Sol Cafe - The Coffee Shop Spot On Howard!

This sign must've been installed yesterday. No mention of it yet on their Facebook page. Huge captive audience at the "L" stop waiting for the red, yellow and purple lines this morning. Well they don't know what they're missing if they haven't walked down to Howard and checked out Sol Cafe.

At least once a month this fine coffee shop has a new artist and art show. And you don't have to venture down to Lincoln Park or Bucktown for good donuts on the weekends (Glazed and Infused).

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Follow Bill Savage On Twitter!

This photo has absolutely nothing to do with Bill.
But the snow on the back of the "L" train looks cool.

This month Bill Savage began tweeting. Relaying photos of Rogers Park's coast, weather, wildlife, pot holes, graffiti, whatever. If you aren't following Bill then you are missing out on incisive relevant local commentary and news.

His Twitter account gives a great description of what to expect. "Cities, mostly Chicago. Writers, mostly Chicago writers. Neighborhoods, mostly Rogers Park. Sports, mostly baseball. Rogers Park, USA"

Chevanston thanks Bill for all his past submissions, Chibera, Lake Boat, Lunt Fire Aerial View, The Vicious Virgin, Lake Effect Snow, insight on Enjoy North Kenmore Ave While You Can and tips in general.

He officially gave in and joined Twitter January 19th. So there isn't too much to catch up on.

Parking For Hybrids And Alternative Fuel Vehicles

Uncommon Ground's (located at Glenwood and Devon just south of Rogers Park) solar powered electric car charging stations were fully operational summer of 2013.

Searching the net the first solar powered charging station to open in Chicago was sometime in 2009. Funny thing is all the articles don't specifically mention where its at. And the photos are vague.

Putting solar panels on your garage would cost over twenty grand but would allow one to set up an electric charging station at home. Or just buy a portable self contained solar charging station for forty thousand.

In case you missed the last Chevanston article that highlighted the two Charge Point charging stations at 7474 N Rogers Avenue. The models shown here appear to be the stand up "bollard" models in the same CT2000 family as those near the Howard "L" stop.

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Through The Lonely Streets Of Rogers Park

Skokie Swift waits its turn @ Rogers Ave bridge

"I lived in Chicago when I was 18. And the problem I had there was that the devil was stronger there than it was here. It was cheaper. It was easier to find. And so Chicago didn't last too long for me. I lived in a neighborhood that was uh... we'll just say it catered to my needs. And this song here. Its the last song on the new record. This is the song about Chicago. Its the only old song on the record. I wrote it when I was 18." Spoken in a southern accent.

Moody song for winter in Rogers Park (by Justin Townes Earle). Hope that more songs are written about our neighborhood. At least more that aren't about die this, die that and gangbanging. Maybe something more upbeat next time? A great song nonetheless. The following lyrics were transcribed and checked against other online sources. Here is the YouTube video. The last stanza is left out. Can't make out the words. Not the most important thing about songs though.

"This town's dead tonight. I got no place to be. Moon is hung just right, shine like diamonds on the street. Red line winding, lonesome. Cutting clean through my heart. In my window smoking while midnight setting in on Rogers Park."

"I come here with hopes and guess I came here with dreams. Now I'm all alone. I can't even get to sleep. So take my heart and break it. Send me back to the bar tap.  Tired of lying awake at night. Shadows on the wall. Feel like I'm running out of time."

"See my dreams before my eyes. Shadows on the wall. I ain't got no place I can fly. Snowing in off the lake. Punching holes in the dark. Through the lonely streets of Rogers Park."

DISCLAIMER - No Photographers Were Harmed In The Making Of This Blog Post

But the ice formations at the end of Farwell Pier were mercilessly destroyed by two intrepid explorers. They had come to conquer the pier and they did so with much gusto.

