A longtime suburbanite, it was a big deal when I moved to the “big city.” I’ve since moved back to the suburbs, but feeling nostalgic, took a visit to my old Bronzeville neighborhood.
EARLY AFTERNOON
Nourishment is a good idea when going on a neighborhood tour. The Bronzeville Coffee House (528 E. 43rd St., 773-536-0494, bronzevillecoffeehouse.com) obliged. Almost too much. My wild raspberry tea left me a little buzzed. And the comfy setting almost made me suggest a nap before we got started. But onward.
LATE AFTERNOON
Driving down and around King Drive, there are many new condos/town homes and vacant lots (for future condos/town homes, I suppose). It was hard to miss the newly constructed Harold Washington Cultural Center (4701 S. King Drive, 773-373-1900, haroldwashingtonculturalcenter.com), a massive structure among small neighborhood stores. A block away is the 47th Street Marketplace (4655 S. King Drive). The entertainment complex, which wraps around the corner of 47th and King, consists of the Blu 47 restaurant (773-536-6000, blu 47restaurant.com), Steelelife Gallery ( 773 -538-4773) and Afrocentric Bookstore ( 773 -924-3966). I wanted to check out the bookstore and gallery, which were supposed to be open. But a little before 6 p.m., the lights were out and the doors were locked. Disappointed that there would be no literary or artistic browsing for us, we looked to food for healing.
EVENING
When I lived in Bronzeville, eating-out options were various fast-food joints or restaurants in the South Loop. I had no idea Southern comfort was right up the street at Pearl’s Place (3901 S. Michigan Ave., 773-285-1700). Although Pearl’s was supposed to remain open until 8 p.m., our waitress informed us it was closed when we got there a little after 6:30 p.m., but she served us anyway. She recommended the fried catfish, greens (we think they were turnips), and macaroni and cheese. My friend ordered all of these plus yams, and being a fried chickenoholic, I got chicken wings and fries (yes, fries are soul food; they soothe my soul). We shared; I enjoyed the wings, catfish, yams and fries (nobody makes mac and cheese as good as my mom’s), and my friend liked everything.
It was good to get back to my old neighborhood, and I would definitely go back again to visit.
