Andrew Schneider was both surprised and wasn’t when he saw Logan Square was named one of the “coolest” neighborhoods in the world by Time Out . “When I got the Google alert, I felt like someone reposted an article from 2016,” said Schneider, president of Logan Square Preservation and a local historian. “I think me and many others in this neighborhood who thought we heard the last of these.
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This article is about two or three neighborhoods behind where the cool kids are.” Schneider, 21-year Logan Square resident, said a number of articles like it popped up about eight years ago in the wake of a bunch of new restaurants and bars opening. He said he never sees classics like the Bob Inn or Whirlaway featured.
The Northwest Side neighborhood was ranked 34 of 38. It was one of seven American neighborhoods on the list: Miami’s Little River (12), New York City’s Flatbush (17), Los Angeles’ East Hollywood (26), Washington D.C.
’s Mount Pleasant (29), Philadelphia’s BreweryTown (32) and Somerville, Massachusetts (38). Stephanie Kitchen, owner of City Lit Books, said the neighborhood has changed since she moved there in 2009 but kept the most important parts. She said the area’s many independent stores and highly rated restaurants — including Lula Cafe, the city’s only 2024 James Beard award winner — have drawn in younger renters and visitors.
“[Logan Square has] always been a quirky place to live,” Kitchen said. “The independent flare has been ab.