The no diving, swimming signs on the pier should be strictly observed more so than ever in this bone-chilling weather. One photographer was observed walking the ice ridge north of the pier. If there is a time to chance it now would be the time. But did this shutterbug have adequate supplies for a solo rescue in case he/she fell into a mini crevasse? When temperatures start getting near or above freezing (32) it would be unwise to venture onto lake ice.

Temperature at O'hare negative eleven. XRT reported negative seven at the lake. An overlooked benefit of living by Lake Michigan, it does mitigate however slightly the arctic blast.

Last edited 1/28/14 3:13 pm

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Frostnip

The most distal phalanx of the left index finger failed before the iPhone did. Never felt that before. Or rather never lost full sensation of an extremity. Suddenly this writer was missing part of a finger. Had to look to check it was still there. It was obvious then it was time to leave. Happened after just a few minutes. Ambient temperature was negative six. Windchill and exposure definitely in effect night of 1/27/14.

S and C's unhyped 14-A building despite an unpublished rendering is turning out to be the most interesting new construction in the RP this year. Makes one wish that Rogers Park was able to hold onto to more local industries (like the Nielsen Ratings and Affy Tapple). Still a depressed area compared to what it once was.

Last edited 1/28/14 10:19 am

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Sunrise @ Rogers Avenue Beach

I-phone didn't die this time from the cold temps. Has it adjusted? Its survived worse. Rumour has it that the new I-phone 6 camera will be the same eight megapixels but feature upgrades like "optical image stabilization".

The ring of clouds at the horizon created the effect of a private, reflected sunrise. The water was still active despite being almost zero. If you check out the lakefront be careful to not step on ice ridges or shoves without proper equipment (like safety spikes). You might fall into a frozen hole.

Update - 1/27/14 6 pm - Sun Dog aka parahelion spotted earlier today by CBS News and others. Its the sun reflecting off of  ice crystals in the sky.

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It's Been A Rough Winter

Ski Mask Weather Returns

Tom Skilling's forecast calls for a high tomorrow of negative five, the low a negative nineteen. His forecast for Tuesday negative six the high and negative 15 the low. That's a long time below zero.

CPS and most schools will be closed tomorrow. One plus is that the cold may have killed off most of the emerald ash borer larvae in Minnesota.

A man in Minnesota has a bicycle blog who routinely bikes in the cold. Here is his list of advantages to biking in the cold (tons of great photos of the wild up north). Thumbing through this Alaska blog puts this weather into perspective.

Other things to consider? LED lights, becoming ever present replacing standard flashlights, aren't affected by these frigid temps. Don't touch metal if its fifteen below. You could get contact frostbite.

La Raza Gang Graffiti Lingers At Fargo And Ashland

The west side of Clark Street isn't the only place with winter gang tags.

La Raza likes to gang tag Fargo/Jarvis and Ashland. They've hit V-tone in the past. Rumour has it that the guy who does this doesn't even live in the neighborhood. It was first noticed by this writer on the 12th of January. It was sent into 311's website soon after.

Part of the graffiti is now painted over with white. When graffiti is put onto unpainted brick it is supposed to be removed by Graffiti Blasters strongest stuff - the toxic spray. This writer will resubmit the photos to the city of Chicago and let the Ward 49 office know about it.

Wax on wax off. Its almost a necessary function of the city. Entropy of an urban neighborhood. Some people must apply the vandalism so that others can remove it. We know it can be erased.

Please continue reading to see the graffiti as it looked on the 12th

Max Green's Photos For Sale On E-bay

Offering a box of family and friends photos (On E-bay) and negatives that belonged to Max Green, who owned the Photographer Green's Studio - also marked "Green's Studio" on some photos, 7046 N. Clark st. Chicago, Illinois. 

A photo of the storefront is shown - it was covered in black glass and was very art deco in design including that nifty door.  Unfortunately it looks nothing like that today.  I got these materials from the basement of his studio in the early 1970's, sometime after Max died. 

