Author: lbchicago1@hotmail.com

Lincoln Square – Chicago

The Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago is bounded by Bryan Mawr and Peterson on the North, Montrose on the South, Ravenswood on the East and the Chicago River on the West. The commercial hub of Lincoln Square is at the intersection of Lincoln, Lawrence and Western. It is a traditionally German area founded by Lyman and Joseph Budlong who arrived from Germany in 1857. In 1925, to honor Abraham Lincoln, it was named Lincoln Square. There are many German shops and restaurants still in the area, but it is a diverse area with an Asian presence as well. The Lincoln Square neighborhood is special to me because my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins lived there, so I spent a lot of my younger years there and have great memories of the area!

Paseo Boricua – Humboldt Park, Chicago

Paseo Boricua is a section of North Division Street between Western and California Avenues in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago. The area is more commonly known as Little Puerto Rico. The gateways to Paseo Boricua are at each entrance and are Puerto Rican Flags that are 59 feet tall! Many businesses are named after Puerto Rican towns and many building facades are made to look like they’re from San Juan with Spanish Colonial architecture. There are many murals paying tribute to Puerto Rican heroes. I will be doing a series of posts showing photos of Paseo Boricua, because it’s impossible to show them in one post. I took over 100 photos when I went there!

A House on West Caton Street – 2152

There are many beautiful houses on West Caton Street in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, and this house at 2152 West Caton is one of them! It was built in 1891 in the Gothic Revival style by architects Faber and Pagels. The house has many Art glass windows. The dragon design above the door is also very ornate.

The house also has a very sordid and sad history! The first owner was Max Tauber. He was a livery contractor for the City of Chicago and was friends with the mayor. He lost everything in the 1929 stock market crash. He worked with banker Joseph Noel (of Noel State Bank) to pay back all of his debts. Tragically, he then murdered his wife and committed suicide in the 1930s. The house then became a rooming house.

Lakeview East – Chicago

Last week I visited the Lakeview East neighborhood of Chicago. This vibrant and iconic neighborhood really made me appreciate Chicago in all it’s beauty and variety. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed the neighborhood. I’m going back there this week to visit two thrift stores!

I Am a Man Mural – Wicker Park

The I Am a Man mural is located near the CTA Blue Line at the corner of Milwaukee, Wood and Wolcott in the Wicker Park neighborhood. It shows a Black man holding a sign that says, “I Am a Man”. It is a recreation of a famous photo from the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It honors an iconic moment in Black History.

The mural project was led by Darius Dennis and artists that worked on it were Ephraim Gebre, Robin Alcantara and Jared Diaz. The actual photo that the mural depicts was taken by Bob Adelman in 1968 at Dr. King’s funeral in Memphis. Dr. King was assassinated the day after the photo was taken. King was in Memphis to help with the sanitation workers strike and the I Am a Man sign was carried by the striking workers. It is now a popular sign at civil rights protests.

*Note – Some of this information is from a Block Club Chicago article.

Summer Gardens

Summer is a time of gardens! Whether it’s your own garden, a friends, a neighbors, or a public garden at a park or city center. I hope you enjoy virtually walking through these gardens!

  • My Mom and me at Lincoln Park

Old Town – Chicago

Chicago’s Old Town neighborhoods bordered by Clark Street to the east, Division Street to the South, Halsted Street to the west and Eugenie Street/North Avenue to the North. It is home to many of Chicago’s older, Victorian style buildings such as St. Michael’s Church which survived the Great Chicago Fire. In the 19th century it was settled by German immigrants who farmed the area. That’s how it got its nickname of the Cabbage Patch. During the 1960s and 70s the neighborhood was the center of hippie counter culture. It had head shops and pot shops back in the day. As a young teenager, I spent many days at Piper’s Alley. It was also the center for Chicago folk music through the Old Town School of Folk Music. I returned to Old Town a couple weeks ago for the first time in many decades. It was very different than I remember it, but I really liked it! It had a small town feel in the big city!

  • Broken English Taco Pub
  • Carl Street Studios