Reminder - Community Meeting With New Police Commander

         Alderman Joe Moore invites you to community meeting. Meet our new 24th Police District Commander Tom Waldera Monday June 3rd @ 7:00 pm at the Loyola Park Field House 2nd Floor 1230 w Greenleaf. Questions? Contact the 49th Ward Service Office ward49@cityofchicago.org 773-338-5796

The Patchwork City

           

          The dumpster to the left is just after the city did their thing covering up graffiti. The dumpster will continue to get tagged as it is now a patchwork mess. To fix this, this writer just used Goof Off to remove the ghosted DD and navy blue spray paint to restore the dumpster to its original color. Most dumpsters are either navy blue, dark hunter green or grey, so it wouldn't be hard for the city stock up on the most common colors and do this the right way, that and judicious use of Goof Off when appropriate makes for an alley that is easier on the eye and less likely to get tagged.

Rebranding Gale Math & Science Academy?

            The following pdf was written by Jason Lemberg a youth specialist for HOW (Housing Opportunities for Women) as a proposal to change the culture of Gale Elementary School through community involvement and technology. One of the ideas he puts forth is embracing the moniker for North of Howard "The Jungle". If memory serves this writer correctly "The Jungle" referred to the large amount of house plants  locals kept in their apartments. The author wants GMSA to be a source of pride for the community, a lofty worthwhile goal. Judging by the number of flags planted at Joe Moore's doorstep Gale  is represented by many parents who already value this important community school. But any novel helpful ideas to help improve the education our local youth receives is worth a discussion.


To read Jason's pdf please continue reading

Not Po Po

Please continue reading for more pictures

(pictures cropped so as to maintain privacy, best license plate seen in awhile)

Almost as cool as the Sexcalade (Joe Runge's has been looking much better of late too).

Loitering @ Greenview & Morse

          The above photo was taken at 7:20 pm tonight, Common Cup is still open at that time. Highly ironic to see loitering right out side the nice new building at Greenview and Morse and the Rogers Park Business Alliance. Loitering is associated with shootings and for some reason the Common Cup (this is an assumption, perhaps they did call the police, but doubt it) hasn't learned its lesson yet. Are these young men in gangs? Perhaps, perhaps not, but rival bangers will shoot at what looks like rival bangers; they aren't that choosy. This is a recipe for disaster. There is a reason why there are shootings at Greenview and Morse, and the picture above shows the root cause. Why is this being tolerated?

       Update 5/29/13 5 am - Click this link to read about the recent drive by shooting right by the Common Cup. Where there is smoke there is fire. The smoke being the loitering. This writer has already talked to the Common Cup about the loitering a year ago to deaf ears, and this writer is not welcome there. Ruth had said "they aren't doing anything wrong". This writer was told to stop harassing them and threatened that they would call the police if talked to about this loitering again. So the ball is in their court, the neighbors at this corner have to care, perhaps positive loitering should return. Serving coffee with youth loitering kitty corner to your coffee shop is dangerous and foolhardy. 

Please continue reading for more pictures

Big Shoulders PR Event @ Towbar Rescheduled

          This morning  Big Shoulders Coffee was to hold a public relations event (to promote their coffee and give away free swag) at the recently opened Towbar at Jarvis and Greenview. It was rescheduled due to the inclement weather. Was always curious about this coffee which is for sale at Taste whose proprietors recently took over the former Charmers space. Big Shoulders Coffee is located at 1055 w Chicago avenue, and here are some photos which the Sun-Times took. The coffee shop earned four and a half stars on the Yelp site. Will post any update as to when Big Shoulders will be there as info becomes available.

