The avenue with a little of everything
Bouncing around Belmont.
By Anna Weaver
Since my freshman year, I’ve heard people talking about “going to Belmont.” But it wasn’t until this year that I learned that “Belmont” refers to Belmont Avenue — not a specific area but a street.
On a Saturday afternoon Weinberg freshman Heba Elayan and her friend Jake Werner, Weinberg ’00, give me a tour of the well-known, if misunderstood, street.
Although I think of the area around Belmont Avenue as a shopper’s paradise, there won’t be much of that on this trip. “There’s a lot of shoe stores and shit around here that I don’t know anything about,” Werner says.
Instead Werner points out the numerous bars, restaurants and music venues flanking Belmont, such as the Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave. The first thing we see after disembarking from the El at Belmont is a long line of people waiting for Wilco tickets in front of the theater. Besides bringing in top music groups, The Vic also hosts events like its alcohol-enhanced movie series, “Brew and View.”
It seems hipsters are forever searching for the latest and greatest spots. The Belmont vicinity used to be one of Chicago’s trendier areas, but it has moved down a rung or two on the “hip factor” scale. “I’ve heard really hip people talk down Belmont,” Elayan says, adding that she has her own negative images of Belmont.
This shift has a lot to do with a recent influx of yuppies. We walk as far west on Belmont as we can before hitting a string of new and high-priced condominiums, beyond which lies Wrigleyville. We turn around and go by an eclectic gathering of stores that includes Sinbad’s, 921 W. Belmont Ave., that Werner says is “a pretty good middle eastern place,” and The Chicago Tattooing and Piercing Co. Inc., 922 W. Belmont.
My tour guides and I are getting hungry so we head a bit further off Belmont to Pick Me Up at 3408 N. Clark St., which is open 24 hours on the weekends. As we look at our menus Elayan asks Werner what “sammitches” are. When he says it’s a Midwestern word for sandwiches, Elayan replies, “They just call it that because they have bad pronunciation.” Sandwich terminology aside, I’m very satisfied with my lunch.
After we eat there’s one more stop I want to make before we head back — Clarkes On Belmont. I want to see how the 930 W. Belmont location compares to our popular Evanston establishment. At first glance it looks like the ’50s diner atmosphere you’d expect, but turn right into an adjacent room and you’ll think you’ve entered a parallel universe. With its bar surrounded by circular, silver barstools, five TVs broadcasting sports and cool, glowing lights, it’s a blue and silver medley of modern design.
It’s fitting to end our Belmont trip at a restaurant with such disparate d