Max and his wife Elsie lived in West Rogers Park and belonged to a now closed Synagogue in the area.  One of the items is Max as a pilot standing in front of a WW1 Jenny aircraft. The Greens appear to have 2 children judging by the photos of them with Max & Elsie. Assume one or more of the children may be living.  No reserve.

(More interesting than the average Rogers Park E-bay item.)

More Subzero Weather On The Way?

Farcroft as seen from Birchwood Avenue Tuesday morning after the heavy snowfall. In this writer's opinion the morning after lots of snow is magic. Its the best time to take photos of snow covered cars and trees before the morning commute and sun respectively take their toll. You rediscover your city and neighborhood.

The Onion parodies this phenomenon here. While you're at it check out the Onion's send up of the media's hyping of cold weather; Snowlocaust. By the way the Onion News Network has been on IFC since 2011.

Some forecasts put the low on Monday at negative 17 or 18 (iPhone). Tom Skilling's forecast predicts the lows will be negative 16 on Monday and negative 15 the day after. It makes one wonder how much colder could negative twenties to thirties feel?

Beating The Winter Blues

Every time of year has something. We are stuck with a calendar with only 365 days. This is when some people declare they are sick of winter. Sometimes we get a January Thaw. This year its arctic fronts.

One under recognized bonus in winter. Everyday gets brighter and longer. Its just over one month into snow season. X-mas and the holidays helped kick it off. Now is the time to figure out what's special about winter.

Check out the lakefront. Don't slide off the end of Farwell Pier. Or fall through a hole on its ice ridge. Take a picture of your favorite light display. Go see a movie, join a polar bear club, stick your tongue on a street pole (no really don't do that). Get ready for the Touhy Park bonfire next Tuesday, catch a show at the Mayne Stage, scan  the Chicago calendar of events for things to do. Being active will keep your mind off how cold and dark it is. You will find that winter is a pretty cool time of year.

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What Would You Do?

This last part of Farwell Pier is frozen lake. Would you turn around or keep walking?

If you did continue what kind of gear would you wear? What precautions would you take?

Would you use a harness and rope to anchor yourself to solid ground? Would you have a friend nearby to call for help in case you fell in? Would you wear an exposure suit? Would you wear subzero scuba equipment? Would you use crampons, ice pick and a signal flare?

Or would you walk in your street clothes and sneakers without safety net or backup plan to the edge of the abyss?

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Imagine No Longer

"The new reason to ride the Red Line all the way"

The team is hard at work on Peckish Pig tonight. A friendly wave from one of the guys inside. Evanston owned commercial property is one step closer to coming off the city books and back to paying taxes.

Rogers Parkers will have more than enough reason to venture over to the Evanston side now. For one you will finally have a place nearby to get your growler refilled. According to Chicago Magazine the brewery will seat 140 indoors and 300 with the outdoor patio. Opening day is still unknown but it can't be too far off with the staff putting long hours to finish up.

(The title of the blog post refers to the city of Evanston's advertising hawking this commercial space (on Howard street that great street). Here's a link to when the place was gutted this past September. Some may forget that this is where the Howard street Buddha first acclimated to city life before the first successful Buddha head transplant in history.)

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Rogers Park's Coast Revisited

The so called Polar Vortex 2.0 or Arctic Front hit last night along with a good dose of lake effect snow (just over six inches). i-Phone shut down after the photo set from this morning. Sunrise is becoming a bit earlier now (7:12-3 am).

There still is an icy connection between the Jarvis-Fargo beach and Howard Street beach. It looks like the red brick apartment building at the north side of the Birchwood Avenue terminus is expanding its chain-link fence onto the outcropping of rocks that meets the shore. No hunting is allowed along this part of the Lake Michigan shore.

Anyone exploring the lakefront should still be careful. The freeze thaw cycle has greatly diminished the glacier-ized shoreline. And falling through the ice into frigid waters can be fatal.

