Chicago-in-a-day

HA!
So I had this big post all set to go and when I tried to publish it, it said "ERROR"! Silly ol' me should have saved it first ;o)

So here's the run down of our most recent trip to Chicago... (this past weekend). We didn't get the chance to see the green river (I saw it on the news, does that count?), but we sure saw our share of drunks, especially in the crammed el stops downtown!

We were able to visit Ukranian Village, Wicker Park, Bucktown, and Old Town - all by foot. Needless to say we are still aching from the hours and miles of walking in the windy, cold, Chicago weather!

Ukranian Village was, by far, our favorite. The residential areas are very nice (but, a bit packed with cars) and very peaceful. The homes are mainly greystones with multiple flats (floors), so we'll have VERY close neighbors...but that's to be assumed, living in a big city and all. This neighborhood was also very close to an el stop, which is good for me so that I can get to school easily and good for Kurt if he works in the Loop.

Wicker Park, was equally as nice, albeit a bit more pricey. The funny thing is everywhere I read says that these places are "Very affordable." HA! I'd like to see their incomes ;o) Anywho, this neighborhood is also close to an el stop AND has a park that's open to dogs! Always a good thing with our little psycho-pup ;o)

We also visitied Bucktown. This neighborhood is still going through gentrification, so it's not as nice as the places above. However, the rent is more affordable (still pric$y ;o) and it's considered to be the "artsy" neighborhood of Chicago. That means we'll fit right in ;o) AND, this is (I think) where the Polish-American Museum is. So there should be some Polacks around ;o)

Finally, we visited Old Town. This neighborhood was simply too urban and too commercial (not to mention VERY EXPENSIVE). It was really close to town, so lacked the peace and quiet we were hoping for. And, it's missing the charm we seek as well.

We were planning to visit Logan Square, but after walking the extra miles in O.T. (we walked to an el stop that we thought was open...but it turned out it was under construction so we had to walk an extra mile or so....this being AFTER we walked our tushies off all over the place), we decided that we didn't want to die young.

SO...our next trip to Chicago will be April 9th-11th. We'll visit Logan Square, Ravenswood, and Roscoe Village. These places are all a lot further north than we would like, but we feel obligated to check out as many places as possible. But, I have a feeling we'll end up in "Ukie" Village, Wicker Park, or Bucktown.

I'll try to keep the posts coming at a quicker pace, and since we are getting closer to the moving date, I'm sure I'll have more to report.

So...as I close, I'm crossing my fingers that this will post. Because, gosh darn it, I'm tired of typing ;o)