Chicago Community Area #3 - Uptown

On my way home from the bike shop yesterday, I stopped at the Sulzer Regional Library in Lincoln Square. While I waited in line, I noticed a display on one of the tri-folding school project boards. It looked like it was put together by a middle school kid and had pictures and information about the Abbott House which is located right down the street at 4605 N. Hermitage. I decided to take a ride east to Uptown to visit this Chicago Landmark.

The Queen Anne-style house was built for Dr. Wallace C. Abbott and architected by Rudolph Dahlgren and Oscar Lievendahl. It was built in 1891, with an addition added in 1906. Dr. Abbott was an pioneering physician and pharmacologist and founded the Abbott Alkaloid Company (later Abbott Labs) right here in Ravenswood in 1888. In those days, many unreliable remedies were market to the ill. Abbott advanced the practice of medicine by manufacturing high-quality drugs in accurate doses.

Chicago Community Area #7 - Lincoln Park

As I rode back north through Lincoln Park, an interesting building at 2128 N Halsted caught my eye. Although today it's used at the boutique clothing shop Guise Chic, it was formerly used as a police station, dating back to 1888. According to the Forgotten Chicago web site, this is one of the oldest disused police stations in Chicago.

The other 1888 station no longer in use is at Maxwell and Morgan and is famous for appearing in the TV hit series Hill Street Blues and the 1996 film Primal Fear.

Unfortunately, one of my pedals broke during my ride home. No great loss - I didn't like them anyway. So the next day I hobbled my way back down to Performance Bikes in Lincoln Park to buy new pedals.

On the way home from the bike shop, I spotted an interesting building with the name Turn Verein Lincoln and a relief bust of a bearded man on it. The building is currently home to the Lincoln Park Athletic Club, which makes sense since a "Turn Verein" is the original German name for a workout club or gynmastics association. The bearded man is undoubtedly Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, who is considered the father of gymnastics or turnvater for his pioneering work in that sport in the early 1800s.

EDIT [8/4]: In yesterday's Sun-Times, there was an article about a father-son renovation team who rehabbed a 113-year old building (the former Vorwaert Turn Hall) in Tri Taylor West. As it turns out, that building also has a relief bust of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn on it and the building served as a sports center at one time. These guys did a fabulous job fixing up this gem. Be sure to check out the photo gallery online. (I love it when the online version of a newspaper story has more info or pictures than the paper copy.) I definitely plan to go visit that other Jahn building (2431 W. Roosevelt) some time soon. Use Google Street View to see what the building used to look like.

Chicago Community Area #28 - Near West Side

Greektown is an important section of the Near West Side community area. As I rode north on Halsted, crossed the Eisenhower Expressway and came to the light at the corner of Van Buren, I found a statue of Artemis, the Greek god of beauty, and a small peristyle (an open area surrounded by columns) marking the southern entrance to Greektown.

Chicago Community Area #60 - Bridgeport

On my way back from Douglas/Bronzeville, I went west and passed through Bridgeport, Mayor Daley's home neighborhood. As I rode west on 33rd I came across a yard sale at 3256 S. Union. Well, it was more of a sidewalk sale than a yard sale. Many of the homes and townhouses in that area come right up to the sidewark, so there's not much of a yard. I bought a science kit that promises to show you 100 experiments that you can do with an empty 2 liter bottle (included) cut in half.

I love doorways in general and I thought the doorway on this building was especially interesting. There are a hodgepodge of styles including the classical original frame, brickwork filler and a modern door with an art deco glass motif. Notice the 1897 date above the door.

Chicago Community Area #35 - Douglas

I got off the lakefront path at 31st street and headed west into the beautiful Douglas neighborhood. I've come here a few times before and I'm always amazed at the wonderful monument that was created at the tomb of Stephen A. Douglas. It's really beautiful and the grounds of the state historic site are well-maintained and very peaceful.

There are numerous other sites to see in Douglas, including the former Sunset Cafe where jazz great Louis Armstrong played. The building is now an Ace Hardware store, but there is still a 1920s era mural in the back. Time Out Chicago covered this in a short piece.

Chicago Community Area #33 - Near South Side

This past Sunday's ride took me to South Side several neighborhoods, including the Near South Side which runs from Roosevelt Rd south to 26th St along the lakefront. As with most neighborhoods, there are many great things to see in the Near South Side. Probably the most popular site is the museum campus which includes the Field Museum of Natural History, the John G. Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium.

Yep, these places are very "touristy", but I love them anyway. :) One of the not very well-known spots on the Near South Side is an infamous column which stands by itself along the lakefront path, just east of Soldier Field. The column is over 2,000 years old and was a gift from the Fascist Italian leader Benito Mussolini in 1934 in honor of a transatlantic flight made by Italo Balbo during the Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago in that year. The Gaper's Block web site has an excellent article about this column, as does Chicago Magazine. Cecil at the Reader has also provided the Straight Dope on it. Eric Zorn has suggested honoring Enrico Fermi rather than the fascist Balbo.

