Those projects usually experience no success, but when the alternative lifestyle flag was raised, this place became rich with art and culture. The streets were reinvented with local restaurants that snub franchised America by offering fresh and unique foods textured with the soft melodies of indie music. They are lined from breakfast to dinner with locals and government employees trying to grab a bite of artisan creativity.The food is the expression, but the nightlife is the essence. A myriad of bars is sprinkled around the circle with eclectic niches to fit a variety of desires. From the thumping sound of house music to the soft glow of adult contemporary, this is undoubtedly the main attraction. Surrounded by the murder capital of the country, the atmosphere seems buffered and protected by an invisible boundary of casual fun and whimsical sex. I’ve always loved this place. Although I didn’t inherit the alternative-lifestyle gene, the neighborhood invites all with no judgment. It’s a safe haven for the disenfranchised, the peculiar, and all those wild enough to explore the boundaries of cultural acceptability.
