Mike's Corner
On a Rogers Park “Must Do” List
The Must Do Experience that inspired me to write this particular blog post is an event that is occurring next Saturday: the Family Matters Annual Walk-a-thon. There is something a uniquely pleasurable and fulfilling about participating in this happening – to join a group of around 400 people for a walk up the lakefront on a beautiful Spring day, talking to friends, united behind a desire to support a truly outstanding Rogers Park organization. And then enjoy the community barbeque following the walk. Learn more about Family Matters at www.familymatterschicago.org.More…
Support Family Matters at 24th Annual Walk-a-thon on May 18th
Next Saturday, May 18th, Family Matters, a fabulous Rogers Park organization (on whose board I sit), conducts its 24th Annual Walk-a-thon - its primary fund raising event of the year. If you are available next Saturday morning, consider joining us for our 5 mile walk. Why not call a friend or two and have them join you? The Walk offers you a great chance to catch up with friends, enjoy a beautiful day strolling along the lakefront, and support a fantastic organization. Family Matters seeks a minimum $20 contribution for each walker, and we encourage you to raise additional funds via Sponsorships. Our goal is to reach $80,000 with 400 walkers (last year we raised over $60,000), so we encourage you to be as generous as you can with your contribution!More…
Rubs BBQ Parks Prized Rating
A WTI rating relates to Rogers Park residents who own a car and lack a dedicated parking space. These folks are familiar with the dreaded, often time consuming task of circling the blocks surrounding their homes in hunt for a parking space – anxiously hoping that they will encounter someone preparing to vacate a spot. Such residents become masters at squeezing into tight parking spaces, expertly assessing whether an opening between two cars is large enough to fit their car, at times pushing the limit on how far into someone’s driveway they can extend the front or back of their car without getting a ticket, or incurring the wrath of the homeowner whose driveway gets blocked.More…
The Closing of Charmers – the End of an Era for Jarvis and Greenview
Today's closing of Charmer’s Café marks more than simply the closing of a coffee shop and hang out enjoyed by many of us who lived within a few blocks of the area we know as Jarvis Square. For many years before local resident Dan Sullivan opened Charmer’s Café, the name “Charmer’s” adorned the quirky and famous gay bar, one of the oldest gay bars in Chicago, which actually existed immediately west of Charmer’s Café, occupying around half of space of the bar that now exists there, the Poitin Still. It appears that for the first time since 1929, there will be no business establishment named Charmers at this street corner.More…
Posted by Mike G on March 24, 2013 |
North Side POWER Protest Goes Too Far
“The Alderman lives only a few blocks from here. As a group, we will all march to his house and plant 543 (?) yellow flags in his yard – one for each student at Gale. Please proceed to a door, get a flag, and join us for a protest march to the Alderman’s home, where we will plant these flags on his front lawn. People cheered, stood up and put on their coats. I watched as people proceeded to the entrance, grabbed their flags, and they proceeded to march, orderly, east on Howard and south on Greenview. I proceeded directly to my car, and as I drove home, I saw the residents turn left on the Alderman’s street. I couldn’t resist. I drove in front of the Alderman’s house and heard the crowds chant in unison - something about “no more charters.” I don’t understand the need to take this step. There is no imminent issue – no one has proposed adding more charter schools in the 49th Ward. Furthermore, our local public school, Gale Academy, is not closing, and I presume that Alderman Moore played some role in seeing to it that that decision was reached – an accomplishment, to be sure, given that Gale’s enrollment is quite low (around 65% of capacity), and their scores, though improving, are not where anywhere near where we would all like for them to be. (I have heard that there is a considerable improvement at Gale.)More…
Posted by Mike G on March 10, 2013 |
Learning to Live with our New Blue Carts
Thus, within weeks, a substantial percentage of Chicago residents will be in a position to recycle. Its important that everyone devote a few minutes reviewing the City’s literature regarding the Blue Cart program, and that we familiarize ourselves with what we should and shouldn’t place in our containers. Visit www.chicagorecycles.org.More…
Posted by Mike G on February 27, 2013 |
What is it that I do do?