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CAPS Meeting Reminder

The first CAPS meeting of 2014 will be Thursday, January 23. This is the monthly CAPS meeting for Beats 2422, 2423 and 2424. The meeting is at 7:00 PM at Chicago Math and Science Academy, (CMSA) 7212 N Clark. Meet your beat officers and discuss issues and problems and work on solutions that are viable.

Here is a link to the beat 2431 page. And here is a link to the 24th Police District home page which gives a breakdown of reported concerns in percentages. Facebook page for 2422, 2423 and 2424.

Heavy Snow @ 415 Howard Street

A great subject to photograph in the snow. The changing color dramatically changes what one shot will look from another. Making it hard to predict how the pictures will look. These were taken in the past hour.

Lake effect snow warning in effect until 9 am for Eastern Cook County according to Tom Skilling's site. Final totals are expected to be 6-13 inches. Its supposed to get a little bit below zero in the early morning. The seven day forecast is cold.

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Please Stop Blocking The Driveway @ 7362 N Ashland

First off you will save yourself from getting a ticket. You also avoid cutting the house off from the rest of the world. This driveway is almost a hundred years old. 7362 N Ashland doesn't have an alley. So any current or potential caretakers need this egress clear to gain access to the property.

Unfortunately Illinois is a judicial state in this case. Foreclosed properties stay in limbo for a long time before anything happens. In non judicial states properties change over much faster. Being a judicial state is good for the property owner in default because they can stay in their house longer.

Last edited 1/19/14 10:04 pm

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Kenilworth Ave In Rogers Park?

According to this postcard for sale on E-bay there was a Kenilworth Avenue in Rogers Park. Consulting the make believe map we see however that Kenilworth (road not avenue) ran parallel to Lunt.

Researching the word Kenilworth results in reading about the town of Kenilworth to the north (of course). This town was essentially founded by Joseph Sears. Its population and racial make up hasn't changed much since 1930. The Wikipedia entry states that it is still fits the criteria of a sundown suburb. Sundown town refers to the fact that nonwhite folks had to leave town by sundown.

Kenilworth's name comes from a small town in England and its namesake castle. No one is quite sure the origin of the name, this site thinks it might refer to the profession of gardener. There is a Kenilworth New Jersey (originally known as New Orange) which attributes the name to the real estate venture named Kenilworth Realty (which began the venture of developing the town) after Sir Walter Scott's novel of the same name about the castle in England.

Adriana's Bridal

Pictures from New Years Eve 2013. LEDs are cool but nothing beats classic neon. This storefront is a forerunner to the ever-present bright flashing light emitting diodes in nearby commercial areas.

Adriana's Facebook page. They posted in September pictures of a balloon arch in front of the new Trader Joe's in Evanston. The photo is entitled "decoraciones de salones banquets halls decorations".

Venta de Vestidos para bodas, quinceaneras, prom, bautizos, primera comuniones. Arreglos para todo tipo de ocasion : iglesia y salon. Renta y venta tuxedos.

2356 w Touhy Chicago Illinois Telf - 773-764-2392

Lunes - Viernes 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sabado y Domingo 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

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Cherry Picker Takes Public Transit

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Electric Vehicle Parking Only

Coulomb Technologies is the company behind the Charge Point electrical vehicle stations. There is only one place in Rogers Park that you can get your electric vehicle charged. 7474 N Rogers Avenue, Gateway Parking Garage aka the CTA Park and Ride for the Howard "L" stop. Second floor on the south side.

There is a Charge Point station (solar powered) at the Uncommon Ground just south of RP (Devon and Glenwood in Edgewater) which was unveiled in June 2013. Most locations have two charging sites like the one here in Rogers Park. In the article the owner of Uncommon Ground is quoted as saying that he has become a defacto spokesman for the Nissan Leaf (100 percent electric) by answering all the questions from curious patrons.

There are currently 554 quick-charging stations, and more than 15,000 slower "level 2" public charging stations across the U.S., Nissan estimates.

