Feeling Cosmopolitan

We moved into this neighborhood right about the time it began to be cold, thus taking the fun out of any exploring we might've done. However, now it appears that Spring is well underway here in Chicago and today my Hubby and I made the most of it!

One of the things I love about this neighborhood is how much stuff is in walking distance of our place. This fine sunny morning, we walked to the cinema, by way of the post office, to watch Thor (big and flashy and fun, but I kept waiting for it to get better). Afterward, we walked around a little bit, trying to decide which of the several tantalizing restaurants we should visit. After some deliberation, we opted for this cute little Italian place for lunch and on the way home we stopped for ice cream at Cold Stone.

As we moseyed our way home, my Hubby commented that many small towns have cute centers of town but Chicago has three dozen. It's so true! Yet another reason to love this city.

A funny thing I saw while walking about

Aesthetics

I live on a pretty busy street. My neighborhood is made up of residential units two and three stories above commercial units on the street level. People like to say this neighborhood is "up and coming". I've taken that to mean that it's "under development"; businesses on the street level come and go.. some lasting longer than others.

When I first moved here, the commercial unit in the building next door was empty; up for grabs. A bike store moved in for a little while, but they didn't stick around very long. Currently a "Cash for Gold" establishment has taken up residence.

I have to admit, I wasn't super excited to have that type of place right next door... but you know, a business is a business, right? This was an indicator of a living and growing economy, yes? And they certainly have added a little extra flavor to our street with their flashing, strobe lights and huge flags proclaiming their trade. However, lately, they've outdone even themselves:

Surprise Messages...

I noticed it for the first time last spring. Every night, as I took the el home, we would past this one abandoned lot. Most of the time I just passed by without really seeing it, 'til one day it caught my attention. I noticed that a space had been cleared and it seemed that something had been planted. Over the next day or two, each time I passed, I noticed a rock outline that grew incrementally until it surrounded the whole plot. After the outline was completed, it seemed that the work was done and I didn't really pay it much mind. I just supposed that somebody had taken an affinity to that empty lot and thought to put it to use. I figured a bunch of veggies or something would eventually emerge.

Then, weeks later, I happened to glance out the window one night, on my way past, and saw fresh, green buds poking out of the ground, spelling out the word ""IMAGINE". How awesome is that?

So, this year, as spring approached, I kept an eye out to see if the garden message would return. While I missed the initial budding, I did catch this picture:
If you look closely, you'll see that the plants spell out "IMAGINE" again.
Can you see why I love this city? :)