Update 5/30/13 11:30 am - Big Shoulders was outside this morning giving away free samples of coffee, their medium roast (which as explained by Anthony Burud is a much better roast overall because dark roast burns the beans). Don't know a lot about coffee but from his explanation you can tell they know what they are doing. The Heartland Cafe has been brewing their coffee since this past July. Big Shoulders is relatively new to the scene of Chicago coffee and a welcome addition, there was a time when this writer was wondering when the monopoly of Metropolis and Intelligentsia was going to be broken. Always good to have different coffee to try and this is above average coffee. Anthony was in front of Towbar giving out free coffee as late as 9:30 am this morning.

Brick Building @ 7300 N Damen Post Mummification

            Not sure how this is an improvement. But to each his own. The natural brick facade is now covered by a white synthetic material. The building now has a face only its mother could love. The correct way to fix this building would be to have it tuckpointed, this is reminiscent of the bad old days when instead of fixing your ceiling you simply installed a drop ceiling.

Please continue reading for more words & pictures

1530 w Estes Construction Update

Above photo from 5/25/13

Please continue reading for more pictures from today & yesterday

Traction Power Substation Construction Noise @ Farwell & Glenwood From 6/12/13 - 2/28/14

DETAILS :   A construction project for the Chicago Transit Authority is underway in your neighborhood. A new Traction Power Substation will be constructed at 1401 w Farwell and the following work has been scheduled

• Construction of the concrete and masonry substation building
• Site sewer, water and electrical services
• Installation of the electrical equipment

          

          This work will take place during the hours of 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. This will generate constant construction related noise for the entire duration of this work. 

          N. Glenwood will continue to be closed from Pratt to Farwell on the east side of the CTA tracks during this work. For any questions or concerns please contact Jeff Wilson (CTA) at 312-217-0346

Please continue reading for more pictures

Buddha @ Clyde Street Courtesy Of 8th Ward Quick Topic

             This photo was posted to the 8th ward public quick topic forum of Evanston May 1st by neighbor Jeannie. Chevanston took a screen shot, boosted it and HDR'ed it. Too bad this type of quick topic forum hasn't taken off in Rogers Park. Ann Rainey the 8th Ward alderman hosts this forum and people on the board are required to use their real name. There is one set up by Bernard Garbo for Beat 2424 in Rogers Park across the street from the 8th ward. Apparently our Rogers Park neighbors for the most part prefer to hold conversations off the visible net.

"Somebody Doesn't Like Our Stickers..."

Screenshot of Facebook post

               @GNAR, its not that someone doesn't like your stickers, it is just that someone doesn't like sticker vandalism (which is illegal). The stickers themselves are cool. In the end what are stickers like these used for? In the old days stickers were collected in sticker books, put on folders at school (like scratch and sniff stickers), put on skateboards, bedroom or garage doors etc. Nowadays stickers main use seems to be to stick all over society. Too bad no discussion, would've been interesting. Perhaps some topics are just too controversial. The next logical step would be for GNAR to post another Facebook post of this post (entitled somebody really doesn't like our stickers) and then Chevanston would post on that, onto infinity.

Towbar (Tonyletsgotothebar) Is Open!

            Towbar opened last night in case you didn't know, (which in the internet and smart phone age is almost impossible). They are serving up Big Shoulders coffee which is self serve with scones, fruit, granola bars, cupcakes, etc for breakfast. This is an even better place to grab a cup of coffee with the updated look which respects the history of the building and carries on the tradition instead of starting with a clean slate.

              There was quite a crowd there last night having drinks having a jolly time (as it is BYOB) according to management. The official liquor license for Towbar is in the works and is expected to come through sometime in the fall. Towbar is located at 1500 W Jarvis Ave just steps from the Jarvis "L" stop. (Here is a link showing how the building looked while it was closed) Hours of operation for Towbar are from 7 am - 10 pm M-F and 9 am - 10 pm on Saturday and Sunday. They do serve lunch and dinner.

Bloggers note #1 - Goods For Less has recently vacated their space at the Jarvis Greenview minimall.

