Top products from r/chicago
We found 59 product mentions on r/chicago. We ranked the 576 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
1. Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets
Sentiment score: 3
Number of reviews: 5
Penguin Books
2. ARRIS SURFboard SB6121 4x4 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem -Retail Packaging-Black
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 5
Compatible with Time Warner Cable, Charter, Cox, Cablevision, and moreNot compatible with Verizon FiOS or AT&T U-verse, no longer approved by Comcast XfinityRequires Cable Iternet Service, if not sure your provider is CABLE call them to confirmBROWN BOX models NOT VALID for this item when sold as Ne...
4. There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in The Other America
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 4
Anchor Books
5. First Alert WT1 Drinking Water Test Kit
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 3
Tests for bacteria, lead, pesticides, nitrates/nitrites, and chlorineChecks the hardness and pH of your waterKit includes everything necessary to test drinking waterNo mailing in samples or waiting for laboratory reportsTests to EPA standards for drinking waterFirst Alert has been the most trusted b...
6. Mediasonic Homeworx HW110AN Super Thin Indoor HDTV Antenna - 25 Miles Range
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 3
Receive free digital broadcast High Definition TV signals.25 Miles Range, Gain: 5 dBi, Impedance: 75 ohmsSuper Thin design allows you to place it almost anywhere and no power requiredUniversal suction-cup stand included ; Cable / Connector: Standard CoaxialFrequency Range: VHF 170 - 230MHz, UHF 470...
8. American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley - His Battle for Chicago and the Nation
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 3
9. Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 2
Random House Trade
10. City of Scoundrels: The 12 Days of Disaster That Gave Birth to Modern Chicago
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 2
Broadway Books
11. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Sentiment score: -1
Number of reviews: 2
Chicago ExpositionNineteenth CenturyTrue CrimeSerial KillerThriller
12. Richard Nickel's Chicago: Photographs of a Lost City
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 2
Used Book in Good Condition
13. We Appreciate Your Enthusiasm: The Oral History of Q101 (Volume 1)
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 2
Used Book in Good Condition
15. My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King
Sentiment score: -1
Number of reviews: 2
16. Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 2
17. City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 2
First Touchstone Edition 1997
18. American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 2
I like this website: http://www.chicagogangs.org/ Not up to date but still a good place to start. There are also a couple of episodes of Gangland that focus on Chicago. If there are specific gangs you find interest in...many of them post videos on YouTube. There isI read a great book on Cabrini Green that certainly goes into gangs and how they affected the community. This is the book I read. Again, YouTube Cabrini Green and somewhere on there is a video of a sniper in one of the Whites IIRC. Also, check out the This American Life report on Harper High School because it goes into how gangs have changed since the housing projects have been destroyed. I am absolutely fascinated by gangs so let me know if you want any more info. There is a documentary on the Crips/Bloods and it goes into the beginnings of gangs. I would recommend watching it since their origins are FASCINATING.
They won't teach the most, but for photography and history, check out these two books on the brilliant photographer Richard Nickel:
These are my most treasured sitting on the shelf, and convinced me more than anything else did to move here.
His life story is really compelling. His wikipedia article is well worth a read.
Edit: This photo is from They All Fall Down, showing him protesting the looming demolition of the Adler & Sullivan-designed Garrick Theater. Bummed WBEZ didn't include one of these two books on the list.
> We're not demolishing the Coliseum here.
I think this sort of attitude is the issue. We are one of the youngest nations on earth, and I think part of the problem is that we dont yet have a collective appreciation of what we actually HAVE contributed to the world at large. Parisians have a shared sense of the importance of how music, art, food, language, and architecture has shaped their country. And those things are cherished and held very deeply, so much so that its embedded into what it means to be a citizen there. In the united states, the sense is that something from 100 years ago is disposable rather than something to be respected. We havent turned that corner yet. Americans are fascinated with newness, which in part has fueled our growth, but on the flipside is also an incredibly wasteful way to approach life. The homes we are referring to were built often with old growth timber, custom millwork, built ins, superior brick, stained glass windows, crown molding, etc...and they were attainable to the working class. This will probably never be repeated again. Chicago bungalows, 2 flats, enormous brick warehouses, greystones, etc are something we can claim as ours, and ours alone.
So we might not have the Coliseum. But we've demolished the Coliseum many times over. The Stock Exchange lays in ruins. The great movie palaces are gone. Look through a book of the kinds of buildings that we've demolished in Chicago. Its on a scale that most ancient cities would consider unimaginable, outside of war zones.
