Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. Some large. Some small. Clusters of like-minded people. Clusters of people brought together by nationality. Or religious beliefs. Or income …
I was reminded of the varied levels of diversity of Chicago’s neighborhood clusters when I marched my way up north and west to the suburb of Skokie to purchase spray paint for my 99 cent thrift store fish …
As I drove through one neighborhood cluster to the next I got to thinking about their personalities …
We live in a neighborhood called Lakeview. Funny because we’re about three miles from the lake. And even if I stood on the very tippy toppy-est part of our roof, I wouldn’t spot a single glimmer of Lake Michigan’s waters.
To our west is St. Bens,a neighborhood with very little real estate turn over. Homes stay in families. East is Wrigleyville. Where it’s all about the Cubs. And the bars. And a colorful character named Ronny Woo Woo who roams the streets in a Cubs uniform yelling out, “CUBS, WOO! CUBS, WOO!,” over and over again …
The Gold Coast and Lincoln Park are too rich for my blood. Sauganash to the far northwest and Beverly to the far south feel more suburb than city … and are dominated by firefighter and police officer families …
Wicker Park, Buck Town, Andersonville … they’re young and hip and arty. Lincoln Square has … or it may be had by now … a colorful character who would feed the pigeons and let them sit on him. All over him. Creepy.
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| I wonder if those pigeons would look better spray painted bright orange? |
And then there are the neighborhoods that don’t have names … or maybe they do have names but I just don’t know them.
And as I drove north on Ravenswood … and northwest on Lincoln … and north on Western … and west on Touhy, I marveled at how quickly one neighborhood morphed into another.
How quickly the local color morphed from children being dropped off at a pricey summer art day camp … to an elderly woman wilting in the 100 degree heat as she waited for the bus …
How quickly the local color morphed from a group of Hasidic Jew 10-and-11-year-old girls wearing black ankle length skirts and head scarves chatting and laughing and skipping down the sidewalk … to a crazed man in the median yelling at the demons in his head (can you hear the car doors being locked?) …
How quickly the local color morphed from a group of head-to-toe burka-clad women … to mustachioed Chicago firefighters at Western and Devon collecting change for charity …
And as I drove north on Ravenswood … and northwest on Lincoln … and north on Western … and west on Touhy, it had me ruminating that perhaps my obsession with color …
P.S. Even painted, the fish are still not going on my bedside table …
Sharing …
* At the Picket Fence * Between Naps on the Porch * Today’s Creative Blog * My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia * Home Stories A 2 Z * Savvy Southern Style * The Shabby Creek Cottage * The 36th Avenue * Addicted 2 Decorating * Funky Junk Interiors * Southern Hospitality * The DIY Showoff *
This is funny–my brother went to Northwestern and says Chicago is the best city ever because of the diversity. He reminds us of it regularly. 😛
I am liking your orange fish sticks! 🙂
YAY!!! I am first to the post that is brought to you by the COLOR ORANGE!!! WOW…talk about a pop of COLOR (why is it I have an urge to visit the Pepperidge Farm Section of the cracker isle???hmmmm…. : ) I LOVE THIS!!!! it is so you and the pops of color just scream STYLE!!!! So happy to be hosting tomorrows All About Color Linky! Can’t wait to see what everyone brings to the party!!! sending hugs!!!
Born and raised in Chicago in the Ravenswood Manor neighborhood. Married my 1st. husband (1971) who grew up in the Lincoln Square neighborhood. Bought our home on the cusp of the Manor and the Square. Depending on the age of the person you ask.
When we divorced my ex kept our home and lived there until he died 6 yrs. ago. Our oldest daughter kept our home, tore it down and built her beautiful new home. She says that she lives in Lincoln Square! Talk about full circle/
When we were kids we didn’t say what neighborhood we lived in, we went by what parish we lived in. That being said, I lived in the Queen of Angels Parish. Western & Sunnyside.
Chicago by far is the best city…..ever.
i lived in chicago for a brief time from age 2 months to 2 or something like that….. so i don’t remember it. 🙁 but i love your orange fish!!!
Thanks for the information… I really love your blog posts… specially those on Packers and movers in Chennai
I have always loved Chicago, I bet it’s fun to explore the neighborhoods. Your orange fish sticks look delish … except that last picture … too funny! 🙂
Linda, the fish totally crack me up. Especially the bedside table shot. Every once in a while I buy something like that, that’s kinda weird, yet has some kind of hypnotic hold on me. We are considering getting a dog, and I am feeling this way about French bulldogs. They’re kinda weird looking, but that’s kinda working for me. Thanks for the chuckle and tour of Chicago and it’s enivrons. I’ve been a lot of places, but sadly Chicago isn’t one of them yet. But we’ll get there.
Grew up in Plainfield. My nephew lives in Wicker Park and works at the very trendy Ipsento! Nice to hear about the hometown and I love the orange fish!
