Month: December 2019

Last Friday I had a chance to visit the new Starbucks Reserve Roastery on the corner of North Michigan Avenue and Erie Street in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. With five levels and 35,000 square feet, it is the world’s largest Starbucks. It has a coffee to go section, patisserie, a cafe, a bar and a gift shop. The Roastery equipment in the center of the structure is very ornate.The Starbucks at this location has been open since November 15, 2019. I tried visiting a couple times before, but the line was always too long to wait to get in. I went there last Friday and got in with no line at all! I hope you enjoy these photos.

St. Wenceslaus Roman Catholic Church is located at 3400 North Monticello Avenue in the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago. It was founded in June 1912 to primarily serve the Polish immigrants in the area and to handle the overflow of parishioners from St. Hyacinths basilica nearby. The current church was built in 1942 in the Byzantine & Romanesque and Art Deco styles by architects McCarthy, Smith and Eppig. The church is visible from the Kennedy expressway. St. Ladislaus in Portage Park was originally a mission of St. Wenceslaus. Today, St. Wenceslaus church conducts masses in English, Polish and Spanish to serve the diverse Avondale community. St. Wenceslaus was the church and school I attended as a child growing up in Avondale. I had a chance to visit St. Wenceslaus Church last week. It is more beautiful than ever. It has been well preserved and cared for.