Bloggers note #2 - Towbar also mentioned that they are working on having a Bastille Day event at Jarvis square. The details are pretty sketchy at this time, it will be interesting to see how this turns out

Please continue reading for more pictures

Art & Sol Flea Market Coming This Summer To Howard

              The meeting for Sol Talks was very stimulating; we live in a neighborhood with people from all walks of life with very different views.  A lot of newcomers came to the cafe to see what was up and introduce themselves. The old guard was there consisting of Michael Luckenbach, Helen, and a few others. Michael Land from the alderman's office took notes, Chris Patterson represented Rogers Park Peace Angels, Indira Johnson of 10,000 Ripples fame shared her views ( update, in each neighborhood 5 Buddha heads will stay and 5 will be auctioned off),. Another woman (sorry didn't catch her name) was there from Gale School, the proprietor from the Recyclery, a barista from Sol Cafe served as the host and emcee for the event (who did a smashing job btw). Also Nancy J. Sell executive director for Here Comes The Sun which "celebrates cancer survivorship while creating cancer awareness" was in attendance. Mango and banana slices were passed around for everyone to munch on. 

             The biggest news to come from the meeting came from the marketing director from Sol Cafe, Britni. June 22nd will kick off the first Art & Soul Fair on Howard Street. It will take place on the sidewalks from Ashland to Greenview and on any vacant land that they can get permission to occupy. The tents will consist of vendors selling art, clothing and various sundries, hopefully attracting vendors selling food. The hours will be from 10 am until 4 pm and will run every fourth Saturday of the month throughout the summer. 

Please continue reading for more words and pictures

SOLIVE Friday May 24th - Mojek & Peoples Temple Of America

             This Friday (tomorrow) @ Sol Cafe, doors open at 10 pm, five dollar cover before 11 pm. House music will be spun by Mojek and indie rock music will be performed by Peoples Temple of America. Click here for more information. Patrons must be 21 or over. Sol Cafe is located at 1615 w Howard in the historic Howard Theatre building, at the intersection of Marshfield and Howard Street. Check it out, its the most happening coffee shop on the far north side. (PTA's most played song on their Facebook page is "Hit The Wall", reminiscent of early Weezer.)

Rendering Highlights Dangers Of Bicycling On Sheridan

"Is that man suicidal?" thinks Replica Shamly on her way to take her Simcar out for a spin.

             Commenter Joseph A. Ficek  of Chicago, Illinois correctly points out that this virtual bicyclist is taking his virtual life into his hands by riding against the flow of traffic, "Why is that cyclist riding against the traffic?" The Chicago rules of the road advises bicycle riders to ride with the flow of traffic as opposed to against it. Bicyclinglife.com's library contains a study from the 1980-1992 in Palo Alto, CA showing hard data that riding against the flow of traffic is more dangerous.

              The most logical reason being that bicyclists "enter the conflict" from an unexpected direction; drivers and pedestrians aren't looking at where the bicyclist is coming from. The same goes for bicycle riding on sidewalks, the data shows that this is the most common place for car versus bicycle accidents. Here is a link to Bicyclesafe.com a primer on how not to get killed riding a bike. (As an aside the main thrust of the article from DNAinfo.com from whence this rendering and quote originated was to point out that the parking garage's (at Sherwin and Sheridan) height will be three stories instead of four and other safety features have been added to placate the nearby Senior Jewish home.)

New Ford Interceptor Cop Car Made Here In Chicago

In the background the former U Lucky Dawg soon to be Mosque

                 These nifty new cop cars are manufactured at the South Side Ford Plant on Torrence Avenue within the city limits of Chicago. According to this article from The Ward Room the first shipment arrived this past December 2012, the second batch just arrived this past March. Which jives, because this writer just started noticing them a few months ago. The article goes on to say that the 15 million dollar new fleet of cop cars ordered by the city helped create 230 jobs. A win-win, the creation of these cars in our own city helps law enforcement outmaneuver the bad guys and the local economy.

