Equal Junction

Happy Pride Chicago 2010!

What an amazing neighborhood to visit and live! The charm of the city life with a small town feel-the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago is also known as Boystown, but it’s so much more than that. Cafe’s, bookstores, art galleries, small businesses, and clubs line the streets. It is conveniently located between Wrigley Field and Lake Michigan. If you go this summer (especially for Pride, because its one of the best) stay at a Gay friendly Kimpton Hotel in the Loop, hop the red line and get off at the Belmont stop and head east. It is a beautiful walk and so many lovely shops to peruse. With the support of Mayor Daley of Chicago, this neighborhood has grown to be a go-to place to live and visit. If you are planning a getaway, don’t forget to include Chicago!

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

PIEHOLE was a wonderful pizza joint. We lived around the corner from it years ago and it was a great place to get a slice of pizza at any hour of the night. The owner, Doug Brandt, was unable to renew it’s lease and has not yet found a more reasonable place to relocate. Mr Brandt truly reached out to the community, especially the youth. Since Piehole was located in the heart of Boystown, and was not a bar, LGBT youths would frequent the place causing quite a stir, but Brandt turned lemons into lemonade.

“Brandt took a different tack, reaching out to groups such as Youth Pride Center and the Center on Halsted to try to provide a welcoming space for everyone. He hired some youths in the groups and also held events such as “Soul at the ‘Hole,” an open mic night.

“It was great,” Brandt said. “It started off because we’re not a 21-and-over establishment and we had some youths coming in. We had an excellent relationship with YPC and the Center on Halsted.”

Brandt said some perceptions of the youths are off-base. All but a few of them, he said, are just out to socialize in a safe community.

“We just saw an injustice,” he said. “We didn’t discriminate against anybody. We just can’t believe that a community like the gay community that’s fought discrimination would want to discriminate. If they are 18, they have a right to be out on the street.”

Lets hope Piehole reopens soon so that it will feed the community again!

Photo Courtesy of Flickr