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Chicago-David-Garrard-Lowe/dp/0226494322
We are in a constant cycle of trading down, and paying more for the privilege.
Nature's Metropolis: Chicago & the Great West is a wonderful read that doesn't pop up on here that much. It analyzes the environmental and economic background of the city from it's foundation until just past the worlds fair IIRC. It posits the straightforward argument that the success and growth of Chicago was an organic and interdependent inevitability based on the vast amounts of natural resources spread throughout the plains and upper midwest. It's basically Third Coast, but focused a hundred years earlier. It is a very dry read for most of the book, but it delves deeply into almost every industry that fed into early Chicago. If you've ever wondered why the Board of Trade is such a figure in the cities history, or why Chicago had the largest meatpacking industry in North America, or why all the grain from the upper midwest ended up here, why the bulk of the timber from the North Woods came through the city, this is your book.
Has anyone curated the history of this station, how its programming has changed over the years, how it balanced "popular" music and/or pushed daring or local sounds onto the air, or even just an account of its changes in management/on-air personalities, etc?
Folks involved in the early days of Q101 really did this in detail (both in book form and in lots of other interviews) and I'd love if there was some kind of "history of B96" to read or watch or whatever. I listened so much as a kid (1988-1993 or so) and I'd love to revisit what that station really was/was trying to be instead of just my fuzzy memories.
Starting Strength
https://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training/dp/0982522738
Build a solid strength base, then you'll have a much better base for other physical activites
Maybe this doesn't fit, but if you're looking to learn more about it Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets provides some really great insights into the gang community and how the day-to-day is run as well as the community efforts the gang bring in an effort to deter being reported to the police
You should read The Boss about how the Daley's ran the city. Excellent read
https://www.amazon.com/Boss-Richard-J-Daley-Chicago/dp/0452261678
​
What I've found the more I've read about Illinois machine history is that, going back to the beginning years of the machine, the thing they fear most is a republican AG who isn't afraid to start digging into the party patronage system. So if you want to crack the Machine's power over Illinois politics then an aggressive Republican AG is the best way to go.
I mentioned this somewhere else in this thread, but I really enjoyed American Apartheid, which goes into detail about this. We read it for my urban studies class... Heres the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/American-Apartheid-Segregation-Making-Underclass/dp/0674018214?ie=UTF8&keywords=American%20Apartheid&qid=1462765389&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
https://smile.amazon.com/First-Alert-WT1-Drinking-Water/dp/B000FBMAVQ/ref=pd_sim_79_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BNCFD5MHAKWG0RD9Z30X
It cost like $15 to buy a water test. I drink a lot of unfiltered water so I got one. The test said I'm all good. Worth buying and seeing if you should invest in some type of filtration system.
The hands down best book on Chicago history (and I've read almost all of them) is The City of the Century by Donald Miller it can be had on Amazon for 0.01 (plus shipping)
I highly recommend you pick up Starting Strength, or Trooper mentioned Strong Lifts has write ups of the squat, deadlift, and bench. Both are a great place to start out if you to get into barbell lifts. You can also head over to /r/fitness.
> Every guy in the gym knows how to do these exercises
With the amount of quarter squats, rounded backs, flared elbows etc you see at the gym, this is absolutely not the case. Like everything else, it's a skill you have to work on. I'v been lifting for years and still am not happy with my squat depth, or form. Miles better than what it used to be though.
If you want to meet up, I would be willing to help get you started. I work out at the LA Fitness on Webster and they have free 3 day passes. They may try and sell you a membership, but I told them I was just there to get a workout in and they left me alone when I used the pass. Send me a pm.
These are my favorites for historical photos of Chicago, especially the first one, I've spent entire weekends browsing that site. :\
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=273147&page=16
http://forgottenchicago.com/columns/
If you books on the history of Chicago, Richard Cahan is one of my favorites, look him up on amazon, They All Fall Down (about Richard Nickel) and Photograph's of a Lost City are 2 of my favorites
http://www.amazon.com/Richard-Nickels-Chicago-Photographs-Lost/dp/0978545028/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1310088319&sr=8-6
Lost Chicago is a good book. It looks like you can get the hardcover for 98 cents! (Probably $28 shipping cost)
They All Fall Down by Rich Cahan, about Richard Nickel's struggle to save classic Chicago buildings, particularly those by Louis Sullivan. The beginnings of the architectural preservation movement in Chicago. https://www.amazon.com/They-All-Fall-Down-Architecture/dp/0471144266
Check out Gang Leader for a Day
While it might not get in to specifics for your project, you may find more resources. If you do have the time, it's a great read.
