Open House This Wednesday

From Alderman Cappleman's latest newsletter:

"When: Wednesday, May 30, 2012
 Where: 4544 North Broadway

The Ward Office has a wonderful new collection of art from local artists. Join us from 6PM to 7PM. There will be some light refreshments and a chance to meet some of the artists. Ald. James Cappleman will also be available to respond to any of your questions or concerns."

Clarkness On The Edge Of Town

Chicago Weather Center chose this photo by Uptowner Bill Biederman of foreboding Clark Street, taken Saturday morning.  Check it out here.

The Cousins Restaurant Featured On "Chicago's Best" Tonight

Tune in to WGN tonight at 10pm for Chicago's Best as they feature breakfasts, and pay a visit to The Cousins Restaurant at 1463 West Leland.  See if you know any of the patrons being interviewed.  If you miss it tonight, you can watch it repeat throughout the week on CLTV, or just check it out online here.

(We all know Cousins isn't located 4749 N Western, but Chicago's Best's caption department doesn't and gives the wrong address.)

Boom Town

Quite a few readers heard a loud "BOOM" around 10:45 Saturday night. Usually that's a transformer blowing, but we haven't gotten any reports of what it was. Seems to have been heard from Clarendon Park to Sheridan Park. Anyone know?

Retail Spaces Available

They've been working diligently on the building located at 1018 - 1036 West Leland for a few months now, carting out endless dumpsters full of waste and drywall.  Now it looks like it's time for the hard work to pay off, with "For Lease" signs posted in the storefront windows.

The saga of this building is long:  an owner who illegally converted the residential units to condos; every "condo" in the place going into foreclosure; an abandoned building that turned into a drug den and prostitution base; a broken pipe that ran for days and ruined the ground floor and caused a winter ice floe on the sidewalks outside; a kitten rescue; and housing court, housing court, housing court.

We were happy to see the building turned over to a receiver, and even happier to see the results of the receivership today.  We'll be happiest to see retail tenants move in.

This is part of how a neighborhood gets better:  get rid of the slumlords, have concerned neighbors become involved, and take the community back from the miscreants who claim it, building by building.

Inspiration Kitchens To Debut At Taste

Very cool!  Fifteen rookie restaurants have been chosen to appear at this year's Taste of Chicago as one-day pop-ups, and Uptown's Inspiration Kitchens is one of them.

If you're going to Taste, stop by Columbus and Jackson on July 12th and give 'em some love.

The whole story is here in the Tribune.

Memorial Day Mass At St. Boniface

In honor of Memorial Day, there will be an open-air Mass at St. Boniface at 10:30am. on Monday.  St. Boniface was founded during the Civil War and has a memorial to the German soldiers who died in that conflict.  All are welcome to attend.

Chase Park Yard Sale Next Saturday

Have You Seen This Man?

Our friends at Soggy Paws report:  "Someone stole an iPhone from Soggy Paws Uptown [Thursday afternoon]. Here are photos of the suspect [taken from the security system].  Note the distinctive tattoos.  If you see him, or have any information, please email woof@soggypaws.com or call 773-334-7663."

A reminder not to confront this person yourself, and of course he is presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.  You can click on the photos to get a better look.

Ald. Osterman's First Year Report

Harry Osterman's office has released a three-page report reviewing his first year in office:

"Last week I announced that we would be releasing a "First Year Report." Click here to read it. One year ago, I had the privilege of taking office as your Alderman. I entered office focused on key areas I knew were important to you and crucial in making our community an incredibly vibrant place to live, do business, raise a family and enjoy: making our streets safe for all; developing our commercial corridors with strong businesses that serve the neighborhood; strengthening our local schools and educational opportunities; and, inviting all community members to help plan for the future of the 48th Ward. One year later, much has been accomplished and there is still a lot of work ahead. I invite you to read more about our first year, and please send any ideas, concerns or comments to Harry@48thward.org."

Farmers Market Schedule Announced

Fresh fruits and veggies, soon to be appearing near us....  The City has announced this year's farmers markets on its website:

• Uptown Farmers Market at Weiss, 4646 N. Marine Drive, Thursdays, June 21-October 25, 2012, 7:30am-12:30pm.  Fresh fruits, vegetables, plants and flowers are just some of the goods available at the Uptown Farmers Market.  Update from the comments:  LINK cards will be accepted.

Other nearby markets include:

• Lincoln Square, Lincoln/Leland/Western (City Parking Lot adjacent to Brown Line Station), Tuesdays, June 5-October 30, 2012, 7am-1pm.  This market accepts the LINK card.
• Northcenter, Belle Plaine/Damen/Lincoln, Saturdays, June 16-October 27, 2012, 7am-1pm.
• Southport Market, Blaine School, 1420 W. Grace, Saturdays, June 23-September 8, 2012, 8am-2pm.
• Edgewater, Broadway & Norwood, Saturdays, June 9-October 13, 2012, 8am-1pm.

