ROGERS PARK — Is Clark Street the best main street in America?
A national contest is weighing that question currently, and until June 3 Chicagoans can vote once daily for Clark Street to represent the "heartbeat" of the city, and country, among 200 streets across the United States.
Clark is home to more Chicago bars than any other street in the city, spans 12 miles from Rogers Park to Chinatown, includes Lincoln Park Zoo and Wrigley Field, and sports dozens of authentic food joints that make this Midwestern town world famous.
The America's Main Streets contest, a program supported by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, gives winners $25,000 in cash and other prizes to "revitalize" the street, including hundreds of dollars toward paint and tools.
The street was nominated by Aviva Plummer of Far North Side staple Clark-Devon Hardware, which for decades has stood at the corner of Clark Street and Devon Avenue.
In the September 2014 issue of Popular Mechanics, celebrity chef and TV personality Ted Allen dubbed the hardware emporium a quintessential "Great American Hardware Store," much to owner Ken Walchak's surprise.
Now, the family-owned business is trying to get Clark Street its own dues.
"We've been on Clark Street over 90 years, so it's just been in our blood," Plummer told DNAinfo. "It's just a very special microcosm ... it just seems like a super friendly street, it's warm, it's rich, it's culturally diverse."
In a profile of the street for the contest, Plummer wrote:
"Our part of Clark Street is ethnically rich and culturally diverse. Apartment buildings and single family homes line the side streets that flank Clark which is populated by restaurants, car wash & repair shops, salons, bakeries, boutiques, theaters, dollar stores, kosher markets, fruit markets, lawyers and doctors offices, karate studios, tattoo parlors, banks and schools, And we don’t just have bakeries and cafes. We have Panderias y Taquerias.
This is the real deal. You will hear more than 37 languages spoken here. You will find Ethiopian, Peruvian, Cuban & Caribbean plus Korean and Chinese eateries. You will also find some of the best food carts in the city for tamales, elotes, chicharones, and fresh fruit salads made to order. Colorful murals under viaducts and on the sides of buildings celebrate the stories of original settlers and new immigrants. Summertime festivals and street fairs celebrate community."
Northeast Corner of Clark Street and Devon Hardware in 1910. [Provided/Larry Schure]
South of Rogers Park, Clark Street jogs through Edgewater before transforming into the historic Andersonville neighborhood, where Clark reigns as the hub of the community.
Gethsemane Garden Center serves as a bright yellow and floral bridge from Edgewater to Andersonville, and draws passersby south to the glittery Pork Shoppe marquee.
George's Ice Cream, Hopleaf Bar, Simon's Tavern, Hamburger Mary's, Reza's and more line the street (and stomachs) of regulars and visitors alike, before swinging into art galleries, the Swedish American Museum, or shops like Scout and Foursided.
Soon after, Clark really hits its stride.
As the main artery of Wrigleyville, Clark Street pumps the blood through the heart of Cubs territory.
Until recently, its famous McDonalds sat across from Wrigley Field, but dozens of bars and restaurants keep the North Side buzzing until the wee hours.
In Lakeview, Clark has been home to Cesars Killer Margaritas Mexican restaurant for 25 years and when the stroll through Lincoln Park Zoo is over, some would say views of Downtown and River North are unbeatable.
Downtown, Clark offers views incredible sights from the Clark Street bridge before zipping travelers between canyons of skyscrapers that put Chicago on the map.
One of the last things you'll do before Clark ends at muraled viaducts at Cermak Road is pass through a few rolling blocks of residential homes in the South Loop.
Andersonville Brewing is on the route for Taste of Andersonville. [Facebook/Andersonville Brewing]
The Daniel Burnham-designed former ComEd Building at 125 S. Clark St. [DNAinfo/Ted Cox]
Fans celebrate at the intersection of Clark Street and Addison Street outside of Wrigley Field after the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals in Game Four to win the National League Divisional Series on October 13. [Jon Durr/Getty Images]
Clark Street in Lincoln Park has a sense of humor with the Weiner's Circle. [DNAinfo/Mina Bloom]
In Rogers Park, Clark Street is lined with family-owned Mexican restaurants. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
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