The August Issue Of Chicago Magazine

The August issue of Chicago Magazine arrived recently, and happily enough, it is the annual Best of Chicago issue. Even though I have lived in Denver since 1981, I still like to keep up with what is happening in my old home town. As usual, most of Chicago's "best" are located on the near north side and all the trendy neighborhoods located north and northwest. What's a former South Sider to do? However, there were several interesting articles this month, including one about the Magnificent Mile, the part of Michigan Avenue between the Chicago River and Oak Street Beach. Evidently, there are now a lot of vacancies on that ritzy strip, thanks to the pandemic and the smash and grab incidents that have frequently taken place there. Even Water Tower Place, where I used to spend my days off from my job managing the Walden Book Store at Yorktown Shopping Center, is mostly empty - no more Marshall Fields, Rizzoli Bookstore, or even the upscale McDonald's. Very sad, as Donald Trump likes to say. As for the South Side, there is an article about the Packingtown Museum, which is located where the old Union Stockyards used to be, and tells the story of that famous part of Chicago history. I definitely want to check that place out the next time I am in Chicago, perhaps before attending a White Sox game, reliving my South Side youth.