Everything in life I needed to know, I learned at a Chgo Park Dist. Fieldhouse. I and my six siblings spent part of most everyday there. Between tap, ballet, sewing, wood shop and gymnastics, there was barely enough time to hang out in the game/locker room where board games, chess and checkers were available by asking Miss Fritz, the park supv., at the counter, for the game of your choice. Summ
Forum: General Discussion

There won't be residential in Chicago w/out windows ever. Fire code violation that is rigorously enforced.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

There was a gigantic bus barn on 103rd St. just east of Beverly/Vincennes. My dad told me that previously it was a trolley turnaround. I remember seeing a trolley on south Vincennes as a child.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

I always found it interesting that on the east side of Chgo there are many homes with another full size home right behind it on the same lot. On the 8700 block of Avalon, Houston, and many others right in the same area.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

A friend and I were just talking about Mr. Peters yesterday. We worked at the Chgo Board of Trade together as board markers (on the catwalk) starting in 1973 and every payday we would cash our checks at Continental Bank across the street from CBOT, buy an outfit from Mr. Peters across the street and then have lunch at BonoVino's. It was a popular shop. My friend also bought those plates with Ch
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

I seem to recall that the location of the CVS store on 110th and Western was a redemption center for one of the big trading stamp companies into the early seventies.
Forum: General Discussion

and a massacre it was. Regardless of who tries to rewrite history.
Forum: General Discussion

The older man the came down the alley between Beverly and Winston, 95th-103rd also yelled Rags-Old Iron. He wanted rags and old iron which he scrapped and he also sharpened knives, skates and anything else that could be sharpened on that stone he had on his contraption which I seem to recall was a kind of pedal car. My mom let him sharpen stuff but we also had to keep an eye on him because somet
Forum: General Discussion

I remembered the name of the drugstore (Robbins Drugs) across from Longwood Academy on 95th that made Chocolate Phosphates in tall soda glasses with the red and white paper straws but for the life of me couldn't remember the name of the one on Vanderpoel. Thanks for the name of Beverly Pharmacy. The hamburger place near Robbins Drugs was Lucky Wishbone. I'm pretty good on anything regarding foo
Forum: General Discussion

Our Chicago alley was like Adventureland. In addition to beautiful native wildflowers everywhere that were available for free Mothers Day gifts the alleys were pitch black and perfect for Hill-Dill and Catch-One-Catch-All once it was dark out. People threw away great garbage, suitable for making motorbikes (old lawnmowers, golf clubs, inner tubes which were patched and used for swimming and any
Forum: General Discussion

Beverly Theatre served Green River in the vending machines. It was delicious.
Forum: General Discussion

My mother used to send me to the High-Low Grocery Store on 99th St. just east of Beverly Ave to pick up odds and ends for her all the time. I think the owners names were Tom and Art. I'm sure of Tom. They were very nice fellows and at least one of them was a butcher.
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

I know Casto's Buffet was on 89th and Loomis just west of the tracks. It was a very popular tavern and supper club. East of the tracks was a bustling shopping district on both sides of 89th. I'll ask my aunt what those stores were. She talks about that area all the time.
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

I believe this is the same "pump" where we went swimming. There was a really small old firehouse around the corner from it on 104th pl. or 105th.
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

I was born there too and while I don't look like the rest of my family, they're pretty normal so I'm going with what I've got.
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

I lived on 71st and Artesian in the 70's and there was absolutely a lithuanian rest. on 71st. called Julia's. It pre-dated many of the other Lith. restaurants because I remember her telling me she was the first one to open on that street. She was closed up and I believe retired by the mid eighties.
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Now that you mention it I do remember seeing the Daleys there an awful lot. It was no big deal back then. My mother and father had their wedding reception dinner at The Stockyard Inn. It was a WW2 wedding, they were small. I bought boots from that western shop that was right inside the Amp. Was the name Morris's. I can't remember for sure. It was in the seventies or eighties probably durin
Forum: General Discussion

The "Amp" was a big part of our young lives. We saw rodeos, circuses, auto shows, but our favorite were the Drill Shows which were Daring Feats by Chicago Firemen going up ladders that seemed to go into the sky and lots of other exciting stuff. There were always real cowboys at the Amp too.
Forum: General Discussion

There's nothing like a crazy lady with a junk store.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

The large apt building at 104th and Wood still has them and they are operational.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

If you can imagine your grandmothers cupboard for a minute...Durkee thyme, sage, parsley, cinnamon, etc came in small tin cans only about 2 1/2 or 3 inches tall. My mom lined hers up in alpha order on a shelf over the stove and I still have a few of hers that I put on the xmas tree. If you saw them you'd know them.
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

After a Saturday morning of swimming at the "Pump" on 103rd St, we'd walk east a few blocks to Raike's Dimestore. Like most dimestores they had huge floor to ceiling display windows that overflowed with a colorful plethora of all that they sold within. My personal favorite was "Atom Bomb" perfume. A very tiny bottle resembling an atom bomb with a baby blue cap. It cost 19
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

When I was a kid Monarch Laundry had a huge vertical green neon sign that I could see from two blocks away. It was located on 103rd and Malta just east of Vincennes and Beverly. Between the neon lights on all three sides of the Beverly House Supper Club and the bus barn which was also really lit up, that intersection just glowed at night.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Incinerator is the correct answer! They were a bit of a status symbol back in the day and only the wealthiest few folks on a block would have them which made their garbage the garbage you most wanted to dig thru before the block was full and the fire lit. The owner of the incinerator dumped garbage in thru the top and the city garbage men emptied the ashes from the door on the alley side with a
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Was it Montefiore??? I remember lots of jokes about it. And my mother screaming it at me. "If you're late for school, they'll put you in MONTEFIORE!!!!"
Forum: General Discussion

Is the "twilight zone" the trailer park? Just a little further some of the Leopold/Loeb occurred. In fact they don't really know for sure where they took that kid that day in it's totallity. Those two had some pretty strange ideas (actually brilliant) of constantly changing their stories and sequence of events that first day. Only one detective in that cast of thousands took actual s
Forum: General Discussion

Someone once told me the first Open Pantry was the one on 95th St. Just east of the Beverly Theater on the opposite side of the street. I never did confirm. I remember when they opened wondering what the hell anyone would need from the store at 11:00 pm?????
Forum: General Discussion

If anyone can find a fire alarm box, (original), it's that retired fireman with the shop on 111th and pulaski. You'll pay, but they are getting harder to find. We bought one from him for my dad years ago for christmas and everytime I go in he asks about it like I adopted a dog or something! He's a riot. Good guy. Fair, honest ask around. It's in that little strip mall on the corner.
Forum: General Discussion

The DeMars in Blue Island has the BEST homemade potato pancakes around. Went there today and as I sat in a booth by the window, looked at the top of the old three story office building on the N/W corner of Western Ave. It says "Blue Island State Bank" Carved into the stone across the front. Also some pretty fancy Arts and Crafts style playing with the way they layed the bricks at the
Forum: General Discussion