Another short walk in Chicago

[Segun]

smell the Gary-Air

to continue my 2-part series showcasing the less glamorous parts of the North Side, I start it off with a map.
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/novwalkmap2.jpg

Starting off by the River Canal in North Park/Albany Park
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov095.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov096.jpg

Get yo feet off my couch.
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov097.jpg
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Small stream
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov099.jpg

There's a nice park here nestled away.
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov100.jpg
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Apartment blocks
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov102.jpg
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On Lawrence, the main strip of Albany Park. Traffic is horrendous.
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov106.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov107.jpg

2 Flats
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov108.jpg

Heavy Rail at grade level
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov109.jpg

More apartments
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov110.jpg
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http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov115.jpg

Kedzie, a N/S commercial street that intersects with Lawrence
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov114.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov116.jpg

and also intersects with Montrose, which is a medium activity commercial street.
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov117.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov118.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov119.jpg

Back on Kedzie
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov120.jpg

Still a number of apartments
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov121.jpg

Local thrift chain. Its where I've shopped since a child.
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov122.jpg

Everyday stuff
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov123.jpg

Out of place monument, brought to you by MAYOR RICHARD M DALEY and the city of Chicago.
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov124.jpg

The wide thoroughfare of Irving Park
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov125.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov126.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov127.jpg

more 2-flats
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov128.jpg

There isn't that much infill
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov129.jpg

Shacks
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov130.jpg

Terra Cotta carwash
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov131.jpg

More woodframe
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov132.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov133.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov135.jpg

Pub and Liquor
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov134.jpg

There's actually a school on School street.
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov136.jpg

Mix and match
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov137.jpg

Anybody Chicagoans fill me in to what line this overpass used to be for? Its near Addison and Elston.
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov138.jpg

On to Belmont
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov139.jpg

Woodframe and Brick
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov140.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov143.jpg

These buildings look as if they are going to collapse
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov141.jpg

Stucco?
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov142.jpg

More infill U/C
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov144.jpg

I like this streetwall
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov145.jpg

random Painted Lady
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov146.jpg

Interesting commercial structures
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov147.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov148.jpg
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2 flats - not rowhouses
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov150.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov151.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov152.jpg

Looking back on Belmont
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov153.jpg

As we cross under the Western Avenue overpass, you may remember this stretch of Belmont Ave from a photo thread I did years back called the "Infillwalk". Well, I thought I'd return and see whats new.
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov154.jpg
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Noooooo! There was this ring thing here that was the subject of many photo edits in the last thread. Now its gone.....
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov167.jpg

contine
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov168.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov169.jpg
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http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov174.jpg

Okay, so I had this bright idea a couple of months back to do a photo essay as I walked down every single street in the community area of Lakeview, taking pictures of every example of new construction, just to see how much has been done to the neighborhood in the last 8 years or so. I learned a few things.

- 8 square miles is a lot larger than I expected, and took at lot longer than I expected to walk.

- After taking photos of nearly 800 new buildings with only half of the neighborhood traveled, I just quit.

- Brown's Chicken tastes better (than castor oil)

This is the 6 way intersection of Belmont, Ashland, and Lincoln
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov175.jpg

Huh
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov176.jpg

View from the Paulina El Station in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of the community area of Lakeview.

http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov177.jpg

A fav spot of mine, once again
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov178.jpg
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov179.jpg

then the snow came in, along with another future thread...........
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/novsky.jpg

whatever.

[ltsmotorsport]

So much brick and desnity, it has to be Chitown.

[Sacto]

Thanks for the tour!

[VivaLFuego]

Most people don't call nearly 5 miles a "short walk". Thanks for hitting up some great areas we don't get to see. . ."Roscoe Village" still blows my mind, how far it's come.

That last one is from Evanston, isn't it?

[Cory]

Man you never stop. I should have no surprises when visiting Chicago next time I visit, whenever that might be. You get all the corners. Love those last few shots.

