The June/July Issue Of Chicago Magazine

I went through the June/July issue of Chicago Magazine yesterday afternoon, and I must say, I was kind of shocked reading the cover story, titled "This View Could Be Yours For $250,000. Plus: What You Can Get For $500K... $1 Mil... $2 Mil." Keep in mind, I live in a condo in Denver's University neighborhood, where a 2 bedroom, 1 bath 1,070 square foot bungalow built in 1920 is selling for $600,000. And many people who buy places like that simply tear them down and build a McMansion in its place. Absolute madness, in my opinion. And so, I was very interested in reading about those $250,000 bargains in my old hometown of Chicago. For that amount you can get a 1 bedroom, 1 bath 875 square-foot condo on the 10th floor of a Gold Coast high-rise with a great view of Lake Michigan and only steps from North Avenue Beach and Lincoln Park. Sounds great, right? Until you find out that the monthly HOA is $1,031 a month, and taxes are $5,558. And if you have a car, parking is an additional $287 a month. Forget that. How about an updated 4 bedroom, 2 bath 1,470 square foot home in South Suburban Park Forest? A nice place, as I remember. My grandparents lived in a 2-bedroom townhouse in Park Forest and enjoyed living there. The downside: Annual taxes: $10,564 per year. My God. How can anyone pay that every year? I look forward to going back to Chicago to visit, but moving back there? Seriously? 

There were other articles of interest in this month's issue, including a short piece about the Home Insurance Building, built in 1885 and the first skyscraper not only in Chicago, but the world. It was 10 stories tall, one story less than the building I now live in, which does seem a bit underwhelming. There was also an article about a Chicago hair stylist named Pascal Ibgui, who was born in Paris and was a "Golden Bachelorette heartthrob," evidently making him a city-wide celebrity. He lives in Lincoln Park and is also an avid street photographer. He spends all his free time wandering the city taking photographs. What caught my attention is that he has $30,000 in photo equipment. Just out of curiosity, is there a place you apply to become a Golden Bachelorette heartthrob? In any case, there was also an article about Tik Tok influencer Kat Abughazaleh running for Congress in the 9th District. However, she has only lived in Chicago for less than a year and has not yet moved into the district she plans to represent. Plus - and this is a serious issue - she did not know what landmark was located at 1060 West Addison Street, which is in the 9th District. For those of you who also don't know, there is a subtle hint in the photograph on the right. The bottom line: I'd hate to be her campaign manager.