'Hoods #8: Pilsen Jan 16 2011

Our 1 year anniversary!
Kate designed our 8th 'Hoods, Pilsen!

Participants: Tom, Sunny, Kate, Ed, Kelly, Bill, William, Julie, Anne

Highlights: 'Hoods' first bus ride,
         -eating at Nuevo Leon (an institution, which sadly burned down
          a few months ago),
         -re-enacting uprisings,
         -that tres leches cake,
         -St. Jude relic,
         -murals,
         -the National Museum of Mexican Art,
         -drankin,
         -the coal powered plant,
         -Thalia hall before its renovation,
         -thrift shopping,
         -Bill reveals the 'Hoods logo for the first time!

Pilsen 'Hoods flickr album

Pilsen 'Hoods packet

Emily and Paul actually got married in Pilsen. Ignore the pics of Husband and I drinking in Bridgeport beforehand, and us reception-ing back in Bridgeport AFTER. The wedding proper, and drinks at Dusek's both TOTALLY count as Pilsen specific experience!

Emily and Paul's wedding!

Mom and I actually pre-'Hoods-ed Pilsen a tiny bit back in July 2008

Mom and I pre-'Hoods Pilsen July 2008

And Husband and I finally saw a show at Thalia hall this past July 2015. AND we ate at Dusek's!

Thalia hall and Dusek's

'Hoods #7: Humboldt Park Nov 7 2010

I planned our 7th 'Hoods, Humboldt Park!

Participants:  Bill, William, Kelly, Jeremy L, Julie, Neal, Kate, Tom, Jo

Highlights: It's when we discovered Jens Jensen,
        -Roeser's bakery,
        -gorgeous Humboldt Park proper with its audio tour,
        -the big flags,
        -walking Division,
        -delicious Puerto Rican food,
        -murals,
        -being slowly followed by that cop car and asked to
         be careful by our waitress

Humboldt Park 'Hoods flickr album

Humboldt Park 'Hoods packet

Emily and Paul lived in Humboldt Park for awhile, giving us plenty of excuse to get back there occasionally.

Pozoleria in Humboldt pre-book club 2014

jibaritos in Humboldt

*Getting to that Puerto Rican museum is still on my list! It was closed the day we 'Hoods-ed.

'Hoods #6: Portage Park Sept 11 2010

On Sept 11 2010,
'Hoods #6
Portage Park!
Anne designed this one.

Participants: Jo, Kelly, Anne, Neal, Julie

Highlights: punchki,
        -the little art fair at Portage Park proper,
        -6 corners,
        -yet another stranger stopping us to ask us what we're up to,
         getting excited, and then
         sharing a bunch of info about the neighborhood
        -that giant costume shop,
        -the Portage theater,
        -all of those bungalows,
        -the Polish church,
        -that fabulous Polish food

Portage Park 'Hoods flickr album

Portage Park 'Hoods packet

'Hoods #5: Lincoln Park Aug 21 2010

On Aug 21 2010 We embarked on 'Hoods #5.
Lincoln Park.
Lincoln Park is big, y'all. So it wasn't, by any means, a complete tour of the neighborhood.
But we hit a LOT.
And it was hot as BALLS.

Participants: Brooke and Jeremy L (for lunch), Tim, Kelly, Tom, Kate, Ed, Anne, Tom's lady friend at the time

'Hoods Lincoln Park flickr album

Tom made this packet. He was a task master. Kept us running!

'Hoods packet Lincoln Park

Highlights: Frances' diner,
        -the most expensive block in Chicago,
        -meeting Kate's friend who was an anthropologist for Northwestern
         who'd lived in the neighborhood since the 70s and had stories to tell,
        -Italian ice,
        -Henry Darger's house (I went home that night and immediately watched that
         documentary on him and his outsider art),
        -Oz Park,
        -all kinds of plaques for historically and architecturally significant buildings,
        -Lincoln hall

I've also visited Lincoln Park Zoo about a million times. Here are a few.

