I really don’t much like it when Chicago takes a major public space like part or all of Grant Park out of public commission for events like Lollapalooza or, this past weekend, NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race. And I never trust the numbers that the organizers or the city provides in terms of economic gain—they’re notoriously […]

On July 1st and 2nd this summer, NASCAR is running a street race in Chicago through and around Grant Park. Don’t believe me? You aren’t the first. Several neighborhood friends have told relatives or friends from other parts of the country, and they balked. Until they looked it up. Heck, I’ve told fellow Chicagoans who […]

I would bet that if someone kept track, my Printers Row neighborhood has more dogs per capita than any place in Chicago—and probably beyond. Which is fine. I like dogs. I like people, too. Mostly. But here’s the thing. Because of Beth’s circumstances and by extension my circumstances, I have a different viewpoint than some. […]

My earliest recollections of Memorial Day have my father at the barbecue grill, listening to a radio broadcast of the Indianapolis 500. It was a day off work for my mom and dad, a day off school for me an my sister, and an excuse for a cookout. All the neighbors were doing the same […]

A quick update: After weeks of visiting a wound clinic, the  wound is healing (one word: Medihoney). My wound and I are on much better terms with one another now and a  cortisone shot allows my arthritic big toe on my right foot to, you know, move and stuff. I still use a walking stick, […]