Chicago (Andersonville(

[steelyman]

No, not dead - just enjoying early retirement!

Also, I managed to move (again!) this summer, to a nearby location where things are happening.

That's not why I'm posting. I stopped by to give a belated shout-out to e-r.org member ohyes, who graciously acted as my unofficial travel agent for a return to my homeland, City of the Big Shoulders. Chicago. I got great advice to come back and stay in an area to which I'd never been: Andersonville. That's up north and a great place to spend some time. Highly recommended as a base and has plenty of friendly locals to meet.

Of course, I have a batch of photos, but I'll post two from that trip. One shows why I scheduled this return when I did (late June, early July) and the other shows a pleasant thing to do. I might have been in Chicago, but I greatly enjoyed the view of Manhattan at a place on Clark St directly across from the Swedish American Museum.

Better late than never - thanks and a tip of my (Cubs!) cap to ohyes!

 

[Bestwifeever]

Awesome. James Taylor, Wrigley, and a Manhattan. Hard to top that trio in any order! lucky you to have ohyes's guidance!

 

[ERD50]

DW's family grew up in that area. We finally visited the Swedish American Museum last year, nice little place (just a small museum, some reviewers were expecting a major event, and were disappointed - it's very nice for what it is).

Some nice Swedish restaurants, bakeries, etc in the area, we picked up some of the standard Swedish goods (limpa bread, cardamom coffee cake and other pastries) at the same place my in-laws shopped from the 40's on (they just called it "the Swedish bakery", but apparently that is the name of the place). And of course it has a mix of cultures there now. Just around the corner is a falafel place that got rave reviews as a casual spot to grab a bite, and it was wonderful.

Oh, and "The Hop Leaf" is just down the street. Had a wonderful juniper-mango ale there in their beer garden.

- ERD50

 

[younginvestor2013]

Nice pics and good to hear from another Chicagoan! Glad to hear you are liking the Andersonville neighborhood.

I live in Wrigleyville, but hang out in Andersonville a lot. Andersonville is definitely a popular place these days, but is much more "quaint" feeling (not sure if that is the right word!) than alternatives like Bucktown, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, etc. It also has a large gay and lesbian population.

I am a big fan of George's Ice Cream, Replay, and Calo, to name a few.

 

[ohyes]

Better late than never - thanks and a tip of my (Cubs!) cap to ohyes!

*************************

Keep talking, with more photos.


So thrilled you liked the area....hope you tell us more.

Thanks for letting me know!!

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I worked at a machine shop in Andersonville the summer after my freshman year in college. It was just east of Rosehill Cemetery, quite a burying ground. It in itself is good for a tour to visit the graves of Avery Brundage, Cubs announcer Jack Brickhouse and Bobby Franks (the victim in the Leopold and Loeb murder case), among others. Check out the entrance!

One of the guys I worked with was an old-time Andersonville resident. He definitely had a lot of Sweden in him, even if his family had been in Chicago for several generations

 

[MichaelB]

Nice

 

[NoiseBoy]

Oh, and "The Hop Leaf" is just down the street. Had a wonderful juniper-mango ale there in their beer garden.

- ERD50

I love that place, but I sure wish the tables were larger. It's really tough to eat dinner for 4 on a postage stamp!

While not "up north", on a recent visit we enjoyed a First Lady river cruise led by a volunteer from the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Very interesting. So much so that we got up on Sunday and took a walking tour of some of the significant buildings in the loop before catching our train home. There is a big open house event coming up on 10/15 - 10/16 if anyone happens to be in the area and wants to get inside some of Chicago's major buildings. It's free too!

Open House Chicago