It is said the ground is so fertile here in Illinois that when you drop a nickel it turns into a quarter before you pick it up. You’d imagine there’d be plenty of hippys and longhairs crawling all over Illinois, right? Nope, not really. You’ll find some transplants downstate at the universities but mostly you’ll find ’em up in Chicago. With plenty of health food stores, hemp shops and tons of yoga centers, there’s a nice underground network of hippie folk. The best hangout for hippies I’ve seen is a place called Healing Earth Resources up on the north side (Ashland & Belmont) that deals in your usual clothes & music as well as being a great central hub for a lot of hippie-minded communities.
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I agree with hippyhead and the comment they made about the wannabe hippies. Some of these people, and there is a lot of them here in the Chicago area, throw on a Grateful Dead t-shirt and consider themselves hippies. These kids just like the hippy lifestyle because of the pot. Also they make fun of vegetarians like you said too. I too am a vegetarian and hate Chicago’s pollution, so I know exactly what you mean. What kind of hippies are they?
Another thing I forgot to mention is that besides Chicago which still is predominately Liberal, most of Illinois is VERY Conservative, because everything else is very rural. As a matter of fact during elections Chicago and Cook County the county that includes Chicago is the only county in Illinois that wins democratic. There are a lot of country music listenting rednecks here in Illinois.
i am a dirty hippy bastard myself.
things i like:
String Cheese Incident
Soundtribe
by the way,
don’t eat fish too
they have sools and feelings too
don’t eat plants either!
i wish i didn’t eat so much azid,
my stupid hipie brain is fried
I will throw my deformed hippy feces at you MIKA you filthy hippy fuck!!!
Why does anyone post on this board? Silly twats!
PLEASE !!!!
DO NOT post words like:
“Cunt, twat, fuck, dick, prick, slut or anal junky”
Thankyou kindly.
Hippies = examples of the wasted
I’m surprised and a little sadenned that no one has mentioned Beverly, a little neighborhood on the southern tip of the city. There aren’t very many good places to hang out but the hippy types are abundant. Unfortunately, you see alot of kids wearing the tie-dye eating acid and mushrooms like candy and calling themselves hippies. Despite these kind, it’s a place full of great people.
if you are looking for a good hippie store in crest hill area there is one on plainfield road called rocky mudds. You should totaly check it out.
I agree– Belmont in general is quite possibly the coolest street ever. Belmont has an army navy store on it as well that is EXCELLENT, and some other fun stores including (but not limited to) a fetish shop, a poser hippie shop, a poster shop… lots of places that sell things I’m not supposed to know of yet…
and ANN SATHER’S FANTASTIC RESTAURANT! Seriously, it is a fun place to hang out with friends and have pancakes. Not exactly the trippiest place ever (there are hookah bars elsewhere in the north, though– you can try looking on Sheffield for some) but it’s got good swedish pancakes, darnit!
And, about the rest of IL:
Yes. It is a complete hickville. Corn, corn, soybeans, corn… and some more corn. The “Midwestern Farmer’s Daughter” stereotype didn’t evolve itself. Though I really do think Ohio is more of that than IL… IL is still pretty hickish.
M
As a 36-year-old, lifelong Chicagoan (born on the South Side, raised in the Devon/Western neighborhood), I have to say most of the neighborhoods people identified as “hippie-friendly” are really yuppie-friendly. Lakeview (Belmont) was gentrified more than 20 years ago, Wicker Park over the past 10, and Rogers Park is going through the process right now. In fact, the entire city is quickly being transformed from a vibrant, authentic, dynamic urban environment into a yuppie facsimile of one–there is barely a block left between Foster Avenue and 35th Street that has not been converted into part of a yuppie urban theme park. Sadly, Chicago hippiedom is on the wan.
hmmm, im a guy. . im 22. . . i live in northcenter. . . a yuppie neighborhood nestled between lincoln park and lincoln square. .born and raised in the city . seems like im the only hippie in the ‘hood. . although i have seen a couple cars parked around my house with phish and grateful dead stickers…… as for hippie hangouts—– like a few have said martyrs.it is a nice little bar with a pretty good stage that has pretty good sound and a good selection of “hippie beers” (i.e. sierra nevada, blue moon, newcastle, etc..) (and i live about 2 blocks from it—extra bonus)…….clark/belmont area—def. hit up noveltiesandstuff and pipesandstuff (same owner)….. secrets is overpriced for low quality glass—– adam’s apple is a good headshop but also overpriced (mostly show pieces but they do have nag champa soap for $5!)—– The Vic, Aragon, Subterranean, Park West, Riviera are all good places to catch a groovin’ show (jam/bluegrass/funk/whatever etc…) umm, sunshine daydream is a pretty cool shop (pretty good selection of plush grateful dead bears and stickers of bands)….well.. i cant think of anything else, so i guess thats it for now.. peace, love and wisdom
I live in a southside area most may be familliar with MIDWAY, the hippiedom in this area is scarce, alot of kids are hard rockin fighting kids, alot smoke up but not an abundance we have 1 little hippie shop, it happens to be a candleshop and is really cool the owner is an extreme hippie to the max used to be in naturalism incorporated if anyone is familliar with the street name”LSD help” an old hippie crew from the 60’s he’s a real cool guy and is always happy its on 63rd and meade 6300 south you can always find me their chilin’ my bro lives in rogers park and the place actually has a good amount of hippies wonderful area not many may dress like hippies all that much but definetly are if you get off the train stop loyola from the red line you’ll happen to find many good loyola college kids around the blocks of that area, avoid the frats, and hit up sherdian and north shore 3rd apt witha cuba flag in the window 1st apartment real down place to hang lots of kid between 19-22 havin fun smokin up……………Umphrey’s McGee lives in Chicago!
Most of u here are stoners not hippies.but, thats cool too. we love pot, were chill not angry, but were in life more for our selves.
Living in suburban Chicago, I visit the city a lot. I would not call it a hippie haven. I mean, you see a lot of hippies at Ozzfest and Lollapallooza. And there’s some great shops in boystown (Clark and Belmont). Check out The Alley at Clark and Belmont. There’s also some bead and smoke shops. There’s a kickass record store in Hoffman Estates called Record Breakers, and an awesome clothing store in Algonuin called Funky Munky. But, it’s not like you see a ton of hippies all over the place. Only at festivals.
Peace and Love,
Nikki Lou
I love Chicago merely for it’s uniqueness, but the city’s hippie folk and stores are declining. THere are still a few stores left, but mainstream has taken over many independent one of a kind stores.
There are some hippies in Chicago,but not that many. In Illinois, there are few hippie havens. Just past DeKalb is a bit of a hippie area, 4 locals own vw buses. Also stay away from the Aurora-Oswego area, hippie total there is only about 15 (14 if you don’t count me.) If anyone knows of more hippie havens, please comment.
Hey, ne body ever heard of Winfield, IL? Doubt it b/c it sucks. but I’m lookin 4 other like minds to hang with b/c I am fuckin alone out here. ya know?
here in Crystal Lake there are alot of the “fashion hippies”. It seems like all of the burb hippies are only for fashion, none who really want to make something of the world and learn more about things… Its nice now to know that I’m not the only one in the Chicago area!