f r e s h s t a r t

Sunday, September 23, 2007

 

Notes on settling in and looking around

The new neighborhood has a completely new look and feel, and a certain something that I’m going to take some time and absorb before I try putting it into words. But it feels good. I like the fact that the wide grassy stretches along Logan Boulevard are the neighborhood’s front yard. People lie out on blankets, barbeque, play with their dogs, hold yard sales, play catch, all within a few feet of our front door. The Sunday farmer’s market on the other side of the boulevard is small but nice. There are a lot of bicycles parked in our el station, and a lot of cyclists all over. And speaking of the el station, it is really long. Weirdly long. It kind of blew me away the first time I stepped out into it. We’ve checked out a few of the neighborhood bars and restaurants, and have liked them all. There are beautiful historic landmark houses a few blocks away, and tidy little bungalows around the corner. Our apartment is old and quirky, just the way I like it. We’re guessing that our building wasn’t originally a three-flat, but was a large house. We can tell from the molding and the trim that the wall separating my room from Dana’s isn’t original, and the style of the doors and the presence of transoms over our doors indicate that it was probably a living room or sitting room. Our kitchen was definitely a kitchen, and our fridge is in the space that used to house the icebox. From the back stairwell you can see the door where ice man would have slid a block of ice into the icebox. There are a lot of closets, and they are all weird--- long and narrow, huge, or triangular. We’ve turned one into a Royal Tenenbaums-style game closet. The back porch is new, but it's large and private, and a nice spot for morning coffee and evening wine. Our downstairs neighbors are a kind of self-appointed neighborhood watch, and they keep us posted on all the neighborhood news. I never knew who my alderman was in Andersonville, but I already know who he is here in Logan Square (Rey Colon). It's interesting to realize how little I knew about this side of town before moving out here. The city suddenly feels a whole lot bigger.

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