Complex Magazine, the city living website, has a much-talked about article ranking what it calls “The 25 Douchiest Bars in Chicago.” Number one on the list is John Barleycorn, in Wrigleyville.
Some of the others: Angels & Kings, Smart Bar, Spy Bar, the Cubby Bear, English, and Fado.
Being a political blog, Ward Room couldn’t help but notice that two wards completely dominated the list: the 44th Ward, in Lake View, and the 42nd Ward, which encompasses the Gold Coast, River North, Streeterville and the Loop. Yeah. We know what you think about people who live and party in those neighborhoods.
This was the final tally:
44th Ward: 12 douchey bars.
42nd Ward: 9 douchey bars.
1st Ward: 3 douchey bar.
46th Ward: 1 douchey bar.
(The 46th Ward’s bar, Nick’s Uptown, is less than a block north of Irving Park Road, making it spiritually a part of Lake View.)
Then, we took our political analysis a step further, and asked, “Is there a link between a ward’s concentration of douchey bars and its support for Mayor Rahm Emanuel?” Here are the results:
44th Ward: Emanuel received 74 percent of the vote in 2011.
42nd Ward: Emanuel received 75 percent.
1st Ward: Emanuel received 54 percent.
46th Ward: Emanuel received 70 percent.
The 42nd and 44th were Emanuel’s second- and third-best in the city. His best was the 43rd, which lies between those two wards, and has its own John Barleycorn franchise. It’s clear that Chicagoans who enjoy drinking in douchey bars also love Rahm Emanuel. (It’s also clear that there is an unmet demand for douchey bars in Lincoln Park.) From there, you can draw your own conclusions. We’re journalists, not sociologists.
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