High-Class Look For The Former "Buy Low Liquors"

Andersonville Wine and Spirits, at Foster and Clark, recently had some tuckpointing done, so they came back with a new look for the outside of the store.  We love the retro-style flashing arrow sign and the awnings that match the verdigris trim on the top of the vintage building.  The store, which we love for many reasons, not the least of which is because it carries glogg, has come a long way since it was known as "Buy Low Liquors" a while back.

Baker & Nosh, Alfresco

Time Out Chicago has discovered what Uptowners already know:  we've got some great alfresco summer spots here.  One of them, Baker & Nosh, made the cover of the current issue!

"You’ve got two outdoor options at Uptown’s newest bakery-café. The first is the grassy garden, where chairs are set out near the stone fountain. The second is the patio next to the garden, where two four-seat tables provide a spot to eat a sandwich. If you’re juggling anything more than a cup of coffee and a pastry, we suggest the latter. 1303 W Wilson Ave (773-989-7393). Open now."

Now that warm weather is here, take advantage of the many venues that offer outside wining and dining, whether it's the gauntlet of large patios on the 4800 block of Broadway (Demera, Fat Cat, Crew, Caravan, Fiesta Mexicana) or the more intimate two- or three-table set-ups (Jake's, FoodTown at Hazel and Montrose).

Cheers!

The Walls Come Tumbling Down

Demolition has begun in earnest on "Ol' Pocky," the long wall of St. Boniface Cemetery that runs 1600 feet along Lawrence Avenue.  Yesterday the workers had destroyed the wall between Clark and  Dover by mid-afternoon, and according to the "demo" sign sprayed on it, the first phase will include everything up to Beacon.  We're so happy to see it go, to be replaced with a stone and metal fence to match the Clark side of the cemetery.  There's a slide show of what the new fence will look like, along with a schedule for the three phases of the project, at St. Boniface's website, here.

Challenger Bark Fundraiser At Driftwood On Friday

From Challenger Bark Committee:

"I know it's short notice but I wanted to let you know there will be a fundraiser for Challenger Bark Dog Park this Friday, May 25th at Driftwood, 1021 W. Montrose Ave.

The event goes from 6-9pm and will feature two tournaments, Darts For Doggies and Pool For Pooches. $10 per person per tournament. The winners of each tournament will receive half the pot while the other half will go to stocking up on poop bags and any other expenses that might come up.

Also, Uptown Egg Rolls will roll out a new line of specialty egg rolls at $3 each with limited quantities of each variety that include:

• Teriyaki Chicken w/ White Rice and Broccoli 
• Italian Garden with marinara, ricotta cheese, mozzarella (warm creamy garlic dipping sauce) 
• The Southwest (chilled avocado-ranch dipping sauce) 
• Philly Cheesesteak 
• S'mores (some crusted with almonds, others with coconut) 

If you are unable to attend but would like to donate, please do so via PayPal to challengerbark@yahoo.com. It is GREATLY appreciated! Hope to see you all there!"

If a $38 Million CTA Station Looks Like This...

... we can't wait to see the completed $135 million Wilson station.  Take a look at the description and photos of the new West Loop Morgan CTA station at Curbed Chicago.  (Thank you to Alek for pointing this out in the comments.)

Support Tree House With Stray Cat Strut

The 5K lakefront Walkathon to support Tree House Humane Society in Uptown takes place on Saturday, June 2nd.  You can either walk it to raise money or support a walker.  More info here.

City Stickers Today at 46th Ward Office

The Chicago City Clerk will be at the 46th Ward Aldermanic Office (4544 N Broadway) today between 10am-4pm to sell city stickers.

"Today, May 23rd, Alderman Cappleman and the City Clerk’s Office are hosting a dedicated sales day at the 46th Ward Office, 4544 N. Broadway from 10 a.m. to 4p.m.

The 2011-2012 City Vehicle Stickers expire on June 30 and enforcement begins on July 16.

City Vehicle Stickers are $85 for a passenger vehicle and $135 for a large passenger vehicle. Annual residential zone parking is $25 and a set of 15 daily residential guest permits is $8. Senior citizens with a valid Illinois driver’s license are eligible for one reduced rate vehicle sticker for $30.

Motorists must know their vehicle license plate, make and model when purchasing their stickers. City vehicle stickers purchased after July 15 are subject to a $60 late fee and drivers may receive a $200 citation."

