Street Surgery
August 22, 2008
I travelled up to the North-side of the city a while ago and came across an open wound in the street. The neighborhood around the Montrose Brown Line Station is a good blend of commercial storefronts surrounded by two and three-flats – typical Chicago residential buildings. There’s been a lot of change lately as the CTA works to upgrade all the Brown Line stops to include elevators. Read the rest of this entry »
Street Food
August 11, 2008
I’ve been hearing the sounds of a street festival drifting up to my apartment on the 11th floor – through the thermopane windows – for the past couple of nights; so yesterday evening Bo and I went down to see what was going on at street level. We found Mexico in Chicago, right on Allport St, outside St. Procopius Catholic church who were having a block party to benefit their school. Read the rest of this entry »
Invisible Line
July 2, 2008
I’m still on Beach Mode, and desperate to hold on to the lovely feeling of freedom I got from swimming in the Chesapeake Bay. Today was a stormy day, so the next best thing was the Chicago Park District. The nearest pool to my apartment is Fosco Park built about two or three years ago and free. I’ve never gone there before because I’ve always been afraid and I’m not sure why. Read the rest of this entry »
a non-architectural post?
May 30, 2008
This is more of a series of thoughts than anything else…I’m going to try and write something every day, like a ship’s log.
The thing about working from home is that there is no reason to leave the safety of the building. So I am still in pajamas and what have I constructed? A meeting. I’m working for an emerging non-profit, part-time, and I’m sending out invitations – late. It takes hours. Our event will occur next week. I’m learning what it takes to create an institution and it’s on the brink of manifesting, but could teeter either way.
I need to leave the house and stretch my body out from being curled over the computer. Shall I take a walk in the dark? The area where I live is between neighborhoods. Pilsen is on one side, the Disney-esque University Village to the East, the former and current remains of the ABLA housing project very nearby; Little Italy above that. It’s a bit dangerous to walk here after dark. I might ride my bike around. I feel that I belong more to Pilsen, but it’s a day-time kind of place. The territories of streets change after dark and the commercial spaces close.
So: caught in-between…again.
