Okay, so you think *your* childhood was wild?
You gotta be kidding me. This list of Gen X stuff is, like, cute. Adorable even. But let me tell you something, growing up in Chicago, especially on the South Side, we were doing all this and more, *con permiso o sin permiso*! We were outside from sunup to sundown, playing stickball in the street with real bats and no helmets, riding bikes down the alleyways, no parents in sight. My mom would just yell from the porch, "¡No regreses hasta que las luces se enciendan!" — "Don't come back until the streetlights are on!" That was our curfew. Forget helmets, we were lucky if our bikes even had all their spokes.
### Chicago Kids Just Hit Different
Nah nah nah, let me explain. The idea that this stuff wouldn't be allowed today? It's like, who are they talking about? Maybe in some suburban cul-de-sac. But here in Chicago? We still got kids climbing fences at the park, making up their own games in vacant lots, and riding the CTA without a chaperone from, like, 12 years old. My primos and I used to jump the turnstiles on the Red Line just for fun, just to see if we could make it from 63rd to Belmont without getting caught. We were building treehouses out of scrap wood we found by the viaducts near 35th Street, running through the sprinklers at McKinley Park until our clothes were soaking wet. We learned how to navigate the city, how to talk to people, how to be resourceful because our parents were working two, three jobs just to keep a roof over our heads.
* ** unsupervised play:** This was not a choice, it was a necessity. Parents were working. * ** street smarts:** You learn quick when you're exploring the city solo. * ** resourcefulness:** Making do with what you got, whether it's a bike with no brakes or a stick for a bat.
It’s not just about nostalgia, though. It's about how different parts of Chicago still operate. Go to Little Village, you'll see kids playing soccer in the street, no fancy fields, no organized leagues. That’s how we learn. That’s how we build community. This Buzzfeed list is, like, a gentle reminder of a past that for many of us, it’s not really past at all. It's just... life. And honestly, it makes you wonder what kind of bubble some people grew up in.
Chi-Town on the wire — you already know. Keith and the crew break this down every morning — catch it live at mornings.live.