6700-6749 N. Hermitage Ave.

Hello neighbors, I am moving this summer to Jarvis On The Lake and I was curious to know about different neighborhood information... opinions greatly appreciated on any or all of the following:

1) Safety (yes, I've done my part of the research, but I'd like for current residents to weigh in, specifically given the area I'm in.)
2) Coffee shops & other hidden treasures!
3) Your favorite restaurant and a recommended dish to try
4) Biking safety
5) Car parking tips? (I've noticed there are no permits in most areas, and the streets look a bit crowded.)

Any other tidbits that come to mind would be helpful as well. I'm from North Carolina and haven't lived in Chicago long... so perhaps that sheds some light on where I'm coming from :)

Thank you so much!

Tabatha

Nice walk with my Dog, not far at all from the house because he gets hot on a day like today — and on the S side of the 1700 block of Wallen, a man's having a rummage sale: I found sealable glass canisters (been looking for months at stores, reasonably priced) — No wallet, came back later and bought them, lugging along a canister of my own, show him what I use them for, making limoncello, new to him — spoon, taste, liked.

Hispanic woman and two pretty daughters, she makes pineapple cordial (bueno para los riñones, decía), lively exchange of recipes and technical advice on various fruits, cordials, preserves. Rummage sale doing brisk business behind us: clothes mostly but a lot of VHS-format movies, other stuff.

Just like any other little town in Illinois! I too love Rogers Park.

This was one of the most abused signs I have seen in awhile.
And this underpass in general not looking so hot. Im not sure how much work is going to be done over there when the EL stop closes. But regardless, the sign vandalism shouldnt be tolerated at this level. I see that the city WHEN it steps in to address sign vandalism basically paints over it, which makes look pretty bad. It didnt take long to take the stickers off of it. Actually I found WD-40 works pretty good and usually I dont even have to rewet it. Just using a decent stiff 2 inch putty knife and using it CAREFULLY helps alot.

I have seen previous attempts from others to get stickers off with mixed results. I will admit Im not perfect, thats for sure, only with practice will someone get better. One stop sign there had a bit of damage from one such attempt, I was able to get the rest of the sticker off no problem. I think the solution for anyone (especially the city) trying to get stickers off of signs is put wd-40 on it first and come back later.

I am still working on the STOP WAR stop sign. And just as I suspected, when vandalism sits for long enough it invites more vandalism. A sticker was put on top of the WAR graffiti. So yes I can see some people's point about sometimes this sort of stop sign being cool, but not so cool when the vandalism piles on top of vandalism.

The sign highlighted in the photo, when I took the eye stickers
of off it the black paint of the 8's came off, so I used some flat black oil paint
to repaint the 8s.

In conclusion, Sign Vandalism is rampant across Chicago, and I think the city needs to address this situation better than they have. They need to teach their graffiti removers how to restore signs. Its not that hard and its fun. And the city needs to stop
just painting over signs making them ultimately look worse. Restoration is better
than patchwork covering with paint.

So, I am curious to hear what people are thinking about the Red Light Cameras going up?

Personally I think they are a safety hazard and a money grab.

I have had the flash on Western and Touhy go off in my face late at night and ruin my night vision because someone got too close to the white line. I have had people slam on their brakes in front of me because the light turned yellow. They are a definite safety hazard.

The money grab part is just blatently obvious. Some one else brought ut that it is also a ploy to becin phasing out the crossing guards, who all cost money.

Speed Bumps are cheap and very effective why arent we using something that doesnt tax the citizens? Why does the city punish the good hard working people of the community. Why focus on someone going 10 mph ofer the speed limit when we have kids shooting each other i nthe street?

This is so obviously a money grab!

So, lets add a solution. What would work to counter this? A petition drive? Media Campaign? How do we get these lame politicians to realize that they represent the people and that the people of this city are tired of their Orwellian tactics?

Hello fellow Rogers Parkers! My family lives in a small, 2 bed 1 bath apartment and my mother-in-law is coming to stay for 2 weeks in June. We would like to find some place comfortable, affordable and nearby for her to stay while she's here.

Is anyone traveling from June 9 - 23 and wants to sublet their apartment? We would prefer a place where she can have the apartment, rather than have a room in an occupied unit. She is an incredibly nice and generous person and would take great care of the place. I'm sure she would even cat sit (although probably not dog sit, since she will be at our apartment all day, taking care of our daughter.)

Let me know. I will also check craigslist sublets, airbnb, etc. Even with all of those sources, I am having a difficult time finding something affordable and nearby.

Any suggestions welcome. Thanks!

To those of you who live in the Positive Corners Block Club area (Pratt to Morse/Clark to the EL):
This coming Saturday morning at 10am we will meet at the corner of Pratt and Ashland to do our 3rd "Spruce Up Our Neighborhood" event. And, believe it or not, doing this has been fun! We are getting to know each other and doing something positive for our neighborhood. We all stick together as a group to do this, so it really is something we do together. And it looks like we will be blessed with perfect weather - again!
So even if you are new to our group - come join us! We'd love to get to know you. Any questions - just email me through EveryBlock.
Lyn

Don't forget this weekend is the popular "Trash to Treasure Swap."
Sponsored by my office, the 49th Ward Green Corps, the Rogers
Park Business Alliance, and the Clark/Morse/Glenwood SSA, the
"Trash to Treasure Swap" gives you an opportunity to clean out
your attic, basement or storage locker of unwanted items.
Instead of throwing those items in the garbage to be taken to a
landfill, bring them to the Swap where someone else may find use
for them. In the meantime, you might find an item or two at the
Swap that you could use back home.

