Paw Paw Patch: #4

Wednesday Pugs: Penelope and Fresca came charging into "Thai Uptown" (4621 N Brdwy - 663-561-9999), turning a quiet lunch into a raucous adventure - watch these adorable pets quickly turn from mild, adorable pets into Mighty Transformers IV - no doubt from all the tempting aromas coming from the kitchen! Notice how clean this place is! Check out the Yelp review, HERE!

Hipsters-Die: #1

Hipsters spotted N of Bryn Mawr - sporting taped-up-recycled mike stand - between guzzling their vente lattes.

Shannon Helfrich

Www.thebootcampexpress.com

There's a new workout in town!  This is Shannon Helfrich, co-owner of The Bootcamp Express, across from the Andersonville Starbucks.  This building use to be home to Joel Hall Dance Company, until they gutted it and rehabbed it stem to stern.  I stopped in to see what it was all about, last week, and had a nice time meeting and talking to Shannon.  When asked what made her choose this spot for her unique business, she had this to say:
   "Love the diversity, loved the Andersonville Chamber.  They ROCK!  They sponsor the Market, and their opening coincided with the market. (Also on Berwyn).
   The crux of this workout model is pay-as-you-go workouts.  No expensive monthly memberships or dues.  Just come in and sign up for a step / weight class with a personal touch. It's really nice, right now, because you'll practically have personal training, while the business is still starting up.
   Shannon sponsored a "Care-4-Real" benefit at the store, to help launch her business in the neighborhood, which also coincided with the Market.
   Good Luck Shannon! Glad you're here! 

Biking Adventure #2: Lincoln Square

July 13, 2010 - Lincoln & Lawrence

Tuesday, it was a perfect "10" day - so I set out for a favorite outdoor cafe called La Bocca in Lincoln Square, for some authentic Italian food, however . . .

There are a couple of other great spots over here, and I quickly forgot all about Italian food, when I rode by "Selmarie" - right on the square.

Cafe Selmarie

The cafe sits on a shady square, anchored by a bubbling 3-tier fountain, on one end . . .

and a (somewhat smaller) version of an antique Bavarian lamp post at the other . . .

This is about as close as it gets to an authentic Euro Cafe in Chicago . . .

Today's offering was a chilled beet and horseradish soup, followed by fresh salmon fashioned into a burger on a pretzel bun. Our waitress, Christine, who is just starting out in the theater, helped make this an A-1, enjoyable summer lunch experience.

Sidenote: An older gentleman, sitting across the way had just ordered a macaroni and cheese masterpiece, baked like french-onion soup, with cheese melting over the sides of a canoe dish.

Merz Apothecary

Also in Lincoln Square, another must-see is
Merz Apothecary
I can always make a reason to stop by Merz's, where you feel like you're stepping back in time. Circa 1870s-floor-to-ceiling dark, antique shelves, are brimming with every kind of lotion and potion you can imagine. I took a random picture of it, today, as the sun hit it just right, making one of the most interesting photos of the day.

Davis Theater

There is always something to do, once you get to the square. One of the feature attractions is the vintage
Davis Movie Theater, 4614 N Lincoln, which hearkens back to the roaring 20s, and movie matinees are still around $5.50 for first-run shows.

Here's a pic from their website.

Wanna see what 4 shows are there right now?

I just thought this mural was cool over at the Bad Dog Tavern.

. . . The End

Paw Paw Patch: #3

Pugs "in a Blanket"

July 1, 2010 - Foster Goggie Beach
I was riding my bike past this: 2 Pug Pups were running around with their "mommy," and when she decided she'd had enough, she came and sat down on the blanket, and they all sat down, together! They are watching the big black goggie running around, wanting them to come play. (Only one pug shows up in the shot, unfortunately. There is actually another one behind that yellow bag beside the lady, if you zoom in).

Other Pugs in the News:

One viewer writes "horrifying" this constitutes news!"

Note: It's More "horrifying" that people are so rigid and self-important, they can't imagine a world with humor and light-heartedness. Armchair QBs - the bane of Western civilization.

4th of July - From the Top

(Note: Hit the speaker to make it stop.)

July 4 at my house!

This year the Chicago fireworks display took place in the harbor, just below me, between Lawrence and Foster, with the Navy Pier fireworks off in the distance, from a single red barge, which you can see in some of the pics. We alternated simulcasts of the fireworks display with FM 101.9, "A Capitol 4th, Washington D.C.," NYC's Hudson River display, and Reba McEntire all in HD. It was a great night! Enjoy the show!

Biking Adventure #3: Ravenswood

Alderman Gene Schulter (47th)

July 06, 2010 - Ravenswood

This up-and-coming industrial corridor known for it's vintage 1900-1920's factory buildings-turned-commercial-lofts is rapidly becoming a cross between Silicon Valley/tech powerhouses, and Wicker Park Artists lofts. These former factory buildings used to churn out ammunition for World War II, brassiers, pressed tin ceilings, and even copies of The Saturday Evening Post and Playboy magazines.

Lillstreet Art Center, Beyond Design, and EveryBlock.com moved to the area in 2003 lulled partly by the creative energy, here, quiet neighborhood, and free parking. Also here, you'll find mStoner Communications, Rise Health, (Forrest Claypool's Health Care Reform startup), Threadless.com, (customers design and pick their shirts online -adding a flagship store at 1260 W. Madison Street), Orbit Media, (20-something geek-squad Internet outfit), Squishy Press and Bioelements.

The Lillstreet Center, which houses 21 classrooms and 50 artist studios, is the largest ceramics education center in the Midwest. It attracts thousands of students from around the city for classes, including printmaking, textiles and jewelry-making as well as summer camp for children.
The corridor, which is runs along the Metra tracks, down Ravenswood Avenue from roughly Foster to Montrose or Waveland Avenue, with close to 67 industrial firms that employ about 2,000 people, according to Jane Addams Resources posted in the Chicago Tribune.

A new train station at Lawrence Avenue and a commuter parking garage are in the works, they also say.

Here's the entrance to Orbit Media, Rise Health and Threadless/skinny.com where I was scoping out businesses I'd like to work with, close to home.

Here is another building's directory:

Biking over to Ravenswood, we passed a group of kids creating a huge mural out of bits of broken glass, the likes of which you may have seen going up on the sides of schools and underpasses in the Chicago area. These are taken from the Uplift Comm. HS on Wilson Ave and roughly Broadway. I'll post some more photos of the progress, the next time I get over that way.

This is Anna, who is supervising today's art project:

Happy 4th from Edgewater!

Press the speaker (near gold star) for music!

The Landmark Edgewater Beach Hotel

The 1920s-era Hotel (background) was demolished back in the 50s, and the smaller Apartment Bldg. (foreground) was originally only 8-stories, but later, added onto, and is now a 30-story Co-op Building.(foreground) - aka "The Pink Bldg". Corner of Bryn Mawr and Sheridan Road, a block from my house.
This was the "Riviera" of Lake Michigan, back in the 1920s and many legends surround this unique block of real estate!

Movie stars like Gloria Swanson and Charlie "The Tramp" Chaplin regularly filmed at the Essanay Studios, ("The Great Train Robbery"), just down the street, (1300 block of W Argyle), and were regular guests in the Hotel from about 1907 - 1917.

Al Capone had a history in the Hotel, purportedly using it as the base for his north side gang operations. There are tunnels, underneath, connecting to various "hotspots" on the north side. One goes all the way to the famous "Green Mill" hangout and Speakeasy (Lawrence & Clark), which has been a big nightspot since then.