Tips for Chicago: Safety
While we drove through Nebraska on the return from Denver, I decided to do something worthwhile (and to pass the time in that abominable state). So, I wrote down my personal tips about Chicago. Note that these are my “personal†tips in various categories. I make no claim to being complete, accurate, or current, but as someone from Chicago who moved to Ames 12 years ago and who loves going back, I thought it would be good to share a few things with my fellow Fanatics.
Safety:
· Maps. Use maps mostly in private. Don’t stand on the street looking cluelessly at a map. It is one thing to use the map in public knowingly (even Chicagoans use maps occasionally), but if you look like you are clueless, you are just attracting attention from those who might want to take advantage of you. Go inside a building if you have no idea where you are and figure it out in private.
· Pickpockets. There are a few things that you can do to protect yourself from pickpockets. Don’t carry a purse. They are easy to snatch or reach into. If you need a purse, use a long strap and carry it in front of you. Wear pants with a button for the back pocket or keep your wallet in your front pocket. Beware of the “double bump†in which someone bumps into you from the front and then makes a big deal of the apology while touching you to distract you from the other person who may have bumped you from behind and taken your wallet.
· Hand-in-Pocket. If you have some reason to be afraid, keep one hand in your pocket and move it around. It makes people around you wonder if you have a weapon and increases the odds that they will leave you alone. A variation is to hold your keys with one key sticking between your middle and fourth finger in order to have a make-shift version of brass knuckles that include a scraping and gouging feature. Seriously.
· The Projects. The Cabrini-Green and Robert Taylor Homes were high-rise subsidized rent apartments and the 1960s solution to poverty. The “Good Times†TV show was based in Cabrini-Green which was just west of the River North area and the Robert Taylor ones along the Dan Ryan expressway by Sox Park have all been torn down. These were some of the areas that most Iowans would feel the most scared. Well, there are very few “projects†anymore. Rather, they use “scattered site†housing and spread the subsidized rent apartments all over town.
· Cops. There will be cops most everywhere. Downtown Chicago is as safe now as it has ever been. Most of the trouble is out in the neighborhoods. And Chicagoans are nice people. If you are in trouble, there will probably be a cop or a Good Samaritan around to help you. There is no need to be afraid of the city.
· Mace and a Whistle. It is a good idea, especially if you will be alone at night to carry a small bottle of mace and whistle. The mace will incapacitate anyone who gives you trouble. And the whistle will help you draw attention of cops and Good Samaritans.
· Parking Lots. Be extra alert in parking lots, especially parking garages when no one else seems to be around.
· Don’t Be Foolish. Don’t pull out a wad of cash in public. Don’t wave your open purse around. Don’t ask a black person if you can touch their hair. Don’t invite a homeless person to your hotel lobby to give them the leftovers in your fridge. Don’t leave your phone in your car. Don’t drive into a neighborhood off the main streets.
While we drove through Nebraska on the return from Denver, I decided to do something worthwhile (and to pass the time in that abominable state). So, I wrote down my personal tips about Chicago. Note that these are my “personal†tips in various categories. I make no claim to being complete, accurate, or current, but as someone from Chicago who moved to Ames 12 years ago and who loves going back, I thought it would be good to share a few things with my fellow Fanatics.
Safety:
· Maps. Use maps mostly in private. Don’t stand on the street looking cluelessly at a map. It is one thing to use the map in public knowingly (even Chicagoans use maps occasionally), but if you look like you are clueless, you are just attracting attention from those who might want to take advantage of you. Go inside a building if you have no idea where you are and figure it out in private.
· Pickpockets. There are a few things that you can do to protect yourself from pickpockets. Don’t carry a purse. They are easy to snatch or reach into. If you need a purse, use a long strap and carry it in front of you. Wear pants with a button for the back pocket or keep your wallet in your front pocket. Beware of the “double bump†in which someone bumps into you from the front and then makes a big deal of the apology while touching you to distract you from the other person who may have bumped you from behind and taken your wallet.
· Hand-in-Pocket. If you have some reason to be afraid, keep one hand in your pocket and move it around. It makes people around you wonder if you have a weapon and increases the odds that they will leave you alone. A variation is to hold your keys with one key sticking between your middle and fourth finger in order to have a make-shift version of brass knuckles that include a scraping and gouging feature. Seriously.
· The Projects. The Cabrini-Green and Robert Taylor Homes were high-rise subsidized rent apartments and the 1960s solution to poverty. The “Good Times†TV show was based in Cabrini-Green which was just west of the River North area and the Robert Taylor ones along the Dan Ryan expressway by Sox Park have all been torn down. These were some of the areas that most Iowans would feel the most scared. Well, there are very few “projects†anymore. Rather, they use “scattered site†housing and spread the subsidized rent apartments all over town.
· Cops. There will be cops most everywhere. Downtown Chicago is as safe now as it has ever been. Most of the trouble is out in the neighborhoods. And Chicagoans are nice people. If you are in trouble, there will probably be a cop or a Good Samaritan around to help you. There is no need to be afraid of the city.
· Mace and a Whistle. It is a good idea, especially if you will be alone at night to carry a small bottle of mace and whistle. The mace will incapacitate anyone who gives you trouble. And the whistle will help you draw attention of cops and Good Samaritans.
· Parking Lots. Be extra alert in parking lots, especially parking garages when no one else seems to be around.
· Don’t Be Foolish. Don’t pull out a wad of cash in public. Don’t wave your open purse around. Don’t ask a black person if you can touch their hair. Don’t invite a homeless person to your hotel lobby to give them the leftovers in your fridge. Don’t leave your phone in your car. Don’t drive into a neighborhood off the main streets.
