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Uptown
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Neighborhood Promotion and Neighborhood Map Thumbnail
Explore This Neighborhood
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Uptown continued...
The neighborhood's two iconic symbols, however, are undeniably the Aragon, a 1926 repurposed ballroom; and the Uptown Theatre, a 1925 movie palace at Lawrence and Broadway just down the street.
The Aragon, after some decline -- it famously flopped in the '60s as a disco called "The Cheetah" -- was revived in the 1970s as a concert venue. These days, along with frequent shows by Hispanic artists, which helped power that revival, it's often jammed with youthful music fans who adore Spoon and Weezer and have never heard of Tommy Dorsey.
The 4,000-seat Uptown Theatre, on the other hand, is a shuttered landmark, essentially unused since 1981, the theater's current owner keeping its deteriorating but still-splendid interior intact while seeking financing for a restoration. While the nearby Riviera Theatre, even older (1917), still hosts rock shows, the Uptown's primary function today is -- well, it's providing a rooftop roost for a family of peregrine falcons that terrorizes local pigeons.
Remarkably, on either side of the closed theater are lively, contemporary restaurants and bars -- including the Green Mill, a onetime speakeasy carefully restored and thriving as a jazz club -- as well as Annoyance Theatre, which somehow balances drama, improv and martinis.
And right next door to the Uptown -- seemingly oblivious to its hulking gloom -- is this used book and music store . . .
Shake Rattle and Read (formerly the Book Box) has been owned by the same family for more than 40 years. Ric Addy, who took it over from his sister in 1986, has lived or worked in this neighborhood since 1971.
"I've seen a lot of changes," he says. "It's really a diverse neighborhood. The people at the post office tell me there's 60 different languages spoken in Uptown. Sixty."
On his block are Indian and Mexican restaurants; across the street, Ethiopian and Chinese. Just north, some on Broadway but mainly on Argyle Street below the Argyle Red Line 'L' station, is a succession of Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai eateries.
A mere sampling around Argyle: Pho Xe Tang -- familiarly Tank Noodles (with a tank on the sign) -- gets raves for its Vietnamese noodle soups and accompaniments. Sun Wah Bar-B-Q is especially known for its Beijing duck (no 24-hour notice required). Chilled Vietnamese spring rolls with their spicy peanut dipping sauce delight at upscale Hai-Yen. Thai Pastry and Restaurant has a loyal following while, across Broadway, the dim sum at Furama packs them in, especially on weekends.
Take some time to wander through the pan-Asian supermarkets on Argyle -- and don't miss La Patisserie P. The genius of Peter Yuen creates baked goods ranging from to Asian chicken-sausage buns to delicate chocolate banana mousse cake.
More languages can be heard on Wilson Avenue east of Clark Street, where Fontana Grill and Wine Bar -- with its inviting, romantic front courtyard -- is neighbor to the Palace Gate Ghanian restaurant and the Nigerian Kitchen. This is one of Uptown's more intriguing districts, where apartment buildings and handsome greystones share side streets with century-old mansions, many fully restored and some awaiting a little tender care. (The 1898 beauty on the corner of Wilson and Malden Street, for sure, will get your attention.)
For more information about Uptown, please contact:
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