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gcs2017-blog · 8 years ago

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Journal Entry #3: Bridgeport

Bridgeport is a very interesting part of Chicago. Formally known as Canalport, it was home to the Irish when they came here to build the Illinois Canal. Although, at one time the Germans seemed to move away from them and they were heavily discriminated against, the Irish community at Bridgeport gave birth to 5 of Chicago’s mayors. Bridgeport’s main entrance into the political scene came during the Civil War. As many of the Irish were still connected to their home of Ireland and the fight there for independence from Britain, many sympathized with the South, which is why they got so much heat from the so called “native Americans” about not being with the North. However, there were many men that fought and died in the war. Although often facing much opposition and anti-Irish sentiment, in 1933, the first Irish mayor of Chicago from Bridgeport, Edward Joseph Kelley, was elected. And the last elected Irish mayor from Bridgeport was Richard Michael Daley. There were other Irish mayors they just weren’t coming out of Bridgeport necessarily. Although they were the smaller group of immigrants in Chicago they were able to take over the Democratic party unlike any other group. That was in part due to their English language skills and their knowledge of government but also their tenacity and their resourcefulness. They worked as “City Bosses” and piloted a true “Democratic Machine” in Chicago. Many of them were driven by their Catholic faith and kept that with them as they served as mayors. They dominated the political scene for decades, supported by the strong Irish community that lived in Bridgeport. But it is altogether different now. Now it seems that all sorts of people live and thrive in Bridgeport.

Just walking along 31st Street you can easily spot a few church steeples. Since it was breakfast time, our group decided to go to the bakery to grab a snack but since it was so far away from where we were near the Dan Ryan, we stopped at some of the sites along the way.

One of the first places we encountered was a park. The Janet Pascente Playground. It was nice to see and for me it sort of marked Bridgeport as being an actual neighborhood where you would need park for children to play because families live here and have their children here. A few blocks away as we turned down a side street, we came across single family homes, all the same lined up side by side. Each of them had a balcony and a garage so I thought they were typical middle class family homes. There weren’t any special decorations or any details in the architecture that told us who lived there now or who may have lived there before. It just seemed like a middle class neighborhood.

It was a nice morning, the weather was very warm and that meant that it was that time of year again where people went to get their car washed. J and J Car wash services was packed, cars all lined up. J and J car wash is a 25-year-old family owned and operated full service car wash. What stood out to me was that there wasn’t anything special about the location, nothing flashy however, it was still busy and had customers lined up. I would assume that they have left a good name for themselves in their community.

Thinking about signs, there was a sign that discouraged parking on the street during the ball games except for residents that had permits. With Sox Stadium nearby and everyone in Chicago going to games it is no surprise that people would apark wherever it was free so Bridgeport would need signs to discourage that.

As we continued along 31st we saw stores with signs written in English and some in Chinese. There were Chinese restaurants and sushi places. There was a sports, bait and marine store and an authentic Mexican food restaurant. Different places signifying different people living in the area. There was even a few Chinese tutoring places and daycares.

One of places I thought was really interesting was the Bridgeport Child Development Center. It had a playground on the roof. There were children playing when we got there. I just thought it was so cool because as an architectural engineering student you learn how we are building up and while I had always imagined skyscrapers and apartment complexes, I had never thought of the idea of even building playgrounds up as well. The sides were gated up high enough to keep the children from getting hurt and I also felt that it was safe from strange passerby. I wondered if we could have more of these structures in the city. And why we didn’t have more of them already.

At the corner of Lowe and 31st was the First Lutheran Church of the Trinity. The Church has been open since 1865. It was the first Lutheran church near Chicago’s south side. It is the oldest Christian congregation in Bridgeport. It was originally a German immigrant parish. And now it serves the diverse community that resides in Bridgeport today. Next door to it is the First Trinity Community Center. And across the street was Humbert Park. Named in memory of Seaman 1st Class James Edward Humbert who was killed in action aboard the U.S.S. LERAY WILSON in the Philippines. It seemed he lived on 31st street which is probably why the sign in his honor was there.

As we continued to walk through, we passed by Freddies, a Italian Eatery that has been open since 1990. A Chinese Learning Center, a Chinese restaurant, and a Chinese construction business. Advertisements in Spanish. The flags outside of the Chicago Police Department caught our attention which is why we discovered it. I loved the repetitious pattern on the front of the building. The design overall gave me more of a library feel than a police precinct though.

