[CornFed]

U. of Chicago was on the HS potential-college tour list of the long-since-graduated Redrumette.  I had to work so mom took three kids up to Chicago to visit U. of Chicago. and Northwestern.  Chicago defeated itself by not really having a campus,  at least not the "campus" image that HS senior girls usually have in their noggins.  Then there were the "sketchy" types that made sitting outdoors as they drifted through a shock to these girls' suburban standards.   

But one ended up at Vandy (which has some urban vibe issues of its own), one at Univ. of Kentucky and one at Stanford.  The Redrumette's tolerance for urban has expanded greatly with world experience.  Enough so that she mused that, looking back,  maybe she should have gone to a more diverse, urban school for her grad work.  Too late!  Besides, somebody had to go to Stanford football games with me during her PhD years, and she owed us bigtime.

Can't say how the campus may have changed over the years.  It's been almost ten years since I visited.  Had no idea there was any gentrification taking place at the perimeter.  North of 59th was like a bright line between civilization and a combat zone.  During the two years I spent there, there were several students/employees killed who had wandered just across the demarcations of The DMZ.  On campus I would have to say that my impression has always been that it was a classic college campus - like the iconic "ivy-covered" campuses of the East; albeit lacking the consistency of architectural design.

The campus itself virtually never experienced violent crime.  I was told at the time that the school had the largest private police force in the country.  I had several uncomfortable moments over the two years; all when I was walking along one of the streets that defined the DMZ.

[CornFed]

U. of Chicago was on the HS potential-college tour list of the long-since-graduated Redrumette.  I had to work so mom took three kids up to Chicago to visit U. of Chicago. and Northwestern.  Chicago defeated itself by not really having a campus,  at least not the "campus" image that HS senior girls usually have in their noggins.  Then there were the "sketchy" types that made sitting outdoors as they drifted through a shock to these girls' suburban standards.   

But one ended up at Vandy (which has some urban vibe issues of its own), one at Univ. of Kentucky and one at Stanford.  The Redrumette's tolerance for urban has expanded greatly with world experience.  Enough so that she mused that, looking back,  maybe she should have gone to a more diverse, urban school for her grad work.  Too late!  Besides, somebody had to go to Stanford football games with me during her PhD years, and she owed us bigtime.

Can't say how the campus may have changed over the years.  It's been almost ten years since I visited.  Had no idea there was any gentrification taking place at the perimeter.  North of 59th was like a bright line between civilization and a combat zone.  During the two years I spent there, there were several students/employees killed who had wandered just across the demarcations of The DMZ.  On campus I would have to say that my impression has always been that it was a classic college campus - like the iconic "ivy-covered" campuses of the East; albeit lacking the consistency of architectural design.

The campus itself virtually never experienced violent crime.  I was told at the time that the school had the largest private police force in the country.  I had several uncomfortable moments over the two years; all when I was walking along one of the streets that defined the DMZ.