Last edited 1/15/14 7:48 pm

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How To Use A Public Teletypewriter

1 - Place the handset on the shelf or the holder
2 - Choose how you will pay for the call
3 - Dial the number. For help with charging the call, dial the TTY operater
4 - Watch the signal light on TTY drawer to see if the phone is ringing or busy.
5 - To use the TTY Voice Announcer press * 3 times
6 - When the other person types the TTY drawer will open
7 - Begin your conversation
8 - Hang up handset. TTY drawer will close by itself.

(Note - The extra (silver) phone hook used to place the handset during a TTY call is located just above and to the right of the yellow phone.)

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Waterfront Cafe

There are some pictures of Waterfront Cafe on the net but most are tightshots and don't really give one a feel of where and what it looks like (especially in the winter). The little beach at Berger park and playground make it a great place to bring kids.

This lakeside restaurant located at the east terminus of Granville will reopen in mid May. Reviewers warn of mosquitoes in the summer. It gets an average of 4 stars with 76 reviews on Yelp.

What this place has going for it more than anything is location.  Driving by this intersection on Sheridan no one would ever guess that such a place even existed. Its hidden and locals like it that way. It's just one "L" stop south of Rogers Park. Another option for lunch and dinner.

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Unholy Harvest On Howard Street

People don't take a break from littering when it snows. And during the melt the accumulated trash is the winter and spring's unholy harvest. This Big Belly trash can takes a beating while the others are ignored. It would be nice if the SSA came by a little more frequently than they do. Hopefully they will tomorrow.

This morning this writer witnessed a passerby on Marshfield hurling a can of something across the street nonchalantly as they walked south to Howard. One minute later this person passed within a few feet of a garbage can at Marshfield and Howard as they turned to walk east on Howard. The major issue isn't enough places to throw the litter out. Its a matter of people properly using the garbage cans already there.

Last edited 1/12/13 5:55 pm

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Report Gang Graffiti Big And Small

7410 N Rogers

Gangster Disciples have to go to Walgreens (Clark and Rogers) to get their medicines and sundries too (especially since Dominick's closed). But the Latin Kings claim Rogers and Clark as their turf. Not much fun having to walk through gang territory on the way to get a script filled.

This illustrates how illogical it is for one gang to claim one area as turf over someone else and vice versa. Because everyone needs to get along here to get what they need done. And nobody wants to get caught in the crossfire over perceived ownership over a corner.

It is human nature to be stubborn. But its still a good idea to keep reporting this most dangerous type of graffiti. How many times do you have to report it? As many times as it takes. Because people kill each other over these territorial markings here in Chicago everyday. You certainly don't see too much of this in our neighboring town Evanston. (Evanston Now writes up an article if someone reports graffiti!)

Click here to get to the city of Chicago's 311 website where you can report graffiti and here is email address of CAPS graffiti@caps24.org. (Needless to say all gang tags were submitted to each site.)

Last edited 1/12/14 12:15 pm

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One Last Trek Into The Boreal Wilderness

These pictures are from 1/10/14 aka yesterday. Sunrise was at 7:18 am and the temperature was still just below freezing at 30 degrees. But already you could see large cracks in the huge ice formations that became the latest coastline of Lake Michigan.

Dnainfo.com is being responsible and smart in warning folks about the dangers of taking cool photos of the lake. After all they did help spread the word at how strange and beautiful our lake looked while under the grip of the 2014 Polar Vortex.

The frozen waters connected the Jarvis/Fargo beach with Howard beach creating an opportunity for shots usually impossible (except by kayak or boat). A land bridge connecting people otherwise cut off from each other by water. No further explorations of the lake will be assigned until springtime.

Last edited 1/11/14 11:00 am

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Please Leave Your Handgun At Home

Anti gun signs are popping up all over the place in the past few days. With the recent court ruling throwing out the ban on gun sales in Chicago and with concealed carry on the horizon many businesses (not just Merry Maids) are nervous about patrons bringing in firearms. Towbar and Taste in Jarvis Square are just two examples of local businesses of where you can't bring your pistol.

