Interviews
Jackie Walton has been a resident of Hyde Park for nearly 12 years now. She is the director of project management at a health information technology company situated in Downtown, Chicago. I decided to interview her because of how long she has been living in the neighborhood. I figured she has been here long enough to talk about the various changes of this fast-paced neighborhood.
Questions and Answers
B:"How long have you been living in Hyde Park?"
J: “I have been living here for a little over 11 years. It will be my 12th year in November”
B:"Why did you choose to remain here for so long?"
J: “Because of its convenient location. It’s so close to downtown and there are so many restaurants and businesses here. I don’t have to travel too far for anything really.”
B: "What are the developmental changes that you have experienced? Do you think they have had a positive or negative impact on the community?"
J: “Over the years, they have built up a lot of residential buildings and stores. They seem to have attracted more young people, but that is partly due to the University of Chicago too. I think most of the changes have been positive. There is more for people to do and more places to live.”
B: "Do you think it is becoming too commercialized?"
J: “It is, but I don’t see that being an awful thing.”
B: "Some community members have said that it has lost its sense of unity due to being so commercialized. What do you think about that?"
J: “I mean, I understand how people could be a little upset about all of these changes, but the neighborhood is definitely getting better and that is what we should focus on."
B: "Do you think there is a racial issue in Hyde Park? Have you experienced any racial discrimination living here?"
J: “I don’t think racism or anything like that is a big issue in Hyde Park now because it has become such a racially diverse neighborhood, but in the past there definitely was some racial tension. I don’t recall experiencing any blatant discrimination, but I have noticed how people interact with my white friends versus how they interact with me. Being a black woman, you just have to be careful of what to say to who and where to go or not to.”
B: "Why do you think so many people are drawn to Hyde Park?"
J: “Like we were talking about before, I think it’s the fact that it is becoming so commercialized. There are more stores and restaurants and fun things for people to do. We’re also close to the lake and everyone loves the lake.”
B: "Do you foresee yourself living here for the rest of your lifetime?"
J: “Maybe. I don’t know yet. I love it here, so we’ll see”
B: "What are three of your favorite places to visit in Hyde Park?"
J:“I love to go to go jog on the lakefront. I love to eat at Valois and I enjoy going to Harper Theater
B: :What are the top 3 pros of living in Hyde Park? What are the cons?"
J: "The location, the people, and the abundance of restaurants. The cons that I can think of are: the lack of parking, and the slight increase in crimes”
B: "On a 5 star scale, what would you rate Hyde Park?"
J: "4.5"
Questions and Answers
B:"How long have you been living in Hyde Park?"
J: “I have been living here for a little over 11 years. It will be my 12th year in November”
B:"Why did you choose to remain here for so long?"
J: “Because of its convenient location. It’s so close to downtown and there are so many restaurants and businesses here. I don’t have to travel too far for anything really.”
B: "What are the developmental changes that you have experienced? Do you think they have had a positive or negative impact on the community?"
J: “Over the years, they have built up a lot of residential buildings and stores. They seem to have attracted more young people, but that is partly due to the University of Chicago too. I think most of the changes have been positive. There is more for people to do and more places to live.”
B: "Do you think it is becoming too commercialized?"
J: “It is, but I don’t see that being an awful thing.”
B: "Some community members have said that it has lost its sense of unity due to being so commercialized. What do you think about that?"
J: “I mean, I understand how people could be a little upset about all of these changes, but the neighborhood is definitely getting better and that is what we should focus on."
B: "Do you think there is a racial issue in Hyde Park? Have you experienced any racial discrimination living here?"
J: “I don’t think racism or anything like that is a big issue in Hyde Park now because it has become such a racially diverse neighborhood, but in the past there definitely was some racial tension. I don’t recall experiencing any blatant discrimination, but I have noticed how people interact with my white friends versus how they interact with me. Being a black woman, you just have to be careful of what to say to who and where to go or not to.”
B: "Why do you think so many people are drawn to Hyde Park?"
J: “Like we were talking about before, I think it’s the fact that it is becoming so commercialized. There are more stores and restaurants and fun things for people to do. We’re also close to the lake and everyone loves the lake.”
B: "Do you foresee yourself living here for the rest of your lifetime?"
J: “Maybe. I don’t know yet. I love it here, so we’ll see”
B: "What are three of your favorite places to visit in Hyde Park?"
J:“I love to go to go jog on the lakefront. I love to eat at Valois and I enjoy going to Harper Theater
B: :What are the top 3 pros of living in Hyde Park? What are the cons?"
