It’s a Sunday and despite Obama’s recent designation of Pullman as a National Monument, I seem to be the only tourist wandering about. I’m surprised – thinking that after the Obama designation, tourists would be coming in droves. ... I blazed through the Sunday traffic on the Dan Ryan, heading South. From the highway, you wouldn’t know Pullman was there. The historic clocktower barely peeks out from behind a giant Walmart sign and a new building, the Method factory. And then it hits you – from East 111th street – the charm. Tucked right off the highway, Pullman, a community with more than 150 years of legacy that played a key role in the industrial, labor, and civil rights history of America.
Its character is charming but not without a deep underlayer. The blocks West of the railroad tracks reveal vacant lots, foreclosed homes, empty storefronts. Like many parts of the city, especially on the South and West sides, infrastructure is noticeably neglected, and the systemic reasoning for it well-documented. And yet life persists. Kids play. Couples walk. Residents keep the neighborhood and its vibrancy alive.
A neighbor stands in front of one of the homes facing North, across from the Arcade Park and old stable building. He’s watering his lawn with a garden hose. Flowers blossom from every corner of his garden and porch. As I pass, he turns his gaze toward me, watching me scanning each building as I pass.
“Been here before?” He calls out. Like I said, I’m obvious.
No, I tell him. I’m from Chicago and have wanted to visit for a long time, but this is my first time. I had heard always heard that Pullman was one of Chicago’s hidden secrets.