Lincoln Park Zoo Dec 2008

Lincoln Park Zoo June 2011

Lincoln Park Zoo Oct 2012

Lincoln Park Zoo Lights 2012

Lincoln Park Zoo Lights Dec 2013

Lincoln Park Zoo Lights Dec 2014

Lincoln Park Zoo Lights Dec 2015

Also? Bill and I do Open House Chicago every year. Which isn't 'Hoods. But it's 'Hoods adjacent. And in 2013 we did a BUNCH of Lincoln Park:
the Brewster apartments,
the Laflin building at Lincoln Park Zoo,
the Moody Church,
the National Shrine of Saint Frances of Cabrini,
the Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago (Solon Beman!),
St. Clement Church,
and the Sedgwick Studio.

So, though there are a bunch of pics from the Gold Coast in this collection (which we did on the second day of Open House) I feel I'd be remiss if I didn't include this flickr set, too.

Open House Chicago 2013, during which we did a CRAP TON of Lincoln Park

Let us know if you use one of our packets! It'll make our day!

Kate had a great idea.
If you, any of you out there in the web universe, use one of our packets to explore a Chicago neighborhood, take a pic of yourself with the packet in context.
And send it to us!
And we'll feature you on our blog!
Cause that's kinda the whole point.
I mean, I'm using this site to catalogue our adventures. Yes.
But also, if we can convince more folks out there to try a neighborhood they've never tried before, that would be AWESOME.
And if our packet makes taking the leap that much easier for any of you, fantastic!
Please, let us know!
Don't get me wrong. Our packets aren't necessarily complete, or visually astonishing, or even always accurate. Especially the ones from early on. A lot has changed in Chicago since 2010. So you'll want to check and make sure some of the places that we visited are still open! And there might be NEWER openings that you'd want to visit. But the packets usually include some history about the neighborhood (ripped right off of the internet). And some architectural info. I mean, they're a good starting point. You do what you must with them.
Seriously, though.
A pic. To us. We'd love it.

'Hoods #4: Hyde Park May 15 2010 (and some supplements)

On May 15 2010 we held our 4th 'Hoods.
This time?
Hyde Park.

Participants: Jeremy O, Andy, Jo, Megan, Kelly, Anne, Tom

What's irritating about this one is that I absolutely made the packet.
And I CANNOT find a copy of it. Not even a saved version on any of my old computers.
Balls.

So, if you were on this one and have a copy,
for the love of sweet baby Jesus, please scan it and send it on to me.
It's the only missing piece in my collection!
It plagues me...

But I DO have a billion pictures.

'Hoods Hyde Park flickr album

Highlights: The University of Chicago campus,
        -the Oriental Institute,
        -that chapel,
        -turning the corner and stumbling on that little a cappella
         group rehearsing in the courtyard and their voices
         reverberated in the quiet,
        -the weird juggling and ball rolling student activity on the green,
        -the bicycle race happening on the midway,
        -looking for wild parrots (and not finding any),
        -Valois cafeteria,
        -Promontory Point,
        -the Japanese Garden in Jackson Park (while dodging the
         lascivious activity in the bushes)

For the purposes of personal completion, I have supplemented Hyde Park on a couple of occasions.

Bill, Kelly W-I and I visited on November 22 2014
Again, packet-less. I think we just used the AIA guide on this one.

'Hoods Hyde Park supplement Nov 2014

Highlights: the Loredo Taft sculpture on the midway,
        -as well as his sculpture studio,
        -that Mies Van Der Rohe building,
        -eating at Medici,
        -more Oriental Institute,
        -Robie House,
        -that little teeny tiny chapel with the quintet rehearsing

If I REALLY want to get completion-est about it, Brooke and I visited Hyde Park on July 28 2010 as part of our 'summer of fun.'

Hyde Park, summer of fun

Highlights: the Smart museum (that houses some of the Robie house furniture), and more Medici eating.

And on July 21 2012 my Frank Lloyd Wright club visited and toured the Robie House. And guess where we ate? Medici. Stuck in a rut. I KNOW there's other good food in Hyde Park. Next time!

Robie House pics

Well, and technically, Husband and I also visited Hyde Park in Sept of 2008. We ate some ribs at the Wooded Isle in Jackson Park, then went to the Court Theater on the U of C campus to see Caroline or Change. But we got there a little early. So we took a walk around campus.

Going to see 'Caroline or Change' at the Court theater

Apparently I go to Hyde Park all the time. It's a delight.

'Hoods #3: Beverly March 2010

On March 28 2010 we had our 3rd 'Hoods.
Bill hosted this one.
Beverly!

