In the first half of the twentieth century, immigration greatly increased in the East Village and Division Street became the wild and unruly Broadway Nelson Algren describes in The Man With the Golden Arm.
Since those times, and after several decades of neglect, the neighborhood has changed dramatically with an explosion of development to become a completely different kind of entertainment district than it was before. Division Street now offers organic pizza, sushi and microbrew beers while this part of Chicago Avenue has become a cutting edge strip with unique features such as a fantastic high-end vegan restaurant and delicious gourmet pies. In the neighborhood`s center, be sure to visit Eckhart park which houses a public indoor swimming pool and hosts outdoor festivals and events in the summer.