Sin in the Second City
Great Read.
Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West is another one I'll throw in with your list, if I may.
I think you'd really enjoy this book then; it's about a grad student who spent some time observing the gangs at the Robert Taylor homes for his research.
I have this: http://www.amazon.com/Homeworx-HW110AN-Super-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B008KVUAGU/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_z
Works in the suburbs, moving into Logan Square this weekend so I'll be able to update if it's still good there.
The Mohu Leaf and the Amazon Basics one should do the trick too. Don't get an amplified antenna. With how close the source is, the amplification is going to just amplify the interference.
> Hope the elders of those cliques squash this shit soon.
Seriously, even the gang leaders that ran robert taylor homes and cabrini green understood that shootings are no good for anybody.
edit: for chicagoans that haven't read gang leader for a day, I suggest it. Good read of how an understaffed Chicago PD and gang members used to work together to make a "uneasy pact" of sorts.
If you want to know more about Q101, read James Van Osdol's book We Appreciate Your Enthusiasm.
Still my favorite
https://www.amazon.com/City-Scoundrels-Disaster-Modern-Chicago/dp/0307454304
Yes it is this one.
http://www.amazon.com/ARRIS-Motorola-SB6121-SURFboard-DOCSIS/dp/B004XC6GJ0/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_y
Maybe it is something to do with the line!
I'd recommend taking this book out from the library:
http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Chicago-David-Garrard-Lowe/dp/0226494322
its just incredibly sad the history and beauty we've thrown in the garbage
A good start is to read Boss.
City of the Century by Donald Miller. Epic read, but totally worth it.
I bought this about a month ago, 5th floor in edgewater. We get plenty of channels and they all come in clearly.
I agree on getting your own cable modem... it'll pay for itself in under a year on comcast. I too actually have that one you linked to, but it's cheaper on Amazon . I had it on Comcast for about a year but now I just activated it on RCN.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XC6GJ0/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=do09b-20&camp=0&creative=0
Try reading "My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King". It's a really interesting book that shows what the life of a gang member can be like.
There are no Children Here
Gang Leader for a Day
Hoop Dreams - Also a very good documentary film.
I just got the Motorola Surfboard SB6121, and it works fine (though I don't have Blast Plus). As far as I can tell Amazon has the cheapest price.
You are correct about the Dan Ryan being on old rail lines.
I must have been thinking of the location of housing projects. The author and journalist Alex Kotlowitz wrote about the role that Alderman played in locating federal housing projects such as Cabrini Green, Robert Taylor Homes, and others in his book There Are No Children Here.
I suggest this book: https://www.amazon.com/Cabrini-Green-David-T-Whitaker/dp/0942986792/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0942986792&pd_rd_r=8MJTS1FBS9W78VHWMTJ3&pd_rd_w=hHYoV&pd_rd_wg=u1551&psc=1&refRID=8MJTS1FBS9W78VHWMTJ3
Here is the mobile version of your link
https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW110AN-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B008KVUAGU/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1468260113&sr=8-22&keywords=hdtv+antenna
i have this thingy and I get 50 channels all the way out in evanston
This kit will let you test for all sorts of common contaminants, including lead.
In a previous water related thread, someone posted this one
While Royko is very readable, it's his columns that really have the meat there. The columns get at the love/hate relationship, the real mixture of pride and disgust. He's also not a historian (for that, see American Pharaoh ). I'd recommend Rakove's We Don't Want Nobody Nobody Sent over it for understanding the Machine in general.
I thoroughly enjoyed Sin in the Second City:
https://www.amazon.com/Sin-Second-City-Ministers-Playboys/dp/0812975995
Cancel the tech appointment and order this modem.
Check out Erik Larson's Devil in the White City. It's an embellished account of the events surrounding the 1893 Columbian Exposition, including the introduction of the Ferris Wheel and the murders committed by H.H. Holmes.
>ultimately that's where the power is.
Exactly. There is a book by Robert Dahl called Who Governs?. It's a case study on a small town in Connecticut (IIRC) and he at first believed the wealthy had all the power. But what he found was that when the people actually got together and voted, their will trumped the will of the wealthy. The problem, as seen in Chicago, is that voter turnout is low, sometimes single digits.