Where else has this notice been posted? Or where hasn't it been?

Pursuant to 430 ILCS 65/66 - With some no guns allowed posters the Illinois statute is incomplete.

Individuals licensed to carry a concealed firearm under the Firearm Concealed Carry Act are prohibited from carrying a firearm on, or into, any of the prohibited areas (Basically establishments that put this poster on their door) listed under Section 65 of the statute. Private property owners may also prohibit individuals from carrying a concealed firearm on, or into, property under their control.

1/17/13 4 pm Update - DNAinfo.com's article about the handgun ban signs.

Last edited 1/11/14 9:22 am

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Lake Boat

Thanks again to Bill Savage for these dramatic shots of Lake Michigan. Quite a vantage point. If this writer worked there it would be hard to get anything done.

The wide angle shot is just beyond the jumpbreak. It deserves to be seen in its extra large original size format. Where is that boat going? What's on the boat? Who's on the boat? Who's boat is that? How much would it cost to take a ride? Must be pretty "cool" to take a lake cruise this time of year. Also thanks to Bill for the shots of Farwell Pier.

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Farwell Pier After The Polar Vortex

Its still below freezing. So while its above the zero mark ice is still forming everyday. And its been about four days (since Jan 5th) since the mercury has been above 32. Sunrise was at 7:18 am this morning.

One can walk almost to the end of Farwell Pier on the north side. That's how much of the lake froze at Loyola Beach. An unnerving crunching crashing sound could be heard coming from the south side of the pier. Hopping through the wire fence to investigate quickly answers the question.

The ice tide is coming in.

Update - 1/9/14 2:20 pm - Rest of the pics are up.

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Sunrise @ Howard Street Beach

The sunrise this morning at the Howard Street Beach was obscured by low hanging clouds. A man walking his dog stood on the ledge above the beach chanting. It sounded like something out of Conan The Barbarian.

One can easily imagine Native Americans, vikings or cavemen gazing upon similar vistas thousands and thousands of years ago. Three straight days of below freezing weather including almost two days of subzero weather have transformed Lake Michigan into an ice world. It is getting a bit warmer evidenced by the fact that the iPhone didn't die this time.

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Dig Out Your Fire Hydrant!

Yes there is a fire hydrant under all that snow. This is an extreme example of a buried hydrant. Tough first winter for this brand new fireplug. "Can't get no respect around here."

Evanston Now relayed a notice from the City of Evanston reminding folks to clear snow away from their hydrant. Why? If there is a fire you don't want firefighters wasting time looking for a water source and clearing away the snow. The city of Chicago has an exhaustive webpage covering the do's and don'ts of snow removal from sidewalks. "Do not pile snow around fire hydrants". (Pictures taken from this morning.)

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Arctic Expedition

Watch your step! One wrong move and you could find yourself flying off Rogers Avenue beach pier falling through the ice into the bone chilling waters of Lake Michigan. The iPhone was definitely not built to withstand subzero temps. It hibernated for twenty minutes after this photo shoot.

Some readings put the region just below or just above zero right now. Give it another couple weeks of this weather and Rogers Park's coastline really will resemble the arctic. The sunrise photos from today and yesterday look like they were taken at some other time or place. The lake is still steaming today. And where there is steam there is always potential for steam devil formation (discovered in the 1970s).

Last edited 1/7/14 1:40 pm

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Peckish Pig : Opening Date Still Unknown

We know from their Facebook page that the brew house was installed the middle of last month. Supplies, chairs, counters, boxes are in various states of readiness. They were hoping for a December opening at one point but that obviously didn't happen.

A neighbor asks if he can use his own growler and Peckish Pig replies absolutely. What is a growler? According to Wikipedia its a glass jug (size varies 64 ounces the most common) used to transport beer from breweries or brew pubs. The term dates to the late 19th century when beer was carried in metal pails. USA Today did a piece on this old tradition making a comeback.