פרשת קרח

דברנו על מטה אהרן שנפרח שקדים. ודברי רש"י על הפסוק (יז,כה) ד"ה למשמרת לאות - לזכרון שבחרתי באהרן הכהן. והקשה עליו הרמב"ן שאין המטה אות אלא על שבט לוי בלבד. וע' גור אריה שכתב דהא דשמו של אהרן היה כתוב על המטה ולא שם של אלעזר בן אהרן (שהוא היה כמו נשיא של שבט לוי) ומ"מ נפרח המטה מוכיח על בחירתו של אהרן

פרשת שלח

דברנו על המקושש עצים טו:לב רש"י ד"ה ויהיו בנ"י וגור אריה שם וא"ת שבת ראשון היה. ע"ש תירוצו

Chicago Community Area #1 - Rogers Park

I pass through Rogers Park on my way to the lakefront several times a week. There are many, many great places in Rogers Park. I spend a lot of time there. Here's a list of some of my favorites:

1. Pratt Ave beach and it's hand painted benches - renewed every year.
2. Rogers Avenue - the old Indian Boundary Line
3. Morse Ave L stop painted viaduct
4. The tiny beaches and parks along the lake north of Touhy up to Howard - sometimes more than one per block.
5. The (relatively) new library on Clark
6. The Common Cup - coffee shop at Morse and Greenview
7. Heartland Cafe - cafe/restaurant at Lunt and Glenwood
8. Kilmer Triangle - a tiny park/memorial at Rogers and Ashland and Birchwood
9. Kilmer Elementary School and Sullivan High School - beautiful school buildings. See photos below.

Joyce Kilmer is the author of the famous poem "Trees":

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

As I pass these schools on my bike, I sometimes wonder what I might have grown up to be if I had walked through august doorways like these every day during my youth.

Kilmer Elementary School:











Sullivan High School:

Community Area #22 - Logan Square

There's so much to see and so much to talk about in Logan Square, it's hard to know where to start. I love this neighborhood! After a history of being crime-ridden, this area has been gentrified and renovations have restored the homes to their original grandeur. My wife and I recently enjoyed a peaceful Sunday stroll down Logan Blvd and then south on Kedzie to Palmer Square. We were amazed at the beautiful single-family homes and the beautiful apartment buildings. We visited the John Rath house at 2703 W. Logan, designed by prairie school architect George W. Maher and built in 1907.

But it wasn't until our walk was finishing up and we were getting back to our car that we found the gem across the street. It is the total epitome of kitsch!

I came back to the house yesterday on bike to take some photos. The angelic statuettes, dragons, neptune and cherubs fill the yard and decorate the house. There is a consistency of color, primarily gold and dark turquoise, so it's not entirely random. There's also a tower which roughly resembles the Eiffel Tower with a large sphere on the top and appears to have Christmas lights strung around it. I'd love to come back one night when it's lit up.

Even the garage has a beautiful painting on the doorway.

Community Area #14 - Albany Park

Yesterday, I rode through Albany Park down Lawrence Avenue from the Chicago River east to Kedzie and then south on Kedzie. I've ridden this route many times before, but this time I took the time to notice the many ethnic organizations, businesses and especially restaurants fill this small area.

There was the Cambodian Association of Illinois on the south side of Lawrence just east of the river. According to their web site, there are about 3,000 Cambodian families in Chicago. The building has a museum whose purpose is to educate about the Cambodian genocide of 1975-1979 and the killing fields. The building has a spectacular piece of art (not sure exactly how to describe it) on the front of the building.

I also found an El Salvadorian Restaurant further down Lawrence.

Mekeni Restaurant bills itself as a "Taste of Pampanga". I had no idea where Pampanga is and there was no other hint about this cuisine on the outside of the restaurant. I googled it when I got home. Pampanga is in central Luzon in the Phillipines. There are several reviews of this place on Yelp. They say it's more like visiting your aunt's or grandmother's kitchen than going to a restaurant - for good and for bad.

After turning south on Kedzie, I came across Arun's. I've passed by several times and wondered what this building is. I figured it must be either a restaurant or a buddhist temple. As I was snapping pictures, a man came out of the building so I asked him what the place is. He told me that it's a Thai restaurant which serves a 12 course meal for $85 / person, prix fixe.

Further down on Kedzie was D'Candela, a Peruvian restaurant. How many of those can there be in Chicago?





In addition to the wealth of diversity in Albany Park, Lawrence Avenue is a treasure of architectural beauty. Many of the buildings aren't kept up very well, but the intricate facades are breathtaking if you just take the time to ignore the storefronts and look up at the buildings.

Chicago Community Area #13 - North Park

The boards covering the windows at the building on the northwest corner of Foster and Kezdie, near North Park University, were recently painted with silhouttes indicative of the diversity of the neighborhood.