Participants: Bill, William, Vicki, Julie, Kelly, Anne, and Bill's parents for dinner and icecream

Highlights: our first Frank Lloyd Wright house,
        -that guy stopping us to ask us what we were doing as we walked the streets and then
         telling us all about the little blue flowers that blossom on the ridge that runs through
         Beverly (thus, Blue Island?),
        -the castle,
        -the private guided tour of that art collection at Ridge Park,
        -Beverly bakery,
        -that pizza joint (was it Joe's?),
        -rainbow cone.

Beverly 'Hoods flickr album

Beverly 'Hoods packet

*I feel like there's a Beverly Arts Center that I need to get to

'Hoods #2: Chinatown Feb 14 2010 and June 14 2012 supplement

Our second 'Hoods, Chinatown, didn't have a packet.
We went in conjunction with Chinese New Year.

Participants: Nate (lunch), Jeremy O and Andy (through the parade), Bill and William and Julie and Neal and Jackie (after lunch),  Kelly and Jeremy L

Highlights: dim sum at Phoenix,
        -the New Year parade,
        -the dragons in the shops,
        -dinner at Little Three Happiness

Chinatown 'hoods flickr set

In June of 2012 I took myself on a 'hoods supplement to visit Ping Tom park and the Chinese-American museum.

Chinatown 'hoods supplement flickr set

And then, well, don't know if this counts as a supplement,
But this Christmas I convinced my family to do Chinatown.
We went to Everest and popped into a few shops.

Christmas in Chinatown 2015

'Hoods #1: Bronzeville, Jan 2010 and June 2014

On January 16 2010 we had our inaugural 'hoods.

I planned this one.

Participants: Bill, William, Jeremy O, Jo, Anne, Tom, Julie, Neal, Ed, Kelly

Highlights: chicken and waffles
        -that nice guy at the Bronzeville neighborhood museum,
        -the animatron Mayor Washington at the DuSable museum,
        -the local coffee shop,
        -the Douglas memorial,
        -shuffling through the snow,
        -all of the history that we saw and learned pertaining to the Black Metropolis and
         the Great Migration,
        -the statue of the dude with the shoe soles all over him.

bronzeville packet

bronzeville pics


On June 24 2014 Bill and I did a supplement 'Hoods and toured IIT, which sits in Bronzeville. No packet for the supplement. Just these pics.

IIT bronzeville supplement pics

In the beginning...

So, in November or December of 2009 a group of us were having a drink at Cunneen's in Rogers Park. I was sitting next to Ed. Ed has a lot of good ideas. Especially when we've been drinking. We began bemoaning the fact that we were in a rut. Same bars (no offense Cunneen's. Love ya!). Same restaurants. Same Same. Ed makes a decision. In 2010 we were gonna shake it up. New bars. New restaurants. New New! Now, I'm not super certain how everything went down. Drinking. But I do know that we somehow, together, came up with a magnificent plan. Every month a different neighborhood. Ed's the thinker. I'm the planner. And so I took it upon myself to make our drunken dreams a reality. And I picked a date. And I picked a neighborhood. And I planned. And I researched. And I made a map. And I made a packet. And on Jan 16 2010 a group of us met in the midst of a snow shower for our very first 'Hoods. Bronzeville! I knew nothing about Bronzeville before I embarked on this adventure. And by the time we'd gone to the museums, visited the coffee shop, walked the streets, ate the food, talked to the experts, soaked up the history...I felt like I was just a tiny bit closer to my hometown. Also? I was hooked. We have never quite made it to one per month. But we've kept it up. Over 6 years. 43 neighborhoods so far. And we're still kickin.

We take turns picking neighborhoods and planning our day.
The aim is to get a good a feel for the neighborhood NOW as well as its history.
So we have to eat there at least once.
We go to whatever museums the neighborhood has to offer.
We visit any historic districts or sites.
We shop.
We drink at a bar.
We admire the architecture.
We share all of the pertinent information with the group via a packet, that we carry with us and reference throughout the day.
We wear ourselves out.
We take a million pictures.
We experience a version of Chicago that we've never experienced before.
And then we do it all again 4-8 weeks later. Different neighborhood.

Here I mostly aim to chronicle our efforts.
I'll post our packet and a link to my flickr album of that neighborhood.

You ready?