Local Business: Tiztal Cafe

While it's still nice enough to eat outside, don't forget about Tiztal Cafe and its beautiful and private back patio. Located at 4631 North Clark, it's open at 8am daily for breakfast and brunch (closing at 3pm Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday, and at 4pm all other days).

Masks are required unless you're eating, and there's plenty of hand sanitizer and social distancing.

Check out the menu here.

This is the time that ALL of Uptown's locally owned businesses need your business, if you're in a financial position to patronize them. We'll be featuring more of them on this page and recommend you shop local and eat local.

"Voting Securely This Fall" From Rep. Greg Harris

Rep. Greg Harris sent out an email about what to know about voting in November, which is a great reference guide:

"We are all concerned about efforts to interfere with the post office, question the legitimacy of our elections and suppress the vote.

Here in Illinois, we saw much of this coming, and have been working since May to protect voter’s rights, increase election security, expand access to the polls, and ensure that every Illinoisan will have their vote count.

Due to COVID-19, Illinois’ Vote By Mail (VBM) program will be widely expanded for the upcoming November 3rd general election. This secure alternative to in-person voting will help guarantee that every Illinoisan can safely cast a ballot without endangering their health.

Chicago voters may apply for a VBM ballot directly on the Chicago Board of Elections website. Those registered outside of Chicago can visit the Illinois Board of Elections website to find the appropriate election authority for the county where they live.

Once you have applied online for your VBM ballot, you will get an email notification:

• When your online application has been received and processed
• When your ballot is mailed to you, with a unique USPS tracking number
• When your ballot return envelope is received by the Board of Elections
• When your ballot return envelope has been approved for counting
• IF there is a question or problem with your ballot return envelope

If you do not wish to mail your ballot, you may deposit it in any Secured Drop Box, available at any Chicago Early Voting site starting in mid-October. For those voting outside of Chicago, please check with your local Board of Elections for Secured Drop Box locations.

Call 312-269-7967 on or before Thursday, Oct. 29 to alert the Chicago Board of Elections if you have not received your VBM ballot. For more information on the Chicago VBM program, please visit the Chicago Board of Elections website.

Illinois has also taken action to protect those voting in person. Early voting hours have been extended to 8:30am to 7pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

This year’s early voting schedule will also include a third weekend of open polling. This will reduce the number of people in a polling place at any given time, allowing better social distancing, cutting down on wait times, and giving voters more opportunity to cast their ballot.

Local election authorities can also offer curbside voting for early voting and Election Day.

Election Day, November 3, 2020, is declared a state holiday to facilitate access to the polls during this pandemic, and to be sure that enhanced health and safety precautions can be taken in buildings and facilities used as polling places.

The election authorities will also be able to recruit more high school students to serve as election judges. This allows seniors, who often serve as election judges, to stay at home on Election Day and protect their health.

Anyone who is at least 16 years old, a US citizen and an Illinois resident for at least 30 days may serve as an election judge. If you or someone you know is interested in serving, please go online for details.

The freedom to vote is one of the most important and hard-won rights in our democracy. These protections will ensure that every vote counts in Illinois, and that no pandemic and no efforts to suppress the vote will stop you from having your voice heard.

As always, I welcome your comments and questions. Please do not hesitate to email me at Greg@GregHarris.org or call 773-348-3434."

Field Of Dreams

The turf field at Chase Park (Clark and Leland) is taking shape, and looking so good!

Probably not complete and open until mid-autumn, though.

And No Signs That Uptown Fitness Was Ever There

In the continuing saga of "what's going on with Uptown Fitness?"

This past weekend the signage was removed and the walls painted over, so no sign that there were even signs there.

The weights and some of the equipment were removed from the building.

As a commenter said on UU's Facebook page, "Signs are down and equipment is gone. I think we can stick a fork in it - ITS DONE."

Welcome, 888 Salon!

There's a new hair salon open on Montrose, featuring some familiar faces.

888 Salon had its grand opening on August 4th. You can see its website at www.888salons.com, where you can download a link to the app (book appointments online and see who the crew is). You can also visit the Facebook page.

