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06561248220244037567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-13797571236535426172007-06-13T08:49:00.000-05:002007-06-13T08:49:00.000-05:00Mr Yen,Isn't that where "our buddy" Mr Charles end...Mr Yen,<BR/><BR/>Isn't that where "our buddy" Mr Charles ended up? With the closing he could be back out on the street and soon be habitating a garden shed in your vicinity....The Elkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11392826262551662160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-52045792336480305392007-06-13T02:05:00.000-05:002007-06-13T02:05:00.000-05:00Great post, JY. The constant = change.Great post, JY. The constant = change.bubbleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04309024574089677684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-66536807283712255292007-06-12T23:23:00.000-05:002007-06-12T23:23:00.000-05:00Ah, the Diplomat. I worked a case about 10 years ...Ah, the Diplomat. I worked a case about 10 years ago with a guy who left his wife and went on a 3 week long coke-and-booze-fueled binge with a hooker, and I think one of the places he stayed was the Diplomat. He ended up robbing a U-Haul shop when he ran out of money.<BR/><BR/>You know where all those nutjobs and hard luck cases are going? Section 8 housing in places like unincorporated Des Plaines , Prospect Heights and Palatine.<BR/><BR/>Places like the Diplomat ceased being low income housing for working stiffs and the down-on-their-luck years ago, and became holding tanks for the most deranged, addicted and predatory people in our society. That neighborhood is better off without it.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09747874295331152779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-24247125285096293102007-06-12T22:07:00.000-05:002007-06-12T22:07:00.000-05:00Medusa's! I knew it would come to me!Medusa's! I knew it would come to me!luluhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06468418041443316689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-8367308498975920472007-06-12T20:27:00.000-05:002007-06-12T20:27:00.000-05:00I get the NIMBY thing, but here's what I don't get...I get the NIMBY thing, but here's what I don't get. The people who live in that neighborhood knew that there was an SRO hotel there when they moved in or bought property there. It isn't like it opened over night when they weren't looking. I liked that neighborhood when it was a little dangerous (sometime have tenS tell the story about trying to go to whatever that underage club that used be there was called, and getting a gun pulled on us.)luluhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06468418041443316689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-83288882987446437452007-06-12T18:05:00.000-05:002007-06-12T18:05:00.000-05:00Oh the places we visited in our youth. I wouldn't ...Oh the places we visited in our youth. I wouldn't want to step foot in those neighborhoods now. My super hero powers that prevented anyhting bad from happening to me wore off around 23.<BR/><BR/>I too have the not in my backyard syndrome. I have a husband and kids to think about.Cheer34https://www.blogger.com/profile/14932035995477093530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-57582797162260387202007-06-12T16:54:00.000-05:002007-06-12T16:54:00.000-05:00I've got a book for you, JY: Flophouse: Life on ...I've got a book for you, JY: <A HREF="http://www.phd-dissertations.com/topics.html" REL="nofollow">Flophouse: Life on the Bowery</A><BR/><BR/>You might also find this NPR story about <A HREF="http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/1998/sep/980918.shine.html" REL="nofollow">The Sunshine Hotel</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-5528298377588000982007-06-12T16:33:00.000-05:002007-06-12T16:33:00.000-05:00Nothing gold can stay, Ponyboy. I guess nothing sl...Nothing gold can stay, Ponyboy. I guess nothing sleazy can either.BeckEyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00119780316809151433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-49292721022323694802007-06-12T16:09:00.000-05:002007-06-12T16:09:00.000-05:00Reminds me of growing up and riding my bike home f...Reminds me of growing up and riding my bike home from washing dishes at the Kings Derby cafe.<BR/><BR/>Ahhh yes, the mean streets of Idaho Springs Colorado...SkylersDadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18264164502733912326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-62128316208589741392007-06-12T15:48:00.000-05:002007-06-12T15:48:00.000-05:00That Sam Cooke song gives me shivers whenever I he...That Sam Cooke song gives me shivers whenever I hear it. One of my favorites of his.<BR/><BR/>For a second I was thinking you were talking about the Diplmomat Motel over on Clark and Foster.<BR/><BR/>Thankfully, down-on-their-luck foreign dignitaries still have a few options left in this city.<BR/><BR/>A couple years ago, my friend would sit a while at the Belmont station while he waited to transfer trains, when he was heading home from work around midnight. He'd sometimes would have to wait ten or twenty minutes at the station.<BR/><BR/>He said it was still kinda rough at that late hour, even after all the gentrification that had taken place.Splotchyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15427992716600704581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-42917220933432836252007-06-12T15:18:00.000-05:002007-06-12T15:18:00.000-05:00That's the one across from Leona's right? Evident...That's the one across from Leona's right? Evidently in the late 80's, Leona's bought curtains for the rooms facing the street because you could look directly into the hotel from the second floor of the restaurant. I can't imagine why people didn't want a floors how with their dinners.luluhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06468418041443316689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-34853395729420416242007-06-12T14:44:00.000-05:002007-06-12T14:44:00.000-05:00I must say I'm not sad to see it go. As someone wh...I must say I'm not sad to see it go. As someone who arrived in the area in 01 I have no warm fuzzy memories. Just the crazy nutjobs yelling at me when i walked home form the train.Foofahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11490919763408427647noreply@blogger.com