[UrbanSophist]

Chicago is bizarre.

[Steely Dan]

That last one is from Evanston, isn't it?


yep, that last one is definitely from evanston, with some zoom action going on.

goon, your short walks are short in your mind only. 5 miles is a hike to most people.

[fangorangutang]

The one thing I regret not doing while I lived in Chicago was going to the North/Northwest sides more often. Amazing hoods, great tour!

[spyguy]

Short walk, huh.

Some of the infill isn't that bad, at least the ones that don't have huge voids for balconies.

[xzmattzx]

Looks nice.

[flar]

Thanks, it's great to see tours of some of the "regular" neighbourhoods of major cities because I'll never see them in person.

[MSPtoMKE]

Nice! Love the last one.

[jcchii]

super good

[Sekkle]

Great photos. Thanks! I stayed with friends in that area for a little while a couple years ago. It's not glamorous or trendy, but I loved it, and that's the area I think of most when I think of Chicago now. Thanks again!

[ColDayMan]

Black Republican!!!

[shappy]

Chicago has some fantastic streetscapes, but this is hardcore...

http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov175.jpg

[Sekkle]

Black Republican!!!
Not quite, man.

[the urban politician]

I love your tours, Segun

[Wheelingman04]

Chicago is an architectural masterpiece.

[The-New-Tony-Detroit]

What a souless, classless place... except of course for the Village Discount Outlet ;)

[Tom In Chicago]

'elmont Laundry?

[JivecitySTL]

Your Chicago tours are the absolute best. You always show my favorite features of the city. Makes me want to go back soon.

[ColDayMan]

Not quite, man.

(*inside joke*)

[Buckeye Native 001]

Can I steal this density? :tup:

[Ex-Ithacan]

It works for me. :yes:

Glad to hear you used this "short walk" as a learning opportunity too.:tup:

[bnk]

Chicago is bizarre.

But in a good way I hope.






Thanks for the tour.:tup:

[Midwesterner]

Beautiful!

[OhioGuy]

Love Chicago! That 3 way intersection of Belmont, Ashland, and Lincoln looks sweet. Would love to live in that area, except for the fact the Brown line doesn't run 24/7, unlike the red & blue lines. Thanks for the great photos!

BTW, what's the area like around Logan Square? Is it gentrifying much due to its proximity to Bucktown & Wicker Park? Or does it still look a little more run down like the areas in the beginning of this photo thread?

[UrbanSophist]

The red line is just a short walk away. :D

[Lucky 24]

Hey, it's that place!

[Chicago Shawn]

Very nice set, as always. Although it may not win any asthetic awards, that new streetwall taking shape on Belmont is pretty impressive. Everytime I travel through there, something new is in the works. It is nearly a continous stretch of 4-6 story buildings.

[boden]

This pic really is sweet! Good post goonsta!:cheers:
http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov178.jpg

[Latoso]

:previous: I especially like all the jaywalking. ;)

[passdoubt]

Those shots look so "Chicago." Especially the commercial strips.

[peacefu603]

i want to go there

[texasboy]

Yawn. Same great photo threads from Segun. ;)

[giovanni sasso]

that hip hop is dead jawn.

i like a five mile hike like anybody. man if i hiked five miles in any direction from right here where i sit, i'd pass through some ugly places en route to some other places. i'm gonna get a map and a compass and stick a point in my house and draw a perfect circle and see how far i can get.

that at-grade el crossing must be kind of a pain in the ass. is it?

[urban_encounter]

smell the Gary-Air

to continue my 2-part series showcasing the less glamorous parts of the North Side, I start it off with a map.


Even the "less galmorous parts" of Chicago are pretty amazing.

Good job with the photos.

:)

[LSyd]

awesome, thanks for this tour. threads like this is why i come to this site, to see stuff that's not normally seen.

parts of these hoods remind me of London, but a lot reminds me of the south...like Charleston and older structures, woodframe, not joined, etc...it looks great.

