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Can Chicago tourism be reimagined as more than city skyscrapers and deep-dish pizza? Chicago thinks so.
Their new travel show, “The 77: City of Neighborhoods,” hopes to elevate the neighborhood beyond downtown as Chicago's premier travel destination.The series is announced It took place earlier this month as part of Choose Chicago's broader efforts to support community-driven neighborhood tourism.
Hosted by Rob Fojtik, Choose Chicago's Vice President of Neighborhood Strategy, the series travels through five different communities: Humboldt Park, Little Village, Uptown, Bronzeville, and Pullman/Roseland.
“Our neighborhood is a place where our diversity and history, however difficult, have made us this wonderful, beautiful, and vibrant city with so many different cultures that call Chicago home. I think it really proves that we have,” Fojtic said.
If you've lived in the area for years, you may recognize some of your favorite foods on your screen, from Jibarito at Papa's Cash Subroso in Humboldt Park to Demera's vegan mesab in Uptown to handmade old-fashioned donuts at Roseland. not.
Choose Chicago's new travel show, “The 77: City of Neighborhoods.” Chicago classics are featured, such as the jibarito, which originated in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
Although food is a central element of each episode and is intended to increase tourism and investment in the area, it is not the primary objective of Choose's Chicago's marketing.
“If you get a million ads saying you're coming to the best restaurant in this neighborhood, but you don't think there's anything going on in that neighborhood, you're not going to go there,” Fozik says.
The goal is to change the narrative of a region that has long been siled through a “community-driven” approach, Fozik said.
Every episode includes a deep dive into the history and culture of the area, as told by the people who live there.
“[Tourism] We need to serve the people who live there, otherwise we will be evicted. [and] It’s gentrification,” Fozik said.
From a community interview with Ald.Jesse Fuentes (26th place), Jose E. López of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, Urban Historian Sherman “Dilla” Starting with Thomas, the series explores the city's hidden gastronomic gems and the hard truths of disinvestment and gentrification.
Ambrosio Gonzalez, owner of La Catedral, discusses the Little Village restaurant's success over coffee with “The 77: City of Neighborhoods” host Rob Fozik.
resident of little village jennifer aguilar, who participated in the series, agrees that storytelling is important to how a community is perceived. In his role as executive director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Aguilar second highest Chicago tax revenue after the Magnificent Mile.
“It's important to do more storytelling to show people that despite the violence, there is something bigger going on.” [in the community]''Aguilar said.
Many of Little Village's brick-and-mortar stores are owned by members of the Mexican and Latino community, so Aguilar hopes the increased tourism will keep them out of business and preserve the community's cultural essence. ing.
“Our tourist target is other Mexicans in the Midwest and other Mexicans across the country…so they travel all the way here to get essentials and enjoy the feeling of being in Mexico. ,” Aguilar said.
Aguilar has made it clear that tourism should not come at the expense of displacing Little Village residents. Ongoing issues in recent years.
“That’s why we were very intentional about talking about the potential for gentrification and introducing it.” [the Little Village] “This is so that anyone who watches this episode and wants to visit knows that this is not an invitation to live here,” Aguilar said.
All 30-minute episodes of “The 77: City of Neighborhoods” are now available on YouTube and the Choose Chicago website, with community screenings scheduled within the next two weeks.
