The First City

Hull House Arts Center closes

It was such a big deal when the Jane Addams Hull House Center for Arts & Culture opened on Wilson a few years ago. I think I remember a few people actually pegging it as a sure sign that Uptown was well on its way to becoming Wicker Park. (I think they forgot Humboldt Park, Pilsen, and Garfield Park, and whatever neighborhood is unfortunate enough to live close to whatever epicenter's developed.) Yeah, well, it's closing. Crap news.

Cardboard Recycling Drop-off

You can recycle your cardboard behind the organic food store at Broadway and Glenlake.

The First City will be on vacation until March 24

In the meantime, Uptown Sweets (1218 W Wilson) has free ice cream cones today from 2 to 7 PM. The City's attempting to take 54 acres of land from Rosehill Cemetery for open space. The Edgewater Community Council reports that the Broadway Armory (5917 N Broadway), Chicago's only completely indoor park, is receiving $5.6 million for renovations beginning this spring. The Armory's also home to Chicago's only public flying trapeze access.

No movie theater for Wilson Yard

Looks like Wilson Yard won't include a movie theater. That was the most exciting part of the project.

Loyola Campus Police Station at Granville Red Line Stop

    I've looked around a bit for information on this new storefront next to the Granville el stop and haven't been able to find anything. I even Lexis-Nexus searched it. Not a thing.
    Anyway, it seems a bit odd to me to have a Loyola University Campus Police station (Do we call this a station?) off-campus. Their policing powers certainly can't extend down to Granville, so why set up shop there? I don't like it.

Uptown Snack Shop closes

    Farewell to the Uptown Snack Shop. The 47-year-old restaurant closed down last Saturday to make way for condos. Someone started this website in honor of the diner, although at this point the only content is a Sun-Times article about the closing.
    Very sad to lose another diner in the neighborhood. It's not like they're very replaceable. The Golden House next to the Riv remains. I'd get my corn beef hash from there from now on, if for no other reason than the sparkly red vinyl booths. Outside of Uptown there's also Ravenswood Restaurant in Ravenswood or Standees in Edgewater. Standees has one of the best signs in Chicago. Image from rachelleb.com.

El stop tees

Toghaus.com prints tee shirts for every single el stop in the city. All designs are printed on American Apparel tees and come in customizable colors. And all done locally by a single Chicagoan, Erik Kittlaus.

Referendum for more local workers in Rogers Park

    The Rogers Park Review brings to our attention an advisory referendum on the March 22nd ballot in five precincts of the 49th ward. The referendum would ask elected officials to hire more local workers on taxpayer projects like the Devon-Sheridan TIF.
    Advisory referendums are non-binding, and five precincts is not a majority of the ward. But an official referendum carries clout, and this initiative could use some of that.

Car Sharing w/ I-GO

    I don't have a car, don't want one, and couldn't afford one even if I did. I do, however, need a vehicle every few months to pick up whatever desk I bought online or to go grocery shopping at stores that require public transportation transfers. So, a year ago I joined I-GO, Chicago's car sharing service. I made a good decision.
    It cost me $75 to join for the year. After that, I pay nothing unless I use a car. When I do use one, I make a reservation online and pay $6/hr., plus 50 cents a mile. This covers gas, insurance, repairs, and whatever other costs are associated with automobiles. If you keep late hours like I do, the hourly rate is waived from 11 PM to 7 AM, so grocery shopping at night can cost like $4.
   I used I-GO sparingly when I first joined because none of the cars were that close to me. There are several nearby now, though, and I use them with some frequency. Here's where they're presently located in the neighborhood (more get added as more people join):

Edgewater
5345 N. Broadway -- 2 cars (Jewel)
5250 N. Sheridan
1118 W. Thorndale (Thorndale Red Line Stop)
5516 N. Clark (Jewel)

Ravenswood
4500 N. Winchester (2 cars)
4647 N. Lincoln
4715 N. Western

Rogers Park
1215 W. Albion (Loyola University)
7531 N. Clark  (Gateway Shopping Center)

Uptown
4747 N. Clifton  (Bridgeview Bank)
4251 N. Clarendon  (Brennemann Elementary)

Public Meeting for Pivot Point Building Condos

A very detailed account of last week's meeting between developers, Alderman Joe Moore (49th), and residents over development at 1791 W. Howard appears in the Chi-Town Daily News. It seems like (and I'm guessing I'm making a safe assumption since the last section of the article is practically a summary of the public's line of questioning) people showed up with good questions for the alderman and the developers. Probably questions that should be answered earlier on in the development process, but at least they're getting asked.