"We are delighted to announced the Grand Opening of 888 Salon. Throughout the month of August, new guests will receive a complimentary styling product of their choice with a hair cut / color service."

It's beautifully set up, with modern equipment, contact-free payment, provided masks and hand sanitizer for both the stylists and the clients, and plexiglass partitions between the stations.

The address is 952 Montrose (between Ross Dress for Less and Jake's Pup in the Ruff), and the phone number is 773-857-7888.

Welcome, 888 Salon!

Storm Damage Closes Graceland Cemetery/Arboretum To Visitors For Up To A Month

The massive damage done by Monday's storm did what the pandemic could not: it closed Graceland Cemetery and Arboretum to visitors.

Many of the trees were toppled Monday afternoon, and there is damage to the walls and fences as well.

It could be up to a month before reopening. This is from the website:

Dear families and visitors,

For the safety of our families, visitors, and staff, we are temporarily closing our gates due to significant storm damage sustained during the Derecho experienced on August 10, 2020.

Unfortunately, the damage sustained requires us to keep the gates closed to the public until further notice.

Your safety is an utmost priority for us.

We thank you for your continued patience and understanding during this time.

Please continue to check back for updates regarding reopening once the cemetery has been cleared.

We hope you are all safe after the storm.

And then a little later on Twitter:

Unfortunately, the damage to Graceland is very severe and extensive. We have no updates as to when we will be reopening but it could likely be more than a month. We are working closely with our tree removal company and our usual landscaping company to restore safety.

We hope for the best for one of our favorite places in Uptown.

Former Buena Park Resident, Former Illinois Governor Jim Thompson, Has Died

James R. Thompson, a four-term governor of Illinois who moved to Buena Park during the last eight years of his gubernatorial term, has passed away at age 84.

Gov. Thompson made headlines when he moved to 800 West Hutchinson Street in 1983, at a time Buena Park (and Uptown) were considered blighted areas. He said he needed more space to entertain, and couldn't afford a place in the Fullerton Avenue neighborhood of Lincoln Park, where he lived with his wife Jayne and their young daughter, Samantha.

His family bought the 4,000sf home for $455,000. The seller was Walter Clements, who led the drive in the 1970s to have Hutchinson Street declared an historic district.

Gov. Thompson said, "When I saw this house, it was love at first sight. I sat in the window seat in the dining room and made up my mind to buy it in 20 minutes."

To read an obituary of James R. Thompson, go here.

To read about the Uptown home that served as the Governor's Mansion from 1993-1991, go here.

Community Shred-a-Thon & Electronics Recycling On Sunday (UPDATED)

Rep. Greg Harris says via email:

"Do you have sensitive documents or used electronics that you need to safely and securely dispose of? Representative Greg Harris and Alderman Matt Martin are hosting a Community Shred-a-Thon this Sunday. The event, also sponsored by Senators Sara Feigenholtz and Heather Steans, Representative Ann Williams, Commissioner Bridget Degnan, Jewel and Midway Moving and Storage,* will be held:

4250 N. Lincoln Ave, the Jewel Parking Lot

Sunday, August 9th, 10am – 1pm

MASKS ARE REQUIRED and social distancing guidelines will be in place.

To help ease congestion and limit in-person contact, we recommend you sign up for an appointment time in advance. Sign up for your appointment at the following link: https://alderman-martin.appointlet.com/b/shredding-and-recycling-appointment

If you have been holding on to old documents, this is your chance to safely dispose of them without worrying about them falling into prying hands. We will shred your unwanted personal, financial or confidential documents for FREE.

Please be sure to remove large staples, paper clips, binder clips, and laminate covers from all documents. Due to high demand, we ask that you limit shredding items to one box per person.

A truck will also be on-site to take old electronics you wish to recycle. Accepted items include computers, monitors, TVs, printers/scanners, keyboards and mice, VCRs, DVD players, video game consoles, portable music players, cable and satellite receivers and small-scale servers.

Please note that if you're attending for electronics recycling only, it's possible that the truck will fill to capacity before the end of the day. Once the truck is full, no more electronics will be accepted. An appointment does not guarantee you space in the truck."