The 47th Ward is hosting city sticker sales at the Sulzer Library, 4455 N Lincoln, on Tuesday, June 5th, 10am-pm.

Or you can buy online:  http://www.chicityclerk.com/.

Pizza Fest Music Line-Up Announced

Including Berlin and Too White Crew.  See the entire list below, along with details about the Pizza Fest.

click to enlarge

And more from the Chamber:

"ENJOY THE LIVE MUSIC, UPTOWN AND CHICAGO’S BEST PIZZA! FAMILY FRIENDLY, DOG FRIENDLY EVENT FOR ALL AGES!

Courtesy Parking Notice:  There will be NO PARKING on the following streets from 3am Saturday, June 16 through 3am Monday, June 18:

• Wilson Avenue: Broadway to Sheridan
• Kenmore Street: Stewart Elementary School to Winthrop 
• Vehicles left on those streets will be ticketed and towed.

The stage and sound system for all entertainment will be positioned facing away from the residential buildings to reduce any noise issues.   Clean-up crews will be on hand during and after the festival ends to keep the festival site and the neighboring streets clean as well.   There will be security on site during the hours of the festival and overnight Saturday.

During the festival, McDonald’s will continue to operate its drive-thru lanes and the north-south alley parallel to McDonald’s will be open as well.  The actual street closure will begin just west of this alley.

We are looking forward to hosting this uniquely Chicago focused event -- all of the pizza vendors are Chicago-based and some of our own Uptown pizzerias will also be participating."

Bike Uptown This Saturday

Lincoln Towing Blues

We break into cars when we gotta
With pickaxe and hammer and saw
And they said this garage had no license
But little care I for the law!
All my drivers are friendly and courteous
Their good manners you always will get
'Cause they all are recent graduates
Of the charm school in Joliet.

Seem like Lincoln Towing hasn't changed a whole lot since Steve Goodman immortalized the business in 1973.  A reader writes with some disturbing allegations:

"I am not sure if anyone has brought this to your attention as I know there have been many calls into the alderman's office on the subject. First let me say that I am not under the illusion that towing companies in Chicago are an ethical bunch. However- Lincoln Towing is absolutely out of control.

Our building was re-paving our parking area and while unloading the paving materials, my husband and neighbor just witnessed them aggressively tow a car from our alley while my neighbor's wife was holding onto the door! As they sped off, she could have been seriously hurt or worse.

The fact of the matter is- Lincoln Towing is towing from an electrical easement in our alley under the guise of a towing contract with the owner of the empty lot on Malden. This is ILLEGAL- they have no right to tow from the electrical easement. Even IF they have a contract with the land owner- that would not include any part of the easement unless said car was blocking the owners gate/ entry way.

We have also witnessed them asking for bribes...the owner of the property has landscapers come and keep the lot cut and cleared and Lincoln Towing tried to tow them! The landscaper was then asked to "give me all your cash..". Unbelievable and unethical. Something must be done. We have contacted the Alderman's office and were told to call 911...however we do that and there is NO response- nothing- nada, even when there was almost a physical altercation in the "bribe" tow situation. Or- in today's instance, we were told we needed to deal directly with Lincoln Towing. This has now become an issue of harassment as well as safety. We have now demanded that the Alderman get involved and remedy the situation immediately before someone gets hurt."

Shots Fired Saturday and Sunday

It's been a trip back to the bad old days this weekend in Uptown.  Don't know if the gangs are starting a new (senseless) chapter in their ongoing quest to annihilate each other, or if they've got spring fever, or if they think the police response will be reduced due to NATO being in town.  In any case, not fun for the rest of us.

Saturday night, several readers reported hearing gunshots in front of St. Thomas of Canterbury Church on the 4800 block of Kenmore.  A reader sent in this photo, taken Sunday morning, with shell casings clearly visible on the sidewalk.  He says:  "Guessing the shooters were aiming at the 7 or 8 AA guys and 6 or 7 AA girls drinking and smoking on the church steps. They all bolted South to Lawrence and then when all the cops showed up, maybe talked to them from inside the cop cars?, they walked West." 

Then Sunday evening, many readers reported hearing quite a few shots fired, again near the 4800 block of Kenmore or Sheridan, possibly near the JJ Pepper's strip mall.  There is an unconfirmed -- stress, unconfirmed -- report that a bullet went through the window of a second-floor apartment at 4827 N Sheridan (the high-rise south of Gunnison).  We're getting no confirmations on whether or not anyone is in custody, but police were on the scene quickly.

Please be sure to stay safe and report any suspicious activity to 911.