Update #1 5/22/13 10:30 am - In a related story ORP (Occupy Rogers Park) was pulled from the Chevanston Twitter Feed this morning for retweeting a tweet from Occupy Chicago containing an obscenity.

"Occupy Chicago ‏@OccupyChicago 12h
Friends don't let friends talk to undercovers. All Cops Are B@st@rds | #NATO5 pic.twitter.com/bVMhFdX1qu
 Retweeted by Occupy RP Chicago"

Update #2 5/22/13 2:15 pm - establishing shots uploaded that include gas prices and to show off where else the flashing blue lights are located


Please continue reading for more words and pictures

Tree Plantings On Howard Street - Streetscape Continues

               Lots of activity on Howard Street this morning. Crosswalks last week, this week trees being planted, dirt being dumped onto Howard Street and dirt being removed from the site near where the clock tower will be deposited at Greenview and Howard. The construction lady had a hard time of it at Greenview and Howard, a cab blew by her as she was signaling him to stop. If you live in the area and suddenly feel that is easier to breathe or that the air is slightly cleaner, it might just be because of the new tree plantings on Howard. 

Please continue reading for more pictures
(bonus photos of corsets from Lost Eras)

Next Door - Another Corporate Run Site For Rogers Park

       

              Looks like net neighbors haven't learned their lesson. They have decided to go from one corporate owned site to another to discuss neighborhood issues. Postcard, phone number or credit card number are required for membership; a huge hassle to sign up for this service or website which the general public can't view (maybe that's the point). The last site that was corporate run (Everyblock) had its plug pulled with zero notice this past Febuary. This writer promises to never take this site down, so any work done (words and pictures) here won't be lost. There are cliques on the internet already, and this forum which you can't even view unless you sign up for with personal info creates an even more exclusive site for neighbors to voice their concerns in quasi secrecy which could be shut down at any moment.

Please continue reading for more pictures and words

New Facade In The Works For 7300 N Damen

           The intel is pretty skimpy on this story. A few days ago the old facade from the former pharmacy that once stood at Damen and Rogers was removed. After speaking to the shopkeeper it was learned that a new facade was going up in its place. It will be "great" and the time frame for construction is "soon". The exposed surface in the worst shape is the bottom part of the building on Rogers Ave where windows used to be. There is weathered old wood instead of brick.

         Previous links to 7300 N Damen, this one is regarding possible shooting nearby, this link is about Roger's Pantry, but has a picture of the previous facade. This link shows the previous for sale sign on the property.

Please continue reading for more pictures

Tyveked Emil Bach House

       

           

               A lot of activity at our local Frank Llloyd Wright house of late. One would assume that the exterior brick work in the areas covered in housewrap (olefin, high-density polyethylene fibers) was in such poor shape that they had to be completely redone.  The concrete front path is about to be repoured, it is staked off with wooden planks. Work is being done to the ground wall by the path as well. These pictures are from this past Saturday. Not a peep from the Emil Bach blog, last entry was from April 23rd.

Please continue reading for more pictures

Loyola Dunes Erosion Control Project In Effect

          Two new sizeable swaths of Loyola Park Beach near Greenleaf and Lunt avenues have been staked off in efforts to reduce erosion and restore the beach back to its native state (the best current example of Illinois' natural dunes is Illinois Beach State Park in Zion). There is a path that allows the public to walk in between these two protected areas to observe the nascent natural dunes. On May 4th the following was posted to Loyola Dunes Restoration Facebook page, "Loyola Dunes Restoration Vigorous growth of thousands of hand-planted clumps of Marram Grass in the late Fall of 2012 are showing rewards in the Spring of 2013. Thank you to every person who labored to make this happen. A new dune is being born."

