Closing Time

I've only lived in my Ukrainian Village apartment for 2 1/2 years but so much has changed in that time... businesses that opened the same time we moved in have now closed. Dominicks grocery store is obviously still going strong, but the popular brunch spot JAM replaced the short-lived Dodo, piccolo gelato shut its doors last autumn, several florists went out of business, a small Ukrainian grocery store, a coffee shop... the list goes on. Sadly today I found out that one of my beloved bakeries, located only three blocks from my apartment has now closed, without any warning. Sweet Cakes bakery had THE best blueberry scone I've ever tasted, they also had mini cupcakes in flavors like mint chocolate chip and last year my surprise birthday cake was from there... to be honest I'm not sure how people can live in a place for DECADES and not get upset about how things change. I'm all for progress but it's like an old friend is gone now.

Old World Influence & Southern Pride

My morning was spent exploring the Kenwood/Hyde Park neighborhoods of Chicago-- the architecture down there is pretty fascinating, lots of Roman and Greek influence as evidenced by all the porticos and columns. Most of the homes are from the turn-of-the-century and are still being lived in, others have sadly fallen into disrepair with the wood warping and paint flaking off though they still retain a chippy charm.

For lunch I checked out Istria Cafe in the Hyde Park Art Center (had a tasty iced vanilla latte & roast beef panini) and for dinner headed out to Irving Park to see what super-hyped bbq restaurant, Smoque was all about... being a Southern girl I was skeptical, especially after having to wait in line for 30 minutes, but I give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5... the pluses are the iced sweet tea, savory yet sweet corn bread and creamy rich mac 'n cheese. The pulled pork sandwich was tender but needed some cole slaw for acidity. Also, the packed-in-tight cafeteria ambiance of the joint left much to be desired. Don't come later than 8 as they often sell out of items, as evidenced by the sign above!

Lost Loves, Newly Found

The sun decided to make an appearance today... photographs are so much better with natural light--this is by far my favorite set of images in the project to date.

I started off my Friday at my long, lost love: Filter coffee house, newly re-opened after a 2 1/2 year hiatus. I'd discovered Filter shortly after I'd moved to Chicago from LA in 2007, it was my haven when I knew few people in the city-- it offered quality coffee, good food, comfy chairs & late hours. Then the Bank of America pushed it out and I'd never truly recovered, never found a replacement for my first love. All summer I heard murmurings of a re-opening, but then the date was pushed back to October, December, then finally (!) early January. But it was like the boy who cried wolf, the grand opening date came and went with no word. Then I got a press release two days ago that Filter would be BACK in a new location & opening today! Seemed too good to believe, but it was real, it's even better than the original (with an expanded menu and larger space!).

The rows of shoes were seen at the cobbler where I dropped off my newly thrifted leather riding boots (yay), there's some architectural details of Wicker Park in there and my favorite, an orange Ford Falcon. Speaking of lost loves, it seems a lifetime ago that I was close to a boy who drove a white Falcon...

Sunshine & Coffee

Lots of photos today as it was sunny again (after two days of gloom) and I decided to do my favorite thing-- walk the mile up Damen to Wicker Park, have lunch, do a bit of thrift shopping & then read at a cafe/coffee shop.

There's still snow on the ground but it's slowing melting away as the temperatures have been in the mid 30s this week.

Five of the images were taken at Lovely, a bake shop on Milwaukee just off the blue line El stop. It serves the best cookies (my favorite is the peanut butter & chocolate chip) and has a really cozy atmosphere that incorporates a lot of vintage elements (like the blue egg beater, typewriter and electric fans!).