While Yuriko attended a cooking class this morning, I had a few hours to kick around in Chicago. I also had the good luck of sunshine and temps in the upper 40s — about as good as you’re going to get this time of the year. So I decided to take a walk.

I parked my car on a small street in what Google Maps tells me is the East Village neighborhood. I’m not sure anyone who lives there calls it that, but since the name is on the map, I’m going to use it. Likewise Noble Square, which is directly to the east of East Village. I spent time there as well.

Much of my walk was along W. Chicago Ave. roughly between the 1800 and 1300 blocks west, or between N. Wolcott Ave. to N. Noble St.

The area has plenty of the markings of gentrification, such as this piece of equipment being used to build a condo development just off Chicago Ave. whose units begin at about twice what my pleasant suburban house would sell for.
Not far away, an event likely to appeal to those with some disposable income. Some pop-up experiential retail, to toss around some real estate argot. Untill Christmas?
 Part of the Chicago Ave. streetscape and some interesting buildings.

Older aspects of the neighborhood are still co-existing with the re-uses. Such as Mr. Taco’s, which ought to keep its weathered sign.
Loop Tavern has an old Chicago look about it. Beatnik, from what I could see the outside, is an expensive new cocktail bar. Or, as this review calls it — using a remarkably ugly word — “clubstaurant.”

Neither is my kind of place. On the other hand, a pie joint on Chicago Ave. attracted my attention. I was intrigued enough to go inside and might have ordered a slice of pie, but I noticed that they sold for $8 to $9. A slice. Really, now? I’ve paid less for pie during this decade in Manhattan. Good pie, too. My take on such a thing: It can’t be that good. Full stop.

Here’s a good adaptive re-use on Chicago Ave. Note that the building still says Goldblatt Bros.
The building is home to the West Town Branch of the Chicago Public Library. Goldblatt’s was a local chain of discount department stores whose heyday was from the early to the mid-20th century. The rest of the 20th century wasn’t kind to the chain. I remember visiting the Goldblatt’s location in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago in the late ’90s, and a sadder retail operation would be hard to imagine. They’re all gone now.

One more thing.
A bit of hyperlocal detail: a vernacular memorial to Stan Lee on Chicago Ave.