Opening date is to be announced. It will be great to have another option for food and beverage on Howard Street. Walking distance for denizens of nearby Rogers Park north or south of Howard.

Update #1 - 1/7/14 2:05 pm -  Chicago Magazine reports that the owners hope for a January opening. So opening day is still TBA but closer to reality.

Last edited 1/6/14 3:59 pm

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Chiberia

Bill Savage submitted this amazing photo entitled Chiberia to Chevanston at 9 am this morning.  "Arctic Sea Smoke, or Siberian Sea Smoke. . . In Rogers Park.  Loyola Avenue. . . "The lake sure doesn't feel warm this time of year but it is in comparison to the the frigid arctic winds from the north.

Lake effect snow and steam are the most common weather phenomenons caused by the cooler air currents travelling over warmer water. Steam devils have been reported (in the past) and photographed over Lake Michigan. It is entirely possible that somewhere out there steam devils lurk. If these kind of temperatures became the new norm the lake will eventually freeze solid.

Frozen City

Buildings, people, cars, furnaces, animals, are under unusual stress today from the arctic blast. The extreme cold is breaking records for this day in Chicago history. But its not the absolute coldest. Click here to see which were the coldest days in Chicago history. Today's record lows don't even rank in the top 15 coldest days.

Most readers should be able to guess where these photos were taken. The iPhone let me know that it was time to get inside when it shut down in spite of 20 percent power in reserve.

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Severe Weather Alert

Winter Storm Warning finally elapses at 6 pm CST this evening. But there is a Wind Chill Warning until noon CST Tuesday. According to the National Weather Service there will be less than an inch of snow overnight. The total accumulation was estimated for the region to be between 5 to 10 inches.

The real danger in the next twenty four hours is the temperatures. Many school and business closings tomorrow due to the severe weather. The NSW is warning folks about the dangers of frost bite, hypothermia and death. Uptown Update has a pretty good post concerning precautions to take in this menacing weather.

 Temperatures: Lows 12 below to 20 below zero tonight and Monday night. Record Cold highs of 8 below to 15 below zero Monday. Wind chills, a prolonged period of wind chills lower than 30 below is likely, with wind chills of 40 to 50 below expected late tonight into Monday afternoon and again early Tuesday morning. These forecast wind chills are the lowest in nearly 20 years.

Update 1/6/14 7:30 am - official low is between negative 13 to 15 

New Bed & Mattress Outlet @ Rogers & Howard

The former fly by night furniture store will soon be a bed store. Not very exciting but some retail is better than none. There has to be some type of business in a retail space before any aspirations for anything else. (Like say a restaurant along the lines of Alexanders in Edgewater or a Golden Nugget. Or a non urban clothing store, hardware store or bookstore.)

Everyone's gotta sleep. And no point in going to a department store to pick out a new bed. A small irregular space for a mattress store or most any type of store for that matter.

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Jargowood Block Club

The next Jargowood block club meeting is this coming Tuesday January 7th at the Chalet Living Center. (7350 N Sheridan Road) In the conference room of the Chalet at 7:30 pm.

The meeting will discuss community safety, parking and traffic issues.

NEXT SHERWIN CHASE NEIGHBORS MEETING is Monday Jan 13 - 8 pm at Touhy Park
NEXT TOUHY PARK ADVISORY MEETING is Monday Jan 13 - 7:30 pm at Touhy Park
NEXT JARGOWOOD MEETING is Tuesday March 4, 2014
NEXT CAPS MEETING is Thursday Jan 23 – 7 pm – 7212 N Clark Street - CMSA

JARGOWOOD MEETS Tuesday March 4, 2014
Sherwin Chase Neighbors & Touhy Park Advisory – second Monday odd months
TURN ON YOUR PORCH LIGHTS FOR NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY
OPERATION ADDRESS - PUT YOUR ADDRESS ON YOUR GARAGE
How can the police and fire department find your house?