> the book on corruption would be written here
Funny you say that. Don't Make No Waves...Don't Back No Losers and the book Boss talk a lot of the Machine politics that ran/run Chicago. (The argument is that Rahm runs a modified "Machine Politics" platform perfected by Daley). But these books hint at patronage and corruption that was so prevalent in keeping Daley and his cronies elected. It talks about how they worked with Republicans in keeping Democrats in office during that time period. There are stories of Republican opponents setting up offices, but when the author went to check them out they either didn't exist or no one was ever working there. They're interesting books you should check out.
The notion, according to the authors of both books was that Daley didn't care what type of corruption you did, as long as you didn't make any noise. "Hear no evil" type of deal. It also touches on how politicians prefer low voter turnout (hence don't make no waves) because it almost always benefits the incumbent.
Our installation fee was 59.95. I signed up for the 29.99 25mbs for 12 months promo. My first bill was right around $90 and the rest of my bills for the next 11 months should be at or around $34. The installation really was necessary though as there was no cable line running to our house from the main line.
I bought my own modem from Amazon, $68.99, and noted as such when I signed up for Comcast. It is a no-brainer to buy your own modem-- Comcast charges $6 or so a month for a rental so after the first year it's $72 down the drain versus a modem you can use forever.
As soon as the tech left, I plugged the modem into my WiFi router no problems (I might have cloned the MAC address of my laptop but I don't think I did-- I don't think they care about that anymore).
The service has been very consistent, fast, and reliable. No complaints.
Good luck.
Cabrini-Green
>It was bordered by Evergreen Avenue on the north, Orleans Street on the east, Chicago Avenue on the south, and Halsted Street on the west.
There Are No Children Here
Really Good Book.
There Are No Children Here, the true story of brothers Lafeyette and Pharoah Rivers, ages 11 and 9 at the start, brings home the horror of trying to make it in a violence-ridden public housing project. The boys live in a gang-plagued war zone on Chicago's West Side, literally learning how to dodge bullets the way kids in the suburbs learn to chase baseballs. "If I grow up, I'd like to be a bus driver," says Lafeyette at one point. That's if, not when--spoken with the complete innocence of a child. The book's title comes from a comment made by the brothers' mother as she and author Alex Kotlowitz contemplate the challenges of living in such a hostile environment: "There are no children here," she says. "They've seen too much to be children." This book humanizes the problem of inner-city pathology, makes readers care about Lafeyette and Pharoah more than they may expect to, and offers a sliver of hope buried deep within a world of chaos.
I’m currently reading this City of Scoundrels: The 12 Days of Disaster That Gave Birth to Modern Chicago https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307454304/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_i7EnDbKZ06TN4 , which starts with the story of the blimp crash.
The HH Holmes story as told in Devil in the White City is fascinating to me.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America https://www.amazon.com/dp/0375725601/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_cxEODb8TW37D3
Here's a write up of the Englewood post office that sits on the site
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/englewood-post-office
You cannot write this paper without noting that Mayor Richard J. Daley was a former street gang member from Canaryville (read "Boss").
I would also consider looking at the role that "economic segregation" plays in all of this. Gangs exist and thrive all over the City, not just the south and west sides.
Uptown and Rogers Park, for example, are pretty diverse but have pockets of low income residents, and there has been street gang violence in those neighborhoods dating back to the '70s.
As neighborhoods gentrify and the amount of "affordable, multi-unit apartments" are reduced, the gang bangers almost always disappear. Conversely, the formerly stable neighborhoods where they have moved to are now becoming war zones.
I would also look at the impact that the anti-loitering ordinance had, if any.
Here are some other resources you might want to consider:
This book is a first-hand account of a young man growing up in Humboldt Park during the 1980s. It details how the Latin Kings evolved from a group of guys who organized to protect themselves from the violent, racist white gangs and eventually turned into the murderous drug enterprise that it its today.
http://www.amazon.com/My-Bloody-Life-Making-Latin/dp/1556524277
http://www.chicagocrimecommission.org/
Good luck, soldier!
The best Daley biography I have read came out in 2001 called American Pharaoh by Adam Cohen.
This bio does NOT hide the ugly underside of the machine Daley ran. Cohen tries but never finds any sources to confirm Daley's involvement in the riots. No doubt Daley was in the Hamburg Athletic Club. (these clubs were breeding grounds for the machine that would become Chicago politics) Daley was 17 years old at the time of the riots. A ripe age for insane violent behavior but I've read a few Daley bios & none of them have pinned Daley as to taking part in the riots.