When my son first moved to Chicago he lived for a year in Lincoln Park. I didn’t really like it…however he had 2 restaurants, a hair salon and a dry cleaners in the same block as his condo. That totally amazed me. He now lives in Old Town which I love. We don’t get there as often as I would like…he works long days and seems to have plans every weekend. :o) Oh to be young again!
You see?! Those fish ARE cool – aren’t you glad you bought em now??
Have a great day!
Orange Fish – Woo Woo, Orange Fish – Woo Woo!
These fish deserve their own neighborhood full of spray painted thrift store cast offs!
Let’s get the party started – tomorrow!
Kelly
Ha, those are really cute Linda. Love the fun fresh color too!~Reminds me of Dr. Seuss:)
Linda,
That’s a really nice tour of Chicago. I can see the people in my mind’s eye as you describe them.
Yeah, one neighborhood to the next changes quickly when you are driving or taking the El or Metra.
I love watching the restaurants (of course I do…) and seeing the changes in ethnicity as well as economic condition. It’s wacky to see things like a middle class Polish restaurant right next door to a taqueria that has been hit hard by the economy. Yet it makes me smile when I see that both are doing ok. One just spends more money on paint and professional singage these days. One survives on folks driving in for a leisurely dinner. The other gets food out fast to customers who walk up and eat on the way back to the job site.
The neighborhood I’m thinking of is Berwyn-Cicero on Roosevelt Road. I don’t go there too often- usually for the Ace Hardware and a plumbing store there. They each carry parts for older homes which is handy.
I’ll have to see what I can paint…or blog up for tomorrow. 🙂 Fun party.
Oh, and pretty fishies!
~ Dana
CookingAtCafeD.com
Okay, love the fish! Had my doubts when I saw them in their original state, but they look great.
But–you just made me *seriously* homesick for Chicago. I know every single one of the locales of which you speak. I can picture them all and I’ve lived in more of them than I wish to tell you. Beautiful Chicago storytelling. (Some might call it colorful 😉
I like this. 🙂
Love the orange! What a fun pop of color!
Hoping to join in tomorrow!
Yes, they belong on top of a bookcase or armoire, definitely NOT the bedside table! The orange is BRILLIANT!
xo Heidi
If you take the Pink line to the 18th st. stop you will be in Pilsen with art galleries and graffiti art on many of the buildings. Your fish would feel very “at home” there. Cute post I enjoyed it. (my son and daughter in law live in Chicago. I love it there. I love the neighborhood maps that are for sale but I need more walls to hang one on.)
I still love the fish in their original state~~I think they were WI fish then; now they truly look like Gold Coast gallery fish! 🙂
Ha, so orange it is! Great colour… I was thinking orange could be happy and fun, but then a red snapper came to mind, and I wasn’t sure how you’d be feel’n that first thing in the morning 😉 Love that you kept the fish!!!
Linda,
We are way out in the country LOL.We will be taking a trip on Wednesday to see a Cubs game Whooo Hoooo 🙂
xx
Anne
Your fish are amazing! I love that bright pop of color!!!
Today, (Tuesday) July 31st, You will want to stop by my Blog and pick up your award!
Hugs,
Bj
Those are some pretty funky orange fish! But maybe more mantel material than bedside table material 😉 Thanks for the virtual tour of Chicago – it sounds like a very diverse and colourful city 🙂
Cute fish. Can’t believe you have to drive so far for spray paint. Wow.
What a fun story, Linda. O.K. seriously? You now have Hermes orange fish. Of course, that’s my story…they’re Hermes not dime store. Oh, and the picture of the guy with all the pigeons? He reminds me of the movie Home Alone 2 with the homeless lady in the park with all the pigeons on and around her who befriended Macaulay Culkin.
I love the orange fish sticks! Cute =)
I didn’t realize you can’t get spray paint in the city. I work in the loop, and have a condo just west of Wrigley (so we must be neighbors)! I don’t live there anymore, but I do miss it all!
I love your fish photos! My daughter lived in Wrigleyville about a year ago … not too far from Ravenswood. She’s a pastry chef and worked at both Luscious Layers and Bleeding Heart Bakery (which I heard is closing). She traded in her chef hat for a nanny job in the burbs and moved to Naperville. We used to eat lunch at some restaurant in Wrigleyville that had the best lattes … can’t remember the name of it though but the decor was pretty funky and fun. There’s so much to do and see in Chicago! I love all the flavor of the city.
You are invited to share this here:
http://juliejewels1.blogspot.com/2012/08/show-your-stuff-36-taco-casserole.html
Interesting color story. Come link it up with us at the party http://www.finecraftGuild.com/party
Awesome orange fish sticks, Linda! And I really enjoyed reading about the Chicago neighborhoods! So interesting how one city (big or small) is made up of smaller communities.