The modest "kitchen," if it could be called that, had drawn a crowd.
Under the shade of a white plastic tent, a man and woman bowed over a grill, flipping tortillas. Fragrant smoke spiraled into the air. A cluster of diners stood in the street, eagerly awaiting their prizes.
"Try one of these quesadillas, chica," a man observing the operation told me. "You'll feel like you're in Mexico."
Wandering Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood indeed felt like an experience near to a Mexican vacation. And Mexico wasn't the only country I immersed myself in after a quick flight to Chicago, where a host of vibrant, long established neighborhoods let travelers feel as if they have landed abroad.
Over the course of a long weekend, I explored five such areas, starting with Pilsen, where I stayed.
Populated predominantly by people of Hispanic heritage since the 1970s _ before that, the makeup was heavily Polish _ Pilsen has deep Latin roots and wears them on its sleeve.
Taquerias, panaderias and bodegas line its bustling main thoroughfares, 18th Street and Blue Island Avenue, near the popular Loop. Walking along the residential streets, I more often heard Spanish than English.
Like many major-city neighborhoods, gentrification is taking hold _ a subject that inevitably arises in neighborhood coffee shops and bars _ but Pilsen's charms have not been lost.
Fifteen years ago, gang violence made it difficult for even the people who lived there, let alone tourists, to fully experience the beauty of the neighborhood. These days, mercados sit next to boutiques, juice bars and artist studios. Hotshot restaurants have pulled in food lovers from across the city. Crime has drastically dropped.
Sombreros are worn on the streets. Carts sell chicharrons (pork rinds) outside Harrison Park. Beautiful brick and stone buildings, erected in Eastern European architectural style, are awash in color with street art tableaus painted over their once somber exteriors.
Prices across the neighborhood haven't caught up with the rest of the city, making Pilsen an attractive place to stay. I rented a pristine, Scandinavian-designed Airbnb for less than $100 a night and ate great meals for less than $15, followed up by a cocktail at the charismatic Barrel bar for just $8. The National Museum of Mexican Art, in the heart of the neighborhood, has gained national repute but remains free _ as, of course, do the six-plus blocks of remarkable murals along the 16th Street train tracks, which have been painted and repainted by artists for decades.
It made for plentiful and cheap entertainment _ and a very full belly. The 2.8-square-mile neighborhood claims enough taquerias for a week's worth of crawls _ Taqueria Atotonilco was the best I found. Bakeries such as Panaderia Nuevo Leon fill the sidewalks with the smell of baking masa and pastries. The highlight? One afternoon, I crammed along with dozens of others into Carnitas Uruapan, a small restaurant touting a major pork operation. As I waited for a table, I watched the parade of trays with meat and chicarrons coming from the kitchen to the counter, where a man was lopping off pieces and wrapping them in paper for customers to take home.
"This is the best carnitas in the city," said Polo Mendoza, who immigrated to the neighborhood with his family in the 1970s. "But you also have to try the brain taquitos. I wouldn't touch them as a kid, but one time I accidentally ate one at home, and it was amazing. So creamy."
He invited me to sit with him and his family, and we ordered taquitos. He was right. Pilsen's bold flavor and warm spirit had gotten me again.
It was time to move on to other parts of the city, but I could barely pull myself away.