Update 1/6/14 3:10 pm - The meeting is on for 1/7/14 according to Lorraine Dostal's email blast

Art Time And Party Time @ Sol Cafe

• Thursday - January 9th 7-9 pm
• Closing Art Show for Moss&Milk and Caitlin Peters
• Free beer, cheap tacos, and funky jams by Dj License
• Sol Cafe @ 1615 w Howard Street 

Jamaica Jerk Closed By City

On New Years Eve Jamaica Jerk was ordered closed by the city of Chicago. Hadn't seen any reports of this on the net yet so it was a surprise to this on the way to Sol Cafe this morning. Jamaica Jerk is located in the same historic Howard theatre building as the thriving coffee shop. J.J. on the other hand was not thriving. Have no fear though there is promise of a chicken place opening down the road on the Evanston side of Howard.

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Lake Effect Snow

Scene this morning at Leone Park Beach just east of Touhy Avenue's terminus.  This morning a policeman was busy writing tickets to motorist who had left their cars parked along Sheridan. Definitely a snow route day.

Lake effect snow warning is in effect until 6 pm tonight for Cook County. Snow has been drifting with the winds making it difficult for drivers to leave their alleys. At least a foot of snow has fallen in Rogers Park since New Year's Eve. The city has done an excellent job keeping the major roads clear and driveable.

Update #1 - 1/2/14 5:13 pm - Added Bill Savage's photo of Lake Michigan from today.

Please continue reading for more pictures and snow route map (no parking when over two inches of snowfall) for Rogers Park (and to see highrise view of Lake Michigan)

7450 N Sheridan Still Boarded Up

This building owned by the Unification Church (aka the Moonies) is still boarded up after a fire in October caused by a space heater. Mansions on Sheridan Road in the RP just can't get no respect nowadays. One was famously torn down for the Tawani parking garage and now this beauty suffered needless damage because of insufficient heat.

Moonies' monies are significant worldwide. The problem with large organizations whether they be religious or corporate is lack of oversight and personal attention. An example of a well loved, well cared for and well attended church is the Apostolic Church at Ashland and Touhy. Compare that to the official Unification Church of Chicago at Estes and Ashland which is usually a ghost town.

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Dominick's Scripts Transferred To Walgreens

Just in case you didn't know. The Dominick's on Howard transferred all prescriptions to the Walgreens at Clark and Rogers. On December 14th Crains Chicago Business declared Walgreens to be the big winner in the wake of the massive Dominick's grocery store liquidation by Safeway.

Abc news reported on the fate of Dominick's pharmacies on December 20th

The 59 pharmacies in Dominick's stores will shut down Friday night. The prescriptions and inventory of the pharmacies have all been sold to 45 to Walgreens, 11 to Mariano's, nine going to CVS, and four to Jewel-Osco. However, customers do not need to follow their prescriptions to those store pharmacies.

There are alternatives in Rogers Park to Walgreens. Like Morse "L" Drugs, Devon Morseview Drugs, CVS on Sheridan, and Vic's Pharmacy.  Any missing from this list? Personally this writer will miss the customer service, attention to detail and advice from the Dominick's pharmacies.

Light Emitting Diode

Calculators manufactured by Hewlett Packard were the first widespread commercial use of L.E.D. technology in the late sixties. Fast forward to the early twenty teens and now we have the beginnings of LED lights lighting up commercial storefronts. Some blink, change color and some like this storefront just shine bright white. This particular example is this writers favorite. It really lights up this otherwise dark and dreary segment of Morse.

This strip is slowly back coming to life. A dollar store at Ashland and Morse to the east and west of the intersection popped up in the past six months. Rogers Park's commercial hub is bit by bit rebounding after a very very low point in the early mid nineties.

Please continue reading to discover the source of all (quite possibly) these LEDS