Alderman Assaulted by Pigeon Lady

Alderman James Cappleman, who just celebrated one year in office Wednesday, was pelted with breadcrumbs by an Uptown resident, who is known throughout the community as the "Pigeon Lady."  According to the Chicago Tribune story, "A 59-year-old woman is accused of shoving an alderman she thought should have 'better things to do' than sweeping up breadcrumbs she left for pigeons" in the 800 block of West Wilson around 2:30 yesterday afternoon.

While there are many issues facing our community, we have received countless emails from concerned neighbors about the frequent feeding of pigeons by Ms. Yang.  Hopefully the Alderman was not injured in this incident, and that the offender has learned a lesson to help create a more peaceful community.

Sun-Times weighs in on the story, too.

Update:  Alderman Cappleman's response from the comments.  "I want to give an update on this matter to address everyone's concerns. Under the Wilson L, there is a lot of pigeon excrement on the sidewalk. Bread is tossed at this site everyday. When possible, someone from the 46th Ward Office sweeps it up due to concerns about the rat population.

Yesterday, I was sweeping the bread crumbs up when a car drove up and this incident occurred. Information from our office will be limited so as to allow the law to take its due course."

From "Off Limits" to I-Go In Six Months

The latest development with the four lots on the 4400 block of Clark is that they are now a parking lot for I-Go cars, and soliciting monthly parkers. There's a "For Sale" sign on the southernmost lot, which leads to a real estate listing that says that lot is priced for $199,000 and is one of four contiguous lots for sale. It mentions that the lots are in a TIF district and brags that they're across from the new BET Theater, which we appreciate.

Stay tuned.  Apparently this story isn't finished.

Beware: Burglars

We're hearing a lot lately about home invasions and burglaries, so a few reminders:

• Now that warmer weather is here, people are leaving their windows open while they run to the store or sleep.  Don't.  Burglars would prefer you're not home when they enter your place, but they'll come in regardless.  A reader told us about someone who got burgled when they left their third floor window open during the day; the thieves broke into the empty apartment next door, put a board across the gap between the buildings, and entered the apartment that way.
• Don't let people into your building behind you.  A reader writes:  "The thief entered the building when someone was leaving and he caught the door, headed to my apartment and walked out with over $2,000 in technology.  My landlord said that this has never happened in all the years she has owned the building. Carpenter coming today to fix the door and the detective is coming to watch the footage."
• As always, don't buzz anyone into your building if you don't know them or aren't expecting them.

Left High and Dry (Cleaner)

Sad to say that the dry cleaners who replaced Drive/International Cleaners on Lawrence, next to Dib, has vacated the premises.  A reader saw a truck removing all the laundry equipment last week, and although it's hard to see from this photo, the storefront is completely empty.  Hope to see it filled soon.

Ald. Cappleman On CAN-TV Tonight

It's been a while since we've posted anything about a politician appearing on CAN-TV (Chicago Access Network TV)!  Tonight Ald. James Cappleman will be appearing live at 7pm on "Political Forum" on  CANTV21.  You can watch it on TV, or online here.  Today is one year since Uptown got three new aldermen, so we're guessing there'll be some talk about a review of his first year.

Dinner & A Show, Then Free Dessert

From Ceres' Table:

"The weather's getting warmer and there's so much to do in Uptown and nearby neighborhoods!  Through this summer, bring in your ticket or your ticket stub and come in for dinner - before or after your event - and dessert's on us. Good for shows at the Black Ensemble Theater, Aragon Ballroom, the Riveria, the Annoyance Theatre, Pegasus Players, the Raven Theatre, the Mayne Stage, the Lifeline Theatre, the soon-opening space for PH Productions, Cubs games and shows at other local venues.  One free dessert per ticket. Good through the end of the summer, not to be used with any other promotions, please, and only valid the day of your ticket.  Reservations are always a good idea."

Ceres' Table is located at 4882 N Clark.

Happy Birthday, Studs

One of Uptown's most famous and influential residents, Studs Terkel, would have been 100 today.

There'll be celebrations all month long, as detailed in TimeOut Chicago.

Neil Steinberg of the Sun-Times has a nice column today about why Studs mattered, and still does.

Movies In The Park Schedule Released

The Park District released its schedule this week for 2012 Movies in the Park.  Here's Cinema Uptown:

• Grease
  Saturday, June 30 @ Chase Park
  4701 N Ashland
• Zookeeper
  Tuesday, August 14 @ Gill Park
  825 W Sheridan
  (close captioned)
• Hugo
  Wednesday, August 22 @ Cricket Hill
  600 W Montrose
• Super 8
  Friday, August 24, 2012 @ Clarendon Park
  4501 N Clarendon

As usual, movies are free and begin at dusk.  There's a PDF'd brochure here of the entire schedule.