J: "The location, the people, and the abundance of restaurants. The cons that I can think of are: the lack of parking, and the slight increase in crimes”
B: "On a 5 star scale, what would you rate Hyde Park?"
J: "4.5"
Natalya Stephenson is a 5th year resident of Hyde Park. She is also the person who gave birth to me. I decided to interview her because she has only been living here for 5 years, so I was curious how her experiences would compare to Jackie's.
Questions and Answers
B: "How long have you been living in Hyde Park?"
N: “5 years.”
B: "Why did you choose to remain here for so long?"
N: “I stayed because of my job and I wanted you to finish school at Jones.”
B: "What are the developmental changes that you have experienced? Do you think they have had a positive or negative impact on the community?"
N: “They have built many new restaurants and apartment buildings. 53rd Street is now the place to be. There is so much to do. I think these developments have mostly had a positive impact on the community because there are more jobs and more housing available.”
B: "Do you think it is becoming too commercialized?"
N: “It is becoming very commercialized because of all the new businesses, but the community seems to be improving because of it, so I guess it’s okay. I personally think that the cost of living is getting more expensive, but I feel that way about Chicago in general.”
B: "Do you think there is a racial issue in Hyde Park? Have you experienced any racial discrimination living?"
N: “I don’t think there is a significant racial issue here because the community is so diverse. I have never experienced any sort of racial discrimination since living here. Have you?”
B: “No”
B: "Why do you think so many people are drawn to Hyde Park?"
N: “Because it’s at a good location; really close to Downtown and there’s tons of restaurants and stores here too.”
B: "Do you foresee yourself living here for the rest of your lifetime?"
N: “Definitely not. I don’t want to live in Chicago at all.”
B: "Why?"
N: “The taxes are too high, there’s too much violence, it’s too segregated, I don’t like the weather… There’s just so many things that does not make Chicago the right fit for me.”
B: "What are three of your favorite places to visit in Hyde Park?"
N: “I like to go to the Potbelly on 55th; I like Rajun Cajun; I like going over by the lake in the summer.”
B: "What are the top 3 pros of living in Hyde Park? What are the cons?"
N: “Some pros of living here are: the variety of stores/restaurants to go to, the diversity of the people, and the proximity to Downtown. Some cons are: it is always congested, the crime rate seems to be going up, and some places are too expensive.”
B: "On a 5 star scale, what would you rate Hyde Park?"
N: "4 stars."
Questions and Answers
B: "How long have you been living in Hyde Park?"
N: “5 years.”
B: "Why did you choose to remain here for so long?"
N: “I stayed because of my job and I wanted you to finish school at Jones.”
B: "What are the developmental changes that you have experienced? Do you think they have had a positive or negative impact on the community?"
N: “They have built many new restaurants and apartment buildings. 53rd Street is now the place to be. There is so much to do. I think these developments have mostly had a positive impact on the community because there are more jobs and more housing available.”
B: "Do you think it is becoming too commercialized?"
N: “It is becoming very commercialized because of all the new businesses, but the community seems to be improving because of it, so I guess it’s okay. I personally think that the cost of living is getting more expensive, but I feel that way about Chicago in general.”
B: "Do you think there is a racial issue in Hyde Park? Have you experienced any racial discrimination living?"
N: “I don’t think there is a significant racial issue here because the community is so diverse. I have never experienced any sort of racial discrimination since living here. Have you?”
B: “No”
B: "Why do you think so many people are drawn to Hyde Park?"
N: “Because it’s at a good location; really close to Downtown and there’s tons of restaurants and stores here too.”
B: "Do you foresee yourself living here for the rest of your lifetime?"
N: “Definitely not. I don’t want to live in Chicago at all.”
B: "Why?"
N: “The taxes are too high, there’s too much violence, it’s too segregated, I don’t like the weather… There’s just so many things that does not make Chicago the right fit for me.”
B: "What are three of your favorite places to visit in Hyde Park?"
N: “I like to go to the Potbelly on 55th; I like Rajun Cajun; I like going over by the lake in the summer.”
B: "What are the top 3 pros of living in Hyde Park? What are the cons?"
N: “Some pros of living here are: the variety of stores/restaurants to go to, the diversity of the people, and the proximity to Downtown. Some cons are: it is always congested, the crime rate seems to be going up, and some places are too expensive.”
B: "On a 5 star scale, what would you rate Hyde Park?"
N: "4 stars."