Near North Side between River North and Old Town (Chicago: neighborhood, price)

[ChicagoMeO]

On the 600 block of North Ave, where Marcellos was before it got torn down, was a little hot dog stand on Larrabee. I Google Mapped it and it says its Kababish BBQ and Grill, but i did another google map, and its what was there before - a hot dog stand.. I think that might have been a relic from the old Cabrini Green housing project days. i went in there once to get a quick snack and it looked like it served the poor. it was like a couple dollars for a hot dog.

I'm going to try to copy it here.

https://www.bing.com/maps?osid=2d78e...=2&form=S00027

[personone]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

Have you ever driven by or gone into a little hot dog hut where the Marcello's Father and Son Pizza place was on North Ave about 500 West? near the Chase Bank, Well, they have demolished that shopping strip, but there used to be a hot dog stand, with $5.00 hot dogs, this was a few years ago. It was really cheap.. I am thinking that is within walking distance from the old Cabrini Green projects and provided affordable food for the residents. Its gone now. could that be?

I just now realized Father and Son's is closed. I went there a couple of times, although I always went there for brunch on Sunday's a couple of times after Church (I used to go to Mass in Old Town, still do occasionally), and didn't realize that it is traditionally a Pizza Place. I always thought it was a brunch place, but see that it was a pizza place.

Seemed like a really nice family restaurant with a good crowd. Sorry that it closed (looks like about a year ago).

[IronWright]

Originally Posted by personone

I just now realized Father and Son's is closed. I went there a couple of times, although I always went there for brunch on Sunday's a couple of times after Church (I used to go to Mass in Old Town, still do occasionally), and didn't realize that it is traditionally a Pizza Place. I always thought it was a brunch place, but see that it was a pizza place.

Seemed like a really nice family restaurant with a good crowd. Sorry that it closed (looks like about a year ago).

They replaced that God-awful suburban strip-mall with a high-rise. This is the urbanization they need to execute throughout the entire city. Those urban renewal era scars are detrimental to the cohesion and scale of the built environment.

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by personone

I just now realized Father and Son's is closed. I went there a couple of times, although I always went there for brunch on Sunday's a couple of times after Church (I used to go to Mass in Old Town, still do occasionally), and didn't realize that it is traditionally a Pizza Place. I always thought it was a brunch place, but see that it was a pizza place.

Seemed like a really nice family restaurant with a good crowd. Sorry that it closed (looks like about a year ago).

Yes it was an Italian restaurant, i mean the very good homemade Italian grandma style! Delicious chicken wings and the thin crust pizza.. never could decide which i wanted. I went inside to eat and they had families, and lots of people there.


Also a bakery case with delicious deserts. I was able to go there before they closed.


also lost the Chase Bank, and some strip mall stores. You might find one in the suburbs open because the Father and Son in Logan Square also gone (this was the 1st pizza i ever had when i was little).

[personone]

Originally Posted by IronWright

They replaced that God-awful suburban strip-mall with a high-rise. This is the urbanization they need to execute throughout the entire city. Those urban renewal era scars are detrimental to the cohesion and scale of the built environment.

Wow......yeah I think I noticed that, but just never put 2-and-2 together since I never frequented Father and Son's.

I know what you mean about having those strip malls. That's why when people say that they consider North Ave "downtown," I always scratch my head, lol.

[IronWright]

Originally Posted by personone

Wow......yeah I think I noticed that, but just never put 2-and-2 together since I never frequented Father and Son's.

I know what you mean about having those strip malls. That's why when people say that they consider North Ave "downtown," I always scratch my head, lol.

I agree, North Ave. is really stretching the definition of downtown. Division to North, LSD to Clybourn Corrdior is way too residential/retail oriented to define as downtown. Hopefully our next boom period fills that area in with high-rise density.

This hotel at 1528 N. Wells near North Ave. was just approved after years of battling.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ef4soa0W...png&name=small

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by IronWright

I agree, North Ave. is really stretching the definition of downtown. Division to North, LSD to Clybourn Corrdior is way too residential/retail oriented to define as downtown. Hopefully our next boom period fills that area in with high-rise density.