We stopped at the Cermak Fresh Market. The grocery store is a part of a Chicago Supermarket chain. On their website they state that they specialize in “a variety of ethnic foods catering to Mexican, Puerto Rican, Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian and other European and Latin American cultures.” At this particular location, the cashiers and the staff were mostly Hispanic and there were Chinese, Korean, Hispanic, Black and White people shopping. I also saw different types of food and different types vegetables from different cultures. I felt that this store catered also Asian cultures as well outside of the cultures that they have specified on their website and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that there are a lot of Asians that live in the area. So, they have food to cater to those customers.

As we continued on our way to the bakery along 31st Street, we came upon Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple of True Buddha School. As we walked up, there was a women who lit an incense and was praying at the alter that stands right outside of the temple. A man came out next and did the same. When we walked, inside, it was amazing. Absolutely amazing. We had to take our shoes off, which for myself and Amreen, we are used to that since we as Muslims remove our shoes when we pray. The room was large enough, maybe only big enough to hold 100 people, and it would have been bigger if it weren’t for the massive alter that was at the front. There were so many statues and then on the sides there were hundreds of figurines on shelves. There statues were full of various colors. And the alter itself rose all the way to the ceiling of the room. The main color was gold, all of the Budda statues were gold and the other statues were gold as well. You could smell incense burning and it was very quiet at the time, minus the conversation that the three people were having in Mandarin. A monk appeared from the back room and began to talk to them. As we were about to leave after we had taken many pictures, the monk asked us if we had questions and gave us brochures. The brochures were in both English and Chinese. She then told us there was more behind the large altar that we could see, so we again removed our shoes and went to explore more. In the back, there were smaller altars to different deities. There were different foods being offered and drinks at each of the shrines. There was a second floor with more shrines and basement where they had classes. All the statues were intricate and detailed and the shrines/alters were all very beautiful.

After the temple, finally we arrived at the bakery. Bridgeport Bakery was so yummy. I bought donuts and bread and milk and was so content. There were 2 women there that were serving. It was a small bakery. Definitely a neighborhood bakery. They were very patient with us and helped us to pick out different things.

With our goodies procured, we headed back toward 31st street toward another park where we ate while children from a local elementary school played recess. Then we went to look at some of the churches that we passed on our way to the bakery.

If the temple was absolutely amazing, the St. Mary of Perpetual Help Parish was breathtaking. The stained glass, the domes with intricate designs, the altar, the chandeliers, the different art on the walls that depicted different biblical scenes, the angels at the door, the large statutes of St. Mary and Baby Jesus and then a grown Jesus at the front of the church. It was all so gorgeous. As a religious person, you could just feel the love and respect put into everything all in the name of God and St. Mary and Jesus. The church came in existence around 1880 and it was served the Polish immigrant community. It is a Roman Catholic Church.

At the back of the church on the second floor was a huge organ. And I could just imagine how beautiful it would sound when hymns were sang in the church.

As a final stop, we grabbed a drink at the Bridgeport Café. It was a nice, quaint café, with the fans blowing to keep the air flowing. The sweets selection was great and the chai latte I drank was delicious. The café had a great ambiance and all the people that came in seemed like regulars that knew the baristas. It seemed like a great place to come a study for a few hours when it wasn’t busy. Definitely considering it.

As we rode back to campus on the 31 bus, listening to some of the passengers speaking Cantonese, we were able to reflect on our journey since we had walked along most of 31st. There is definitely more to explore in Bridgeport but I think our trip did it justice.

-K.Nesbitt

References:

http://www.cermakfreshmarket.com/our-company/about-us

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-open-house-chicago-picks-20151016-005-photo.html

http://www.jandjcarwash.com/about.htm

https://firsttrinitychicago.com/history/

http://warmemorial.us/mediawiki3/index.php?title=JAMES_EDWARD_HUMBERT_-_Cook,_IL_(SEAMAN_FIRST_CLASS)_WWII

http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=309872

https://medium.com/religion-ethnicity-and-race-in-chicago-neighborhoo/the-daley-dynasty-irish-american-influence-in-the-city-of-chicago-cddb0ba45b6d#.5j446i85y

http://lockzero.org.uic.edu/V.html

http://www.stmaryofperpetualhelp.com/p/history-of-our-church.html

http://openhousechicago.org/sites/site/ling-shen-ching-tze-buddhist-temple/

Most Pictures are taken by me

The map: http://www.chicagoimagegate.com/Bridgeport/Bridgeport.shtml

The Mayors:http://lockzero.org.uic.edu/V.html

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lovacedon · 8 years ago

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Briefs

CDC conducting awareness seminars

KARACHI: The Central Depository Company (CDC) is conducting nationwide investors' awareness seminars.