Then, a couple of months ago, my girlfriend bought for me a wonderful birthday present – something I eyed at a symposium I attended a couple of months ago - a composting kit complete with a bag of special worms, whose excrement makes a fertile form of composting dirt. After experimenting with this kit for a few weeks, I finally called in the Urban Worm Girl – and I received an hour’s worth of training, learning how to effectively use composting worms to make many more baby worms, and, most important, by adding the proper food and cardboard waste, a beautiful rich compost that I intend to return to the great outdoors. I was so impressed with the Urban Worm Girl that I shot a video of her explaining the process of composting. Now, every few days I grab my pile of food waste, grounds and cardboard, open the bin and dump a bit of the contents in each corner. Yes – I feed my worms, knowing that I have created a wonderful environment for them, where all they have to do is eat, procreate and shit. How exciting to see that their excrement is rich fertile dirt!More…
Posted by Mike G on February 08, 2013 |
“Have it your way” at the Gateway
Sure – if given a choice I would prefer another type of restaurant – preferably a family owned non franchise that focuses on sustainability and meticulously prepared holistic meals (akin to Pillars, on Pratt and Sheridan), or, if a franchise, something like a Panera’s Bread. Alternatively, I would love another ethnic restaurant that offers the same level of warmth and interest as the Ethiopian Diamond II (one of my favorite Rogers Park restaurants), which would be adjacent to the new BK. Sure: if I “had it my way” that is what I would choose.More…
Posted by Mike G on January 24, 2013 |
Discussing Real Estate Trends
The purpose of the meeting is to encourage group discussion, and to learn more about the realities of the market from the landlords, bankers, brokers, community leaders and other real estate professionals who attend our meetings. At the second half of the meeting, each table moderator convenes at a panel as we review the predictions arrived at by each of the answers. At the meeting’s conclusion, we unveil the results from our meeting two years ago and find out which table moderator came closest to predicting the trends.More…
Posted by Mike G on January 04, 2013 |
Shop Howard Street…. Really!
Howard Street has a few excellent restaurants (consider the Asian fusion offered by Jenny’s Gourmet at 1644 Howard; or, across the street, the Jamaican cuisine offered by Jamaican Jerk at 1631 W. Howard.) The meat patties at Caribbean Bakery at 1539 W. Howard is a staple of the neighborhood – a delicacy everyone ought to try. Go to Pete’s Grill 7557 North Paulina (along the bus terminal) and be charmed by its gracious owners, Pete and his father, Ted. You also have options for buying apparel and merchandise. Lost Era’s at 1511 W. Howard offers costume rentals as well as affordable antiques and collectibles. Howard Street presently offers many options for athletic shoes – visit them and you might be impressed, as was I, with their variety, affordability and their customer service. Also, consider shopping options in the Gateway Center, including Big Box retailer Marshalls, the GNC store in the malls southwest corner, and do your holiday shipping at the well run UPS Store in the northeast corner.More…
Posted by Mike G on December 11, 2012 |
About the Author
Mike has a long term relationship with Rogers Park, having lived here at various times in his life, most recently returning to the neighborhood in August, 2009. While living here as a third year law student, he remembers drunken nights at Biddy Mulligan’s and hosting a couple of memorable parties that he, hypocritically, now forbids his own tenants from having. Years later, after completing his stint as a lawyer, Mike started investing in apartment buildings in Rogers Park (and elsewhere), and soon after, did what many newly divorced real estate investors do: he moved into one of his buildings. In 1992 Mike was one of the founding members of the Rogers Park Builders Group, an organization that he eventually headed for six years, until yielding those reigns three years ago. Around a decade ago, on a whim, he reserved the web site “Rogerspark.com,” which he has been developing ever since, and which co-hosts RP BizArts networking events. Mike is the proud father of three wonderful children, Amy, Mitch and Ella.
Mike Glasser
