CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS - LAKEVIEW, UPTOWN, WEST LOOP, ALBANY PARK, OAK PARK
LAKEVIEW
When the Tribune Co.
bought the last-place Cubs and Wrigley Field for $21.1 million in 1981, the park was outdated and
worn out. Fans were even allowed to enter
the bleachers free in the late innings, at times.
Times were simpler then. The Cubs were
still a local favorite and Wrigley Field sported ivy-covered walls and a
hand-operated scoreboard.
But change could be coming soon. The
Ricketts family soon may be running a division-winning team in an East Lakeview
neighborhood that has gentrified into "Wrigleyville."
Click
here to read more.
UPTOWN
Uptown Poetry Slam with Marc
Smith is about to celebrate it's second decade running. This is the granddaddy of all poetry slams. The evening includes an open mic (7 p.m.),
scheduled performers (8 p.m.) and a slam competition (9 p.m.); open end. This event will be held on Sunday at Green Mill, 4802 N.
Broadway. The cost is
$6.00.
For more information, click
here.
WEST LOOP
An eco-friendly day care
center is breaking ground in the West Loop.
Scheduled to open in April, the national child care center, Little Green
Tree House, will feature non-toxic paints, Energy Star appliances, PVC- and
phthalate-free toys. The menu will
consist of an all-organic, locally sourced meal plan.
"We're teaching an eco-friendly lifestyle," says Elizabeth Geldhof,
director of business operations for Children's Academies of America. "We're not going to sit down and have
'green class.' It's just going to be part of everyday life."
For more details, click
here.
ALBANY PARK
Much of Chicago's Arab
population resides in Albany
Park (north) or in Bridgeview
(south). Food made by and for
a specific ethnic group always tastes better than imitations made
to appeal to others.
In Bridgeview is the old Al
Hana restaurant on South Harlem. The
vigorous polka dancing is enough to leave you ready for a hardy meal. This Lebanese Cuisine is authentic and
inexpensive and people should try it out.
Click
here to read all about it.
OAK PARK
Neil Gaiman, who has written
best-selling science fiction and fantasy novels for children as well as adults,
won the John Newbery Medal on Monday for excellence in children's literature
for "The Graveyard Book."
"It's a great fantasy novel and really good for kids who like Harry Potter and don't mind the dark quality," said Rosie
Camargo, a sales rep at The Magic Tree Bookstore in Oak Park, specializing in
children's books. "I'm so happy he
won. They usually pick something more
sentimental-a coming-of-age story, or there's a moral. This one revolves around
a boy who's an orphan, and the spirits at a graveyard take care of him."
Learn more, by clicking
here.
JENNIFER ARCAND & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