-

[GVNY]

Completely urban and beautiful.

[10023]

Nice pics. The infill isn't bad, at least it's brick not concrete and is built up to the sidewalk.

This is the type of avenue that I hope to some day see lined with 6 story structures as far as the eye can see, like a European city's roofline...

http://www.streetsandsoul.com/walks/nov125.jpg

[Segun]

^ why 6 stories?

[UglymanCometh]

^ why 6 stories?

cause skyscrapers are soooooooooooooo 1970s ;)

[Segun]

^ blah, I'm all for throwing a 200 story building next to a two story townhouse, oh wait (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=124368&page=350).

[X-fib]

Makes me homesick for the old neighborhood! The pics brought up an unanswered question. Why are there so many 3 story apartment blocks in Chicago? I always assumed it was because anything taller required elevators. Wrong?

[Segun]

^ Maybe, but its not just a Chicago thing. You'll find the same thing in Boston, San Francisco, Washington DC, Brooklyn and Queens. Along with rowhouses, 3-4 Story buildings are the most ubiquitous urban housing in the country.

[10023]

Actually, 3-4 stories isn't the limit of what you can do without elevators. That would be 5-6 stories, which is why I said 6 stories. Six floors is the standard height of buildings in central Paris, Vienna, and other European cities for this very reason. The fifth floor walk-up is the quintessential housing of the financially struggling Manhattanite.

The other great thing about the six story roof line is that it creates the appropriate proportions for a boulevard such as the one above.

New York and other east coast cities also have a "standard" floor count higher than what you see in the Midwest. Manhattan rowhouses are typically at least one floor higher than in Chicago, probably just because there was more money and people wanted additional rooms for more servants.

In response to the question of "why not taller?", well, these outlying neighborhoods of Chicago (or outer boroughs of New York) are never going to have the skyscraper density of Manhattan or the Loop. A consistent height of six stories for miles and miles is more pleasant than the occasional highrise, with the rest of the streetscape consisting of one and two story wastes of space, IMO. You don't need skyscrapers to achieve the maximum density these neighborhoods are capable of - again, central Paris proves this.

[aaron38]

Great photo thread, it's one of my favorite areas of the city to walk around. I think I could do a photo tour of just Southport in the summer, with all the sidewalk cafes.

For the most part I'm pretty happy with the infill on Belmont. It's a bit more varried than what is on Diversey, where unfortunately some stretches are a little too uniform. They've done a good job with the first floor retail as well.

[M II A II R II K]

kick ass tour

[Jularc]

What a great long walk in a wonderful looking neighborhood. :tup:

[Grimm]

Actually, 3-4 stories isn't the limit of what you can do without elevators. That would be 5-6 stories, which is why I said 6 stories.
In East Asia, 8-story walk-ups are not unheard of. Sometimes 10+ stories.

[10023]

In East Asia, 8-story walk-ups are not unheard of. Sometimes 10+ stories.
Well they have races every year where people climb the stairs of the Sears Tower or Empire State Building, so obviously higher is possible. And the number of floors doesn't necessarily translate into number of steps, given varying ceiling heights. Et cetera.

What I meant is that 5-6 stories seems to be the common standard. Not in one city but across European and east coast cities. And its not merely "not unheard of", it's just about every building in the central city in most European cities.

[Cbautz]

Great thread and great tour.

[JivecitySTL]

You've been missed! And so have your photos.

[fflint]

Photo threads like this one remind me of how I just love Chicago more and more

[denveraztec]

Fantastic tour!

[pip]

hmmm... I remember seeing these a year ago but I didn't comment. Apologies are due. Nice Pictures and great tour!

[Dr. Taco]

In East Asia, 8-story walk-ups are not unheard of. Sometimes 10+ stories.

mmm, i definitely be "busy" the day a friend asks me to move him up to the 8th floor of a building



Nice thread! kedzie from belmont up is my stomping ground :D

[nomarandlee]

Somehow missed this thread before but glad I found it now. Great job and I agree with others that the new infill largely looks pretty good.