This hotel at 1528 N. Wells near North Ave. was just approved after years of battling.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ef4soa0W...png&name=small

Yeah, the Old Town conservation committee has fought hard to preserve the roots and commercial property on Well St.

It's one of the few cases in Chicago that I truly believe is to the detriment of the aesthetic. Old Town, circa post recession ( and prior to Obrien's being torn down) was delicately balanced. Wells St was well preserved, but thriving with a ton of new business. Heading south towards Oak was being developed at a pretty good clip, which was a welcomed change for me as there wasn't much to preserve down there anyways. But, I'm pretty bummed out every time I return to Wells St now. It's losing some of that charm... Some of the X factor that has made it so cool over the last few decades. And mid/high rises will make it blend more seamlessly with the rest of River North, which gives you the big city feel but is rather bland and hard to differentiate from other cities.

Heading west, North Ave. still remained a lot of mix use, and I thought the plans/building they were doing there was largely a good thing. Nice to connect Well St. to all of the shopping and restaraunts over at Clybourn.

[IronWright]

Originally Posted by mwj119

Yeah, the Old Town conservation committee has fought hard to preserve the roots and commercial property on Well St.

It's one of the few cases in Chicago that I truly believe is to the detriment of the aesthetic. Old Town, circa post recession ( and prior to Obrien's being torn down) was delicately balanced. Wells St was well preserved, but thriving with a ton of new business. Heading south towards Oak was being developed at a pretty good clip, which was a welcomed change for me as there wasn't much to preserve down there anyways. But, I'm pretty bummed out every time I return to Wells St now. It's losing some of that charm... Some of the X factor that has made it so cool over the last few decades. And mid/high rises will make it blend more seamlessly with the rest of River North, which gives you the big city feel but is rather bland and hard to differentiate from other cities.

Heading west, North Ave. still remained a lot of mix use, and I thought the plans/building they were doing there was largely a good thing. Nice to connect Well St. to all of the shopping and restaraunts over at Clybourn.

I agree with you that mid & high-rise buildings tend to make areas more bland but a lot of that is the fault of the architecture and the way that it intergrates with the street.

New York does a much better job of incorporating active uses with public engagement on the lower levels where Chicago unfortunately relies on parking podiums, blank walls and louvers facing the street. That creates a sterile environment. New York infill also generally has smaller footrpints with more verticality where Chicago buildings tend to be squat boxes with massive footprints.

These are the types of high-rise infill Chicago is allergic to.


https://ds3.cityrealty.com/img/ad750...-street-00.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/7c/21/0a/7...234b6d82e6.jpg

https://tribecacitizen.com/wp-conten...-rendering.jpg

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by IronWright

They replaced that God-awful suburban strip-mall with a high-rise. This is the urbanization they need to execute throughout the entire city. Those urban renewal era scars are detrimental to the cohesion and scale of the built environment.

yes those were very small shops.. but Chase Bank and Marcellos Father and Son were primo. they could have rebuilt in the building being built or maybe if the building would have provided a restaurant space they could have moved into, would have been nice.


that hot dog stand was really a relic from the past. i was curious about it. very very cheap hotdogs.


I do feel the same sentiment as others when they turned Old Town the way it was in the 1960's- 1970's into a suburban strip mall feel in some of the stores. that was the coolest place to go when i was in high school. it had a particular unique flavor to it which can never be replaced and sanitized. i really miss it.

[Chicagoland60426]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

The original boundaries of neighborhoods like River North and Old Town have grown as those with real estate interests have tried to capitalize on the cachet that those neighborhoods have. This is especially true of River North. River North absolutely does not extend north of Chicago Avenue into neighborhoods like Goose Island and Cabrini like many claim. Likewise, Old Town does not extend farther south or west.

According to google maps, River North stops at Chicago on its northern boundary, which agrees with your point. Also, per google maps, Old Town extends as far north as Armitage, Halsted to its west, and Clark to its east, in Lincoln Park. Those boundaries overlaps with Old Town Triangle, which I thought was distinctive enough to be separate.