UU Note:  In the past, Midway has been particular about what kinds of paper it shreds. It will not accept: "Glossy pamphlets, glossy flyers, glossy brochures, newspapers, magazines, plastic bags or sleeves, bubble-insulated envelopes, credit and ID cards, license plates, cardboard (including hardcovers of books and composition folders), three-ring binders, spiral notebooks, plastic file covers, hanging file folders, accordion folders, paper towels, napkins, tissues, CDs, X-rays, blueprints, Styrofoam, prescription medicine bottles, and electronics or hard drives of any kind."

UPDATE:  Matt Martin put out a special newsletter today to say that all appointments filled up in less than an hour. He offered additional appointments, which also immediately filled up.

"For individuals who sign up using these additional appointments, when you sign up you will be asked whether you are planning to bring an electronic to recycle or just items to shred. Individuals who are bringing electronics will be directed to the Jewel parking as usual. As a reminder, an appointment does not guarantee that there will be space on the truck for your item.

If you are bringing shreddable items only, we ask that you instead bring your documents to the Fifth Third Bank parking lot at 3940 N Damen Ave. There you can drop off your documents, which our staff will transport to the Jewel parking to be shredded. We are considering these as overflow appointments, and individuals who have already registered should still report to the Jewel as originally instructed.

Appointments are strongly encouraged. We will have very limited capacity for walk-in appointments at our Jewel location. We may need to turn away walk-ins if a crowd starts to form to make sure everyone who attends can do so safely. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to find an efficient way to safely serve as many people as possible."

Major Changes Afoot As POAH Acquires 11 Voice of the People Buildings in Uptown

Longtime Uptown affordable housing provider VoP (Voice of the People in Uptown) has largely cashed out of the Uptown market, selling multiple buildings to Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), a Boston-based "non-profit apartment investor," for $2.4 million plus $33.6 million in debt relief.

Last year, VoP also sold its long-time holding at 4431 N. Racine to a private developer for $950,000 after taking out a $1.6 million mortgage just three years prior.  The developer has since converted the property to market rate housing.

Ald. Cappleman is pleased with the latest sale, telling RE Journal "we are excited that POAH is preserving long-term affordability and bringing decades of experience to the Uptown community."

While VoP's website terms the sale a "Sponsored Development with Partners," and the press release says VoP "will remain an investor in the properties," it is unclear what that means in real terms.  The REJournal article suggests VoP will continue to provide "resident and community engagement services" for the buildings.

VoP will continue to own and manage three of its buildings (22 units) at 4861 N Kenmore, 4927 N Kenmore and 4409 N Racine. 

The eleven buildings, totaling 192 units, that are being sold to POAH are:

• 4416-26 N Clifton (35 units)
• 4431-41 N Clifton (18 units)
• 4416-22 N Magnolia (24 units)
• 4130 N Kenmore (14 units)
• 4426 N Magnolia (6 units)
• 912 W Montrose (6 units)
• 847-49 W Sunnyside (12 units)
• 852-54 W Sunnyside/4509-11 N Hazel (12 units)
• 927 W Wilson (41 units)
• 900-02 W Windsor/4534-40 N Hazel (18 units)
• 4813 N Winthrop (6 units)

For its part, POAH adds these buildings to a portfolio of Chicago acquisitions, including buildings in Austin, Bridgeport, Grand Boulevard and Woodlawn, as well as two suburbs, Harvey and Elgin.  The article references that POAH has remained viable despite the pandemic, collecting greater than 90% of rents due.

Long-time residents may recall that VoP received Wilson Yard TIF funding of $5.9 million in 2011 for preservation of five of its buildings, and was designated as a TIF project manager for several other buildings in 2006.

The Dock At Montrose Beach To Open This Week

photo courtesy of Enjoy Illinois

Some good news for fans of sun and sand: The Dock At Montrose Beach has gotten permission to open, as early as this week. Fingers are crossed for Thursday or Friday. 

It will, of course, adhere to all of Chicago's social distancing and COVID safety measures.

Bad news is, there are still no plans for the beaches to open.

But, you can be near the sand and waves, enjoying a cocktail or a meal.

Keep your eyes on the Dock's Facebook page and website for details.