Another new Uptown blog has popped up. This one is entitled ,"Great Expectations - Working Together To Improve Uptown."
If you live in the area bordering Wilson to Lawrence, Sheridan to Broadway you should check out the "Truman Square Neighbors" website. The website is full of great info and pics of Uptown residents who are making a difference. Info on joining is also on the website. Check it out here.
A reader writes in:
We have noticed that the Salvation Army at Broadway and Sunnyside has been covered in a black netting for a long time now. If you happen to walk by, you can see that some residents have tossed shoes and other belongings out of the window and are trapped in the netting below. What is the netting for? Any ideas?
Progress has been made at the Wilson El station, if you count more temporary walls and lighting being installed as progress. We peeked inside one of the walled-off sections and nothing appears to have been fixed. We think this is how it will remain for a while and are not surprised.
If you wanted to get one last glimpse of the Azusa building at Broadway and Montrose, you should do it quick. Today we noticed that a large portion of the building is gone. It also appears that Holsten is selling/salvaging more of the bricks to "Colonial Antiques" in Chicago. There were close to 10 pallets of bricks bundled up for removal.
Margaret Lyons over at the "Chicagoist" has a compiled list of the 28 alderman who signed a petition to attempt to force the city to disclose the names of police officers accused of brutality. Our own Alderman was on the list. The request has been denied in the meantime. Read all about it here:
Workers have been moving along quickly on the new architect's office at Broadway and Wilson next door to "Family Dollar." Let's hope this starts a trend. We kinda dig the industrial lighting added to the storefront.
Seen on the front of Aldi near the "display cases," where windows should have been, that are not displaying artwork.
The homeless living around the old Aldi building will have to find another vacant, poorly monitored building to call home. This afternoon there was virtually nothing left of the building, leaving an even more vacant view behind. We expect to see a sign announcing "TARGET COMING SOON". To hell with them anyway, right Mr. Holsten?
By Josh Noel - Tribune Staff Reporter
Workers were still seen tearing apart the old Aldi building today as well as the large red brick building on Montrose and the back side of the Azusa. We spotted more green fencing in front of the Azusa building AND in front of Graeme Stewart School. Could the belated park be coming closer to reality? 
WAMA (Wilson Area Merchants Association) is hosting a Halloween event this Saturday, October 27, from 12pm till 4pm. The event will be held on Wilson Avenue at Magnolia, in front of Starbucks till Agnes Cleaners. Starbucks will also be hosting a Halloween event this Saturday from 12pm till 2pm. There will be pumpkin painting, apple bobbing and more. Local businesses and artists will be participating too. It's a great way to support local businesses and spend time with your children.
A reader writes in:
From CBS 2 : A man who was lying on the CTA's elevated tracks was seriously injured when he was hit by the front end of an inbound Red Line train at an Uptown neighborhood stop early Friday.
Public Safety Update
Another "Uptown Update" reader writes in:
A reader of "Uptown Update" asked, "Why isn't this enforced?"
Join your neighbors as UCC (Uptown Chicago Commission) hosts an old-fashioned pub crawl!
Let's hope a guard is posted when the rest of the concrete is poured or else the "neighborhood taggers" will have a field day. It appeared to us that another layover of concrete or maybe bricks will be added over this since it is not flush with the curb yet.
We pass by this building often at Sheridan and Irving and wonder what is going on with it. There is a "Chase Bank" and some restaurants below but the second floor has been covered in paper for a while now and the building is in need of some TLC. Anyone have info on this?
Seen today at the famous "Hotel Chateau" at Broadway and Sheridan. The gentleman with his head out of the window was seen yelling at pedestrians passing by below. Notice the technicolor "decorations" on the awning below. We wonder what it could possibly be?
Does anyone know why Kenmore is closed between Wilson and Broadway in front of Graeme Stewart school if nothing is being done construction-wise on the planned park. This street has been closed off since the beginning of summer and nothing has been done. Golly, progress is sure slow in this section of Uptown.
You never know what treasures you will come across when you peer into the Wilson Yard site, especially around the still yet to be demolished Aldi. Today we spotted a roll of toilet paper. If we looked a little closer we may have spotted something else.
Seen today in front of Aldi. The display cases are still filled with our new Uptown banners that show up as black blobs at night, or nothing.
We know we should be grateful just to HAVE banners in Uptown, but what is the reason for the old support "rods" being left on the poles all over the neighborhood?
We spotted our friend today who peddles hats and other treasures from his shopping cart in front of the poorly run Currency Exchange at Broadway and Wilson. Today we spotted the peddler and his buddy pushing their carts up Wilson near Beacon. One peddler stood guard over the shopping carts while the other proceeded to the alley behind the SRO on the corner and relieved himself by the dumpster. The pic above shows them after the fact with his buddy in front of him obscured by the tree.
The terracotta is finally being removed from the Azusa building at Broadway and Montrose. October....July....same thing, right?
Seen in the display window of "Da Spot" clothing store in the 4600 block of Broadway. Our thriving retail corridor on Broadway is amazing.
Join the discussion at "YoChicago." Where have we heard the term "critical mass" before?
Our thanks to "IrishPirate's" internet sleuthing. He came across some info on a new business coming soon to our blighted stretch of Broadway in the 46th Ward. Brendan Shiller, the Alderman's son, is opening up a real estate office at 4554 N. Broadway. We found a pic of the location on Google maps (our new favorite thing) and its more or less next door to the 46th Ward office. Welcome to the neighborhood!
Passing by the Wilson Yard site today, we noticed the yellow Caterpillar backhoe has been removed. Could this be because "big construction" is about to begin or because of yet another delay in this belated project. We wonder how much in rental fees were being paid for that machine to sit on this site for months. We also wonder why this site is pitch black at night...with no lighting in sight. Makes it easier for the people who have taken up residence here to "party" without anyone seeing.
Sent in by an "Uptown Update" reader. This falcon was spotted on Sheridan just south of the "Buena Pointe" condos. Could this be one of the falcons living in the Uptown Theatre? The falcon was standing on it's prey, a pigeon, who may have eventually gotten away.
Alderman Shiller's 46th Ward Community Service Center was vandalized, presumably overnight. Police were seen in front of the office and the area was surrounded in police tape.
While out in the neighborhood today, we noticed a definite increase in the amount of graffiti and tagging. The Wilson El station is covered in new tags on the northern side of the building and on each side of the entrance to Popeye's. Ace Hardware has new graffiti covering its Broadway side. Border's has graffiti on the plywood covering one of the broken windows. The Uptown Broadway rehab has graffiti on its green fencing out front. The Riv rehab was also recently tagged on the plywood covered lower-level as well as the dumpster out front for construction debris. All of this in the course of a week. 