         Marram grass, also known as American Beachgras,s has an extensive root systems that anchors the plants in the shifting sands. They (Ammophila) are located on the East Coast from South Carolina up past Maine, the entire West Coast on up into Canada and throughout the Great Lakes. Other species of Marram grass are found in Europe, Africa and have been introduced into many other areas of the world to help with erosion. The sign adorned with the Mercedes Benz medallion reads," Loyola Park erosion control project in effect. Due to blowing winds and drifting sand onto adjacent park land we are implementing this erosion control project. Please stay out of the roped off areas until the planting has established itself. Thank you for your cooperation"

Please continue reading for more pictures

Chicago Park District Bulldozer @ Loyola Park Beach

            The lifeguard chairs are out waiting for the official beginning of serious beach season. The sand has been flattened. The erosion of Loyola Park Beach is being dealt with. The weather is stupendous. The only thing wrong with this picture is that the bulldozer should say go Cubs, not go Sox.

Please continue reading for more pictures

Seeing Double @ Circle Garden

            

            Some people may think Chevanston is obsessed with the Buddha heads and they may be right. Couldn't get the two Buddha heads at Circle Garden (established in 2007) in a nice shot together so better just to give each their best angle.  Are these permanent installations? According to DNAinfo.com no, "Rogers Park will eventually have 10 heads that'll be on display for about a year, Sutton said.". Scanning the 'net we see that the concluding event will take place at LUMA in August (Loyola University Museum Of Art). So enjoy them while you can, because like most things (including the Earth) they are impermanent objects in temporary locations. 

Please continue reading to see Circle Garden's other Buddha head

Update 5/20/13 9:15 am - cropped and enlarged the original photo (which is beyond the jumpbreak) to better show off Lake Michigan in the photo. 

Paschen Playground

More pictures if you continue reading

Online Petition Against BJB & Flatts (Sic)

             This petition was apparently started by students at Loyola. We are flattered that they decided to use our photograph of Astor House. The petition states that there is a campaign of gentrification ongoing in the neighborhoods of Rogers Park, Edgewater and Uptown. If the petition writers were studying real estate trends and shifting demographics over the past few decades they would've realized that the market and reality have finally caught up with the large apartment buildings of these communities. Many neighbors who have stuck it out through the hard times in these neighborhoods applaud efforts like this to improve these grand old apartment buildings.

Please continue reading for more pictures and words

UPDATE 5/18/13 - 3:30 pm
Today is BBQ for friends and family of Astor House @ Pratt beach
 please continue reading to see the flyer

Magic Corner Update

       
             One of the first few posts on this blog concerned the restoration of a fire hydrant at the magic spot. If there is one surefire way to get a new hydrant on your block, this is one of them. We also got a new hydrant in a new location; the alley just south of Fargo and Paulina on the east side of the street, north of the alley. Which will be nice for people that need access to the alley, because previously people would park there making it tough to make turns onto Paulina.

Please continue reading to see new fire hydrant about to hatch
(warning, not a very exciting picture, but it is exciting to see a new hydrant in a new location)

Sol Talks Number One May 23rd @ 7pm

     

         

               Newly completed crosswalk spanning Howard can be seen in the reflection of Sol Cafe's front window. Also the upcoming talk hosted by Sol Cafe in collaboration with Ten Thousand Ripples is being advertised. This talk will be an "open forum discussion" in an effort to "work together to become a more unified street." The title for the first Sol Talks is entitled Misconceptions and Connections and is concerned with the public image of Howard Street. This is scheduled to take place May 23rd next week Thursday at 7 pm and coffee, tea and pastries will be for sale. This is a week later then when it was first proposed (it was originally going to be today), but better late than never.

1530 W Estes SFH Construction Update

          Google Street View above of how 1530 W Estes used to look. Bummer to have a new curb cut on Estes. Untamed side yard is now to be new single family house. But this is one small sign that the real estate market and economy is waking up again. Will be interesting to see how this house turns out.

5/16/13 9 am Update #1 - Houses like this (frame) go up fast. Today already working on the second floor.

