The Gold Coast

In walking around the Gold Coast for last week's class, I realized that there was a slight stiffness in the air.  Each house we walked past was in pristine condition, not a single thing stood out, and they stretched out occupying the entire lot upon which it was built.  As our class was walking down Aster avenue, those who were walking down the block looked at us as if they were saying "we know you do not belong here." I also noticed that the people walking down the streets did not speak with one another.  They simply passed each other and continued on to their destination (though you would imagine in such a wealthy and quiet/safe neighborhood, people would be more likely to talk with one another since they have commonalities).  Furthermore, it is an extremely wealthy area, and as one proceeds to Lake Shore Drive, you notice the stores screaming out "high fashion" and "couture."  There are also high rise luxury apartments, and lavish hotels such as the Drake that we were able to see for a brief moment last class.

These observations show that status and looking your best are still as important today as they were in the past.  Furthermore, this also demonstrates the parallels between the two societies in the sense that neither of them spoke with their neighbors or bothered to get to know each other.  Interactions were reserved for the appropriate times, such as joining someone for tea (or, today, going out for lunch), and were ignored until the next appropriate encounter.  As we may read on page 66, "There is no neighborliness among those who live on the North Side.  I live in a  twenty-apartment hotel, and of the others who live in it I have a speaking acquaintance with but five, and know but one...People live on Lake Shore Drive simply because it is the most expensive place to live."  Here we may see that people were aware that no one knew each other, and did not care one bit.  They only wanted to live in the area to flaunt their money and improve their already high status, and I feel that there is still an essence of this (money flaunting) in today's Gold Coast that is no different than that of the past.

However, I couldn't help but notice the differences between the two societies either.  For example, as Zorbaugh demonstrates in The Gold Cost and the Slum, there were many rules that needed to be followed in order to be considered a proper member of society such as not carrying an umbrella, not being able to go to tea in a morning coat, or be seen at dinner without an evening jacket.  Rules such as these seem to have disappeared into thin air.  I am sure that there are still rules of etiquette that are to be followed in today's Gold Coast culture, but they do not seem to be as intensely articulate as those of the past.  Furthermore, although there were elite "high status clubs" that required membership in order to be a proper member of society, many of these societies no longer exist in today's Chicago.  There are only a few, and in order to be a member of the Gold Coast's select society, you do not need to show your status by joining them - you only need money.