Boystown

Boystown continued...

"It's all a mishmash of a bunch of different people," says Joya Salustro, assistant manager of Beatnix, another Halsted Street shop. "We're all kind of mixed in together, which is nice."

In the Edgewater, Rogers Park, Andersonville and other Chicago neighborhoods, there are gathering places and comfort levels that not long ago didn't exist -- or existed furtively. Boystown, since its emergence in the 1970s, has never done furtive. Never felt the need.

On Broadway and especially on Halsted, this is where the rainbow colors declare both pride of identity and pride of place.

And it is a mishmash, which adds to the fascination. On Halsted, Yoshi's Cafe, where chef Yoshi Katsumura has been fusing Asian and French (and other) flavors since 1982, has been serving a clientele that's as difficult to define as his menus. The Chicago Diner opened a year later and continues to take "vegetarian" to unexplored worlds. (The meatless country fried "steak" actually works.)

The entire length of Broadway within the neighborhood's borders (and south of Belmont to Diversey) is a succession of restaurants. The range is amazing, from Turkish (Istanbul) to Italian (Angelina, Adesso) to lots of East Asian to the 24-hour Melrose Diner, always good for an omelet.

There is live theater in the neighborhood. "Blue Man Group" has been throwing marshmallows at the Briar Street Theatre, on Halsted just south of Belmont, for more than a decade. In a marshmallow-free zone on Broadway, Strawdog Theatre Company and Oracle Productions take a very different approach in studies of the human condition. Center on Halsted, which offers educational, social and recreational programs for the LGBT (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender) community, also hosts theatrical performances.

Shops, too, have a range. Unabridged Bookstore, on Broadway, is a longtime favorite. Wigglyville Pet Boutique, a block north, is just what it sounds like.

Gaymart, curiously, isn't. Yes, there are rainbow kites and billfolds, and greeting cards you won't find at Walgreen's -- but this may also be Chicago's most complete store for pop-culture action figures. From Batman and Superman and Star Trek characters to Snap, Crackle and Pop, it seems they're all for sale in this (yes) kid-friendly shop.

"We've got Marilyn, we've got the Beatles, Betty Boop," says Gargano. "John Wayne."

Beatnix is more the kind of shop visitors might expect to find on Halsted Street in Boystown. The leather chaps are here, and wigs and masks and feather boas and body-length rhinestone accessories perfect for unleashing anyone's inner Cher.

The neighborhood is also home to a variety of bars and nightclubs. On weekend nights (especially) and during celebrations and events of special meaning to the community -- including the annual Pride Parade in late June -- the action is here.

The question, as in any nightlife district but especially here, is how to know where to find what you're looking for -- or not.

"There's really great free magazines, like Gay Chicago," says Salustro. "We have them in the store. I just tell them to grab a Gay Chicago and walk up and down the [Halsted street] strip and it tells you everything you need to know."

And for those who aren't into the bar scene and who simply want to experience a unique Chicago neighborhood and, perhaps, enjoy a nice brunch and a beverage, there's always Sundays.

It's when the neighborhood recovers and becomes -- a neighborhood.

"After a full week of work and a night out dancing or out with friends, to go out for bunch or a picnic by the lake, you really get to see the community," Galloway says. "Everyone's just relaxing.

"There's something awfully traditional about that." 
 

For more information about Boystown, please contact the Northalsted Business Alliance (773.883.0500) or the Chicago Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (773.303.0167).