5/18/13 3:30 pm Update #2 - Roof on second floor now.

Please continue reading for updated pictures of 1530  W Estes

Lamprocapnos Spectabilis

         Otherwise known as Old Fashioned Bleeding Hearts. Native to eastern Asian from Siberia to Japan. A perennial which blooms in spring (May to June) and dies back sometime in summer.

Network 2424

           

           This is Chevanston's contribution to Beat & Network 2424 (Chase and Wolcott). So far Bernard Garbo is the sole poster (at least since 2010 there were various neighbors on there previously including Ann Rainey herself) to this Quick Topic message board. Which is too bad because the Quick Topic message board that Ann Rainey set up for her 8th ward just on the other side of Howard street has been a resounding success at getting neighbors to collaborate to keep the neighborhood safe. Network 2424 started in 2008, maybe things are much safer in that beat so that neighbor participation like it was in the past is not needed today? Likely the participation waned as Everyblock gained in popularity, but now that EB is dead, neighbors should return to discuss neighborhood issues.


       "Welcome to Network 2424's Main Board Our goal is to build a stronger community through neighbors sharing information and getting to know each other. No ANONYMOUS posts allowed. Posts must include either your name or first name and location within Network 2424. "

           Perhaps a quick topic message board would be more successful with Joe Moore at the helm. People are using Facebook to report problems, but isn't as useful a format. People may be put off that you can't be anonymous where you could be with Facebook. Next meeting for this beat is May 23rd 2422, 2423, 2424 COMBINED Beat Meeting Location: 7212 N. Clark Street at 7-8 pm. Here are links to a now a local defunct blog covering the former Ho named  the Rogers Park Inconsistent here and here.

Old School Slide @ Louis Goldberg Park

        Not too many of these beauties left in the city. This little corner of Rogers Park is a place that time forgot. As a kid this writer would climb up the slide backwards, jump off the top, climb over the small hood, basically anything that was conceivably possible. Playground equipment in those days was not built with much safety in mind. Would love to see a variation of this slide make a revival. Way taller and longer than the slides you see nowadays.

Single Family House On Estes Under Construction

Please continue reading for more pictures

GNAR (Great Northside Artist Revolution) Sign Vandalism?

           

               

            Some people may think that Chevanston plays favorites. But it doesn't, at least when it comes to sign vandalism. This isn't a good look for GNAR (Chevanston isn't accusing GNAR of the actual vandalism since we don't have a hidden camera trained on the site in question). Street signs are there to function to inform motorists and pedestrians alike of the rules of the road. They are not supposed to double as canvasses for street art or self expression. Yes graffiti by definition means its somewhere where it isn't supposed to be. But by and large most graffiti is vandalism without artistic merit. What this sticker does is encourage more vandalism which will eventually obscure the function of the sign and create an eyesore. The question arises from the opposing side, who cares? Why would anyone care about sign vandalism? 

           A better question is why don't people care? Is our neighborhood, its safety and our city worth caring about? If it isn't why? Why do people think its okay to put stickers all over stop signs, mailboxes, storefronts, one way signs, etc? Sure there are bigger problems in the world and our society, but that doesn't mean that our fair city has to look down and out. Why are some people contributing to blight instead of working to decrease it? Those are important questions to think about as well. The above one way sign is at the Estes "L" viaduct. The one way sign is now just a boring plain one way sign. But are one way signs here to entertain us or are they there to tell us the street is one way? Walking around the Glenwood Arts District this writer did come upon another GNAR sticker on a mailbox. 

Please continue reading to see GNAR'ed mailbox. 

Jarvis Avenue Street Sign Bent Back Into Place

Mayne Annex, A Fine Addition To Morse Avenue

Are you being nice? Big Brother is watching.

