The August And September Issues Of Chicago Magazine

The U.S. Post Office does not forward periodicals (or for that matter, most of your first-class mail, either) if it is not a permanent change, and so I had to wait until I got home to Denver from Florida to peruse the August and September issues of Chicago Magazine. And I must say, both months have very interesting articles. The cover story for August was Best of Chicago, which had a lot of fun categories, including Best Rooftop Biergarten (Gene's Sausage Shop and Delicatessen) and Best Rooftop Scene For Those Who Don't Want a Scene (Reggie's Trainwreck Rooftop Deck, which I really want to visit, located in the South Loop). Also, in honor of the Democratic Convention being held in Chicago, there was also an article titled "Barack Slept Here," featuring sites associated with Barach Obama, including his home at 5046 South Greenwood Avenue. There was also an interesting piece about Google reviving architect Helmut Jahn's Thompson Center, famous for its 17-story atrium, which due to all the windows has something like a 10 billion dollar a year utility bill. Pricey, but I am sure Google can handle it.

The September issue of Chicago was also pretty interesting. A regular department called "The 312" highlighted an English-inspired 1909, 8,000 square foot mansion in Evanston, which features 8 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a stunning garden with a fountain and swimming pool, and an 800 square foot coach house with 1 bedroom and a kitchen above a three-car garage. All for 2.75 million. When you consider that people in Denver have been buying homes on the east side of Washington Park for 2.5 million and then knocking them down to build something respectable, it really does sound like a deal. Unfortunately, all my money is tied up right now in Greek government bonds or I would have made an offer. In the "My Town" section, Tom Dobrez highlighted his favorite places in South Suburban Flossmoor, where my sister Susan used to live, including Flossmoor Station, which used to be an actual railroad station back when she lived there, but is now a great microbrewery and restaurant. There were also articles about the Morrison Hotel, located in the Loop at the corner of Madison and Clark, which has a fascinating history, and one about an Oak Park Nazi, a former member of the SS and a concentration camp guard, who worked in the early 1980s as the head janitor at Oak Park River Forest High School. All in all, two issues well worth picking up.