Boystown
Diversity is the centerpiece around which any major city revolves, and there’s no better example of that in Chicago than Boystown, the area technically known as North Lakeview running roughly from the Lakefront and Belmont up to Irving Park and as far west as Wrigley Field (though ground zero centers on Halsted). Stocked with bars for the boys who like boys, the vibrancy of nightlife in Boystown is matched only by the raw sexual energy that you can practically grab out of thin air. From Circuit to Sidetrack to Roscoe’s, Chicago’s gay population comes out to get down and show off. Even the city brass-not often known as the most tolerant group of politicians-gave Boys Town its salute a few years ago, erecting pride statues (or giant metal phalluses, depending on your sense of humor) along Halsted in a nod to the positive cultural input provided by the community.
Best of Chicago 2002