The first phase of these sessions will be held in northern parts of the country, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The seminars are aimed at enhancing knowledge of investors]’ and business students regarding investors protection roles and responsibilities of the investors and the general operations of CDC and the capital market.

These seminars will be conducted in Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sargodha, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Gilgit and Mirpur. The second phase of these seminars will be conducted in the southern cities of Pakistan later this year.

The main objective of these sessions is to enlighten the attendees with respect to asset protection and measures needed to safeguard their investments. Moreover, the awareness sessions also highlight on the new initiatives taken by CDC for the development of the capital market.

Askari Bank sells AMC

By our correspondent

KARACHI: Askari Bank Limited (AKBL) has decided to offload its 100 percent-owned subsidiary Askari Investment Management Limited to Pak Oman Asset Management.

In a notice to the bourse, AKBL notified that the board of directors of the bank resolved to sell 33.5 million shares (100 percent of the paid-up share capital) of Askari Investment Management Limited to Pak Oman Asset Management for an aggregate amount of Rs551 million.

“It translates into a sale price of Rs16.45/share against the cost of Rs10/share in the bank's book, and is likely to result in a cash flow impact of 44 paisas/share,” Amreen Soorani at JS Global said.

JazzCash touches 100mln transactions

By our correspondent

KARACHI: More than a 100 million financial transactions were performed through its mobile accounts during 2016, which is almost four times higher as compared to 2015, a statement issued by JazzCash said on Thursday.

“This is a very special moment for all of us. Back in 2013, when we were still in the initial stages of setting up this division, we had an ambition to become the market leader by 2016,” Aniqa Afzal Sandhu, VP Digital and Financial Services Jazz, said while commenting on her company's record high milestone.

“With great team work and trust of our customers, we have achieved this milestone. Now more money transfer transactions are performed through Mobile Accounts than over-the-counter services.”

In addition, with more than 1.5 million monthly active mobile accounts, JazzCash is now the leading mobile financial services provider in the mobile accounts category.

UBL fetes opening of new head office

News Desk

KARACHI: The United Bank Limited (UBL) dedicated an eventful evening to its key stakeholders here at a local hotel to celebrate the opening of its new head office, a statement said on Thursday.

“Today is a momentous day for the UBL franchise and all its stakeholders, who have been associated with it for the last 57 years. This building is a beacon of UBL’s ‘Progressive’ and ‘Innovative’ brand attributes,” Wajahat Husain, President and CEO of UBL said while addressing the participants of the event. “This modern building complex is a dynamic symbol of the transformation that UBL has undergone in the last 14 years.” The UBL’s new headquarter was inaugurated on December, 19, 2016.

Sir Mohammed Anwar Pervez, OBE, HPk, Chairman of the Board of Directors of UBL and Bestway Group UK graced the grand the dinner, held at Mohatta Palace, as the chief guest.

Dr. Ishrat Hussain, ex -Governor-SBP, Muneer Kamal, Chairman Pakistan Stock Exchange, Zameer Mohammed Choudrey, CBE, Director UBL, members of the UBL’s Board of Directors, senior bankers, diplomats, and prominent personalities from leading business houses were also present on the occasion.

UK new car sales hit record high

LONDON: British new car registrations hit a record 2.69 million units in 2016 despite concerns from some analysts that June´s Brexit vote would dent sales but demand will fall by around 5 percent this year, a car industry body said on Thursday. Full-year sales rose 2.3 percent in 2016 but year-on-year registrations fell in December by 1.1 percent, only the third annual drop in nearly five years, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said. Demand from individual consumers has fallen in every month since April with overall growth supported by strong rises in business demand. However, in December fleet demand fell for the first time in nearly a year, suggesting that it will be difficult to match last year´s performance in 2017.

Macy’s, Kohl’s cut profit forecasts

NEW YORK: Department store chains Macy´s Inc and Kohl´s Corp both cut their 2016 profit forecasts on Wednesday, after holiday season sales fell more than expected, pushing down shares in the retail sector in extended trading.

Macy´s shares were down 10.7 percent at $32 and Kohl´s shares plunged 15 percent to $44.11 after hours. Other retailers were also down sharply, with J. C. Penney Co Inc off 5.3 percent and Nordstrom Inc down 5.4 percent.

U.S. department stores have continued to miss out on the spending uptick experienced by many retailers and have suffered heavily from competition by online rivals including Amazon.com Inc. Department stores have also been hurt by a drop in demand for clothes and accessories like watches and handbags as consumers spent more on big-ticket items such as home renovations and cars.

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