Street Level

Leo's Lunchroom Passes On

Newcity did a great piece on the changing hands of Leo's Lunchroom and how it contextualizes the area. Read Ray Pride's Story

In Pursuit of A Cold Quad

I quaff an iced quad espresso each and every morning. This has been my habit for several years, thus I'm forever on the hunt for high quality coffee and talented, dedicated baristas. Upon moving to Chicago, I have found this combination oddly difficult to source. My pre-commute options are limited to Starbucks on Lincoln and Wilson. Or I could ride to Montrose and get off and go in to Bean and Bagel and then get back on. Instead, I ride the Brown, sans espresso, to Madison and Wabash—one stop before my actual stop at Randolph and Wabash. I exit early for Millennium Perk, on Madison just before Michigan Avenue. The coffee is great, the people (and setting) are nice, and it's an indie coffee shop making a go of it directly across the street from behemoth Starbucks. Plus, a Caribou Coffee is going in around the corner.

No Poppy Seeds. No Good.

When ordering a Chicago-style dog, there are certain rules that come with the territory and define the transaction. Ketchup is exclusively for fries is one such rule. Another rule is the dog will be served on a poppy seed bun from Gonnella. Sadly, it seems few vendors follow this poppy seed rule. I'm sure there are cost considerations, but I can't help but feel cheated when I get a seedless bun, no matter how good the rest of the fixings. For the record, I am willing to pay extra for poppy seeds.

More Art. Fewer Ads.

On my way to work the other day I saw a Sun Times "We Are Brighter" ad defaced by a culture busting media activist. He or she placed a printed message constructed of black type on white computer paper over the paid piece. It said, "More Art. Less Ads." Then underneath that there was square of cardboard inserted into the metal frame covering the remainder of the Sun Times poster. Here fellow CTA riders encountered the activist's graffiti-type scrawl in black magic marker. How can one blame this concerned person for the suggestion? There ought to be more art inside the gray tube. Art to comfort the cattle, I mean people, being carted daily to their sordid and sometimes noble destinies throughout the city.

Blues Music Evolutions

Suntimes.com has a nice story about the changing face of Blues Music in Chicago.

Check out the story... The hometown blues

Neighbors pitch in to get little grocery back in business

This is the kind of story I want to hear about more often! After the city closed down a corner grocery for violations, the neighbors that heard about it pitched in to help the old man clean it up and get back to work... Read the Sun-Times story

and there was a followup to this story posted on 4.27.04 (88-year-old reopens store with help from old, new pals)