        Newly completed Mayne Annex sits just to the east of the former Block Building (four plus one) currently known as Reside on Morse. Where Mayne Annex now stands used to be Mama's Fish, an ordinary two flat next to the old Cobbler's Mall. That was five to ten years ago. Google maps gets updated every few years so its important to screen capture certain photos while you still can, because this area has undergone rapid change in the past several years. There is probably an archive somewhere at Google with past street scenes though.

Please continue reading to see the Mama's Fish building 

Common Cup Drive-By Shooting

Screenshot of Craig's tweet (more pics on Craig's Facebook account)

           Craig Gernhardt on Twitter and Chicago News Report both just reported that a drive by shooting took place an hour ago in broad daylight at Morse and Greenview. If you aren't following Craig Gernhardt on Twitter you won't be informed on up to the minute info regarding Morse and the surrounding environs. Blog post put here for those not wanting explosive discussions at CNR. More pictures and info as they become available. One of the bullets apparently hit the coffee shop Common Cup and one person was seen limping away from the scene. Please click on picture for a better view.

            Has there been loitering near the Common Cup? It was an issue back in 2011/12. If gang members loiter at a corner gunfire is sure to follow. Because the other gang will get jealous of the territory they are hanging onto and then they will shoot at them. Density of coffee shops in an area has been shown to decrease violence. This study here was actually done in Chicago spanning the years 1991 to 2005. Guess the gangbangers missed school the day they covered this topic. Either that or the researchers didn't take into account the bangers from Rogers Park.

Update 5/11/13 #1 -5:40 pm - no word yet from Trib or DNAinfo.com yet but we are sure Mr Woodard is hard at work on the case. Took photos of the crime scene about twenty minutes ago, which you can see (along with all the updates) if you continue reading.

UPDATE 5/12/13 8 am - Benjamin Woodard just contributed to the story on DNA and fills in the knowledge gaps. The proprietor of Common Cup Ruth Hoekwater recounted how a bullet whizzed by her head and they found the bullet fragments in the bathroom wall. Also the stolen Mitsubishi Galant (the vehicle the shots were fired from) was found @ 2200 W. Lunt ave lodged in someone's fence.

Last edited 5/12/13 10:00 am

Rogers Park National Bank

4 days left on this Ebay Listing which can be all yours for $5.99, shipping is $1.84.

          -ROBERS (sic) PARK NATIONAL BANK TOKEN. WILL ACCEPT FOR 50 CENTS IF YOU OPEN A NEW SAVINGS ACCOUNT OF $5.00.-6979 N CLARK ST. S.E CORNER OF LUNT AVE.

Towbar (TonyLetsGoToTheBar) @ Jarvis Square

1500 W Jarvis Chicago, Illinois

         
              Towbar's spokeswoman was seen leaving the premises this evening. This writer asked her when she expected to open, she responded that she didn't want to give a definite date because there were still many loose ends to tie up and waiting for permits. She said she expected to open in about two weeks. A curious young couple came by and were surprised to see the changes at the former location of Charmers and they wondered aloud about when this big change had occurred and what Towbar was going to be. Chevanston filled them in briefly.

               DNAinfo.com did a write up on the soon to open Coffee/Wine Bar on May 3rd and Benjamin couldn't pin them down on an opening date either, at that time it was anywhere from 2 weeks to 10 days. "All of our places are warm and welcoming," said Debbie Evans, inside the soon-to-open Towbar at 1506 N. Jarvis Ave." (Pretty sure that Mr Woodard meant 1500 w Jarvis). "Eight years ago, they (Evans Family) opened the Celtic Knot in Evanston, which has since been sold. And they now plan to open a microbrewery, called the Peckish Pig, in October (Eater says winter) on the Evanston side of Howard Street." 

Link to picture of storefront before it was Towbar & when it was no longer Charmers.

Please continue reading for more pictures

Springtime In Rogers Park

"L" train stalled at Ashland and Fargo bridge about to take
 off for the Howard Street stop. Local gardeners planted
tulips earlier this year along Leonard Dubkin Park's fence.