The Swap this year will be held in a vacant warehouse located at
1765 W. Touhy (between Clark and the Metra tracks). On Saturday,
May 19th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., drop off things you no longer
want or need, but are still usable for others. Come back on
Sunday, May 20th, to take home a treasure or two.

Those who drop off items on Saturday get tickets to the "Preview
Pick-Up" for first dibs on others' unwanted stuff. The Preview
Pick-Up will take place on Sunday, May 20th from 12 Noon to 2 p.m.
Certified school teachers are also welcome during this preview
period to obtain classroom items. After the Preview Pick-Up,
the doors will open from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., to anyone else who
wishes to avail themselves of the remaining hidden treasures.

Below is a list of the kind of items you can bring to the Swap:

Household Goods
Toys
Art
Furniture
Craft Materials
Hardware
Jewelry
Kitchen utensils & pots & pans
Appliances
Lamps
Knick Knacks
Leftover Wrapping Paper
Baby strollers & furniture
Bed frames
Books (please, no textbooks)
DVD's & CD's
Building Supplies
Bicycles, bike parts and accessories
Bookshelves
Packing materials
Electronics
Holiday Decorations
Garden Supplies
Plastic bins
Lawn Chairs
Exercise equipment
Sporting Goods
Office supplies

Please do NOT bring clothing, shoes (except sports equipment),
mattresses or upholstered furniture.

As I'm sure you are now aware, Chicago is playing host this
weekend and Monday to the 25th Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Nearly all the Summit meetings, receptions and counter demonstrations are taking place in and around the downtown area. The 49th Ward itself will feel little, if any, direct effect from the activities.

If you plan to travel, however, you may run into some
difficulties, so you should plan ahead. For a comprehensive
summary of road closures and traffic alerts during the Summit weekend, visit:

http://www.chicagonato.org/traffic-alerts-pages-266.php

You also may want to sign up for the "Notify Chicago" system that will keep residents and visitors updated on traffic issues.
This alert system will inform users about street closures, bus
reroutes, and potential delays.

To sign up for this free text, email, or phone alert service, visit:

https://webapps.cityofchicago.org/NotifyChicago/

Suffice to say, this is a great weekend to stay close to home and enjoy everything our great community has to offer. Visit the Events page on EveryBlock for some wonderful close-to-home alternatives to NATO.

Riding south from work this afternoon, about 5 pm, I was on Damen between Estes and Greenleaf, and I saw a woman working in her garden. Don't know the exact address, but the home is on the west side of the street, and it's one of those small houses that doesn't even have an alley behind it. The garden in front is beautiful, and obviously the result of lots of hard work and thought. So I said "Hey, your garden is beautiful, thanks!" without even breaking cadence on my bike. She said "Thank you!" and I kept on going. But this made me think about how much work so many of our neighbors put into making their homes so lovely. Sure, they get the exercise, and enjoy the creativity of the work in the garden, but everyone who walks, rides or drives by gets to enjoy their work.

So, say thanks to any gardeners you see. They make Rogers Park more beautiful and so deserve our gratitude.

I am a runner, looking to get back into a routine after six months off and I do much better when I have other to hold me accountable. Would anyone be interested in forming a running club? I'd be interesting in meeting regularly, at least three times a week, to run as a group.

To tell you a little bit about my history, I have been running for almost 8 years, having done a few 1/2 marathons and 3 full marathons. I'll be working toward full-marathon shape this summer for the KC Marathon in October.

Of course, I don't expect everyone to be at my level, and I'm sure there are many of you out there who are way better than I am. I am just looking for a group of people to run with, even though we may not be running together -- that is, meet up and start together, end together and go through other important stretches and drills, even if the running in-between is different paces and milage.

Please let me know if you're interested!

Sticker Removal is fun.

Rule Number One - Let the Chemicals do the work,
whether you use WD-40, Goof Off or Lift Off, let the
chemicals sit there a few hours FIRST.
Even ok to let it sit overnight and then can rewet it
with WD-40 the next day and let it sit a few minutes

Rule Number Two - Use a decent putty knife, I prefer
Richards 2 inch size, nothing too SHARP.

Rule Number Three - Be patient you will prevail, it takes
time to get good at this, and its not TOO hard
Try not to gouge the sign, Im not perfect but with practice
you will do a good job and no one will notice many
imperfections at all.

Rule Number Four - Use a ladder when needed, I use
a light aluminum one, BE COMFORTABLE,
and do this in the daylight

Rule Number Five - Say hi to neighbors, thats the most fun
part of it all is saying hi to your neighbors and observing your
neighborhood, (the other day I saw one lady walking different dogs
separately, she said she had 4 and had to do it that way,
otherwise she couldnt handle them)

Thanks in real life is worth atleast 5 on everyblock
(to me atleast).