GREEKTOWN — Despite having lived there since 1889, it was announced on Thursday that longtime Near West Side Chicago neighborhood Greektown will be moving to a new place in Wrigleyville at the end of the month.
“This was a tough decision,” said Greektown, 132. “Greektown is great, and pretty affordable as far as Chicago goes. But I’m ready for something new, and I feel like a nice new place in Wrigleyville, bustling with nightlife, offers me that.”
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Greektown reportedly experienced significant sticker shock upon seeing current rents in Wrigleyville, ultimately making the choice to downsize from the ten square city blocks it has been accustomed to.
“You’re just not going to find 1.25 million square feet at a very affordable price in Wrigleyville,” noted Greektown’s realtor Glenn Fordyce, 55, who specializes in neighborhoods moving to new neighborhoods. “Honestly, Greektown isn’t doing any better than a lease on a one bedroom a mile from Wrigley Field,even with the income they make from hundreds of jobs.”
With moving day just a few short weeks away, Greektown is working quickly to prepare for its big move, boxing up possessions and pricing moving companies in the event that help promised by distant friend Rogers Park, 143, in exchange for a few Old Styles falls through.
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“Doesn’t look like this refrigerator box I scored will be big enough for the Hellenic Museum,” said Greektown. “Maybe I can drape some moving blankets on it so it doesn’t get banged up inside the U-Haul. And let me think...the Mr. Greek Gyros restaurant, better label that ‘kitchen’ so I don’t forget.”
Due to the limited space at their new apartment, Greektown has had to simplify, dumping items like their usual Walgreens out on the curb in expectation of finding a new one in Wrigleyville. But the optimistic neighborhood is sanguine about the chance to be more economical about their space.
“Honestly, being in a tiny place is going to be kind of a blessing,” Greektown said. “I’ll probably be doing a lot of exploring: when we picked up the keys for the new place, our new neighbor said he was gonna show us around. This is going to rule.”
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“They seem cool,” said the neighbor in question, Sid Haverstrom, 28. “I don’t know Greektown real well yet, but getting to is the kind of thing I love about being in Wrigleyville—which I actually heard is thinking about moving downtown.