Community Area #15 - Portage Park

On my way home from the Villa District in Irving Park on Friday, I passed through the Portage Park community area. I rode up (northwest) Milwaukee Ave from the Six Corners intersection of Irving Park Rd, Cicero and Milwaukee. As you look up the street, just before it bends, the Portage Theater is a striking sight. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to visit the interior of the theater on this visit, but I understand it's beautiful. It was built in 1920 and underwent several remodelling efforts until 2001 when it was closed down. It was restored and renovated and reopened in 2006. The interior was used extensively for filming of the upcoming movie Public Enemies.

Community Area #16 - Irving Park

On Friday, I rode down to the Villa District in Irving Park. This is a very nice area of bungalows and bungalow-style homes which were built on wide lots between 1907 and 1925.






The area is only 4 blocks wide from east to west (Hamlin, Avers, Springfield and Harding) and roughly triangular, with Addison bordering to the south, Pulaski to the west and the Metra train tracks and Avondale Ave slicing it from NW to SE. Avers and Harding both have a parkway running down the middle of the street, separating traffic flow in two directions. Hamlin and Springfield streets are normal widths.

There are decorative square stone pillars on all corners within the neighborhood. Each pillar says "Villa" on each side and has a planter on top.

Community Area #24 - West Town

West Town includes several sub-neighborhoods, including Wicker Park, Humboldt Park and Ukranian Village.

I took a ride out to Wicker Park yesterday specifically to see the mural in the auditorium of the Pulaski Park fieldhouse. I had been to the park last year, but since it was a Sunday when I visited, the fieldhouse was closed. This time, the fieldhouse was open, but I couldn't find the auditorium. It's a big building! I went searching around and finally found the attendant who knew about the mural and was willing to show it to me. He opened up the auditorium and turned the lights on for me. I had to take pictures without flash and since it was close to sunset, there wasn't much natural light, so my photos didn't turn out as good as I had hoped. In any case, the mural is in fantastic condition and it's very beautiful. It underwent restoration by the Chicago Conservation Center in 2006. Here's the description from Explore Chicago:

Completed in 1914, Pulaski Park was designed by architect William Carbys Zimmerman and renowned landscape architect Jens Jensen. In 1919, Jensen met with officials at the Art Institute of Chicago to discuss the idea of a competition for art students to paint a mural on the semi-circular proscenium above the stage in the field house auditorium. The West Park Commissioners provided the prizes of $100, $50, and $25 and instructors at the School of the Art Institute selected the winners. The first prize went to James G. Gilbert, who received $200 for materials as well as the $100 prize. In 1920, Gilbert painted his mural composed of a dramatic series of allegorical figures. Gilbert graduated from the School of the Art Institute and went on to teach painting at the University of Chicago. The Chicago Conservation Center fully restored this exquisite mural in 2007.

A second mural, hidden in the upper tower room of the Pulaski Park field house portrays Polish themes. A Chicago Park District arts and crafts class created this painting in the late 1930s.

I didn't know about that second mural, so it looks like I'll be going out to Pulaski Park again. :)

Chicago Community Area #8 - Near North Side

On my way to West Town yesterday, I decided to take the lakefront path south and then cut west through on Division Street and pass through the Near North Side community area, including the Gold Coast. At Division and Clybourn, I came across Seward Park. The sun was starting to set and cast a beautiful ray on the clocktower and the downtown buildings (especially Trump Tower) that I was leaving behind.

Community Area #76 - O'Hare

According to the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC, map), there were originally 75 community areas which were delineated for the 1930 census. The O'Hare community area was added for the 1960 census due to the annexation around the airport in the 1950's.

Other than the airport, this area is almost exclusively residential. Therefore, my attention turned to the airport itself. I recalled the controversy regarding the expansion of O'Hare and the relocation of not only many homes, but also a small cemetery which is close to the airport. When I looked on Google Maps, I found out just how close this cemetery is: It's practically in the middle of the airport!

I wasn't sure if the relocation of the cemetery had started yet, so I decided to ride out and investigate. It was a long ride out west to the airport - about 14 miles. The last few miles, I was riding on a wide shoulder of the street where the speed limit is 55 mph. Passing trucks were scary! I took a wrong turn into the airport on Cargo Road, and ended up in the wrong area. The guard at the guard post told me to go out on Irving Park Rd again and go further west past the railroad tracks until I saw a construction access road on the right. His directions were right on target.

I went down the access road, over a ravine and down a hill and I finally found the cemetery. In fact, I found two of them! I was looking for St John's Cemetery, but I came upon Resthaven first.

St John's is further down the road. Many of the gravestones have been replaced with wooden crosses. I'm guessing, but I think those are the graves which have been exhumed and moved to a different location.

On my way back from the airport, I stopped to watch the planes take off. If you're in a car, there's no place to pull over (other than the shoulder) to watch the planes, but since I was on my bike, it was easy to jump off and sit and watch these big birds take off. Another day, when the wind is coming from the north, I'll have to come back and watch them land.