Pilsen, Lower West Side

On a mild winter January day my family and I headed to Pilsen. While the neighborhood isn’t far from our home, there isn’t a direct mass transit link. In warmer weather we might have ridden our bicycles. Instead, we took a bus, then transferred to the L. Despite not being well linked with the some of the other areas, Pilsen has good connections with downtown, which is part of what makes it popular.

Pilsen is the trendiest area of the Lower West Side. Art galleries, artists, students, and local boutiques combine with the heart of Mexican culture in Chicago. Hispanics celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) here on All Saint’s Day, November 1^st. I visited during the fall holiday to view the alters set up to honor deceased loved ones on a ball field. At the time I wanted to see a museum and eat, but the lines of crowds were longer than my patience.

While the area is just north of Bridgeport, the homes were built to be noticeably more ornate than its southern neighbor. According to The Chicago 77 by Mary Zangs, Pilsen has many of the oldest buildings in the city.

We arrived at 18^th Street, the main business district, in the neighborhood. Shops and Mexican restaurants lined the road. We found an inexpensive Taqueria for lunch. I ordered basic Mexican eggs scrambled with veggies, plus refried beans and rice. What really made my meal on a winter day was the basket of fresh hot tortillas wrapped in foil to stay warm.

My husband and daughter got chorizo norteno burritos, similar to what we’d had in New Mexico, except for the addition of lots of lettuce and avocados inside. We all agreed they were delicious. I’d happily order the burritos again. After lunch we walked the neighborhood. Around every corner we seemed to find another mural. I plan to go back to 18^th on another trip to shop the small boutiques and thrift stores we skipped this time.

A good stop for winter weather was the National Museum of Mexican Art. It’s free and open to the public. We wandered the exhibits while warming up. The gift shop had a lot of imagery familiar from my years in the Southwest. I was tempted to bring home some trinkets, but reminded myself we’ve downsized and now I (mostly) just take photos.

Our last errand was to head back to 18^th to find a panaderia (bakery) near the L stop. We settled on a shop lined with cases of freshly baked goods. Using tongs, we loaded a tray full of cookies, freshly baked bread and chipotle tortillas. I would later use the tortillas to make cream cheese roll ups with New Mexico-style green chiles. Green chile was the only thing I was disappointed not to find in Pilsen, although we may have simply missed it. At the register the cashier surprised us with extra treats to have for the ride home. They were sugar cookies shaped like hearts.