Change Is Coming to Wrigleyville (Other Than Playoff Baseball)

Rachel Crosby describes the changes that have swept across the neighborhood of Wrigleyville in Chicago. Over a timeline of 30 years, a rough and tumble" neighborhood has given way to busy bars, flags that say "Cubs" and "W" lining the streets, and the smell of stale beer. On that later point, the proliferation of bars in the area is one of the noticeable changes described in the article.

At the enter of the neighborhood is Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs—the third most visited of all the ticketed places in the city. "Yet if Wrigley Field is the heart of Wrigleyville, the 80 or so neighboring bars and businesses are its lifeblood. They stretch down Clark and up Sheffield and are speckled farther out, in between houses and condos and apartments around Lakeview," writes Crosby.

But a $575 million development project is underway at the ballpark, which the teams can provide a catalytic development for the neighborhood. The hope is that the new development will inspire visitors to stay, rather than just visit.

The Cubs are doing their part in changing the perception of the neighborhood, by hosting games in the National League Championship Series. "Outside bars, signs on the street ask patrons to be quiet and respect neighbors. It's a problem that's grown parallel to the bar scene's evolution. But on days like Tuesday, when the Cubs clinched the National League Division Series for the first time at home, it's hard to hold back the celebration."