Neighborhood Notes: North Park / Albany Park
From time to time, I write about our neighborhood because it IS such an important part of owning a house. A sense of place is important...the people who live there, the energy of the place, what you see, what there is to do. And our neighborhood (North Park / Albany Park in Chicago) has never been written about very much until lately. Which is a shame, because more people should know about it. It's the United Nations of neighborhoods, one of the most ethnically diverse in the entire country. (Though our political leanings? Not so diverse. 97.47% of Albany Park residents voted for Kerry in the last election. :)
Lately, my favorite place to hang out for coffee and a cookie (or quiche!) is the newly-opened Open Hearth Cafe on Kimball near Foster.
During the day, I hike over with Grace in the stroller to get coffee (fair trade coffee!) and quiche. I accidentally ordered their Power Quiche once, which came with raspberry preserves and sour cream on the side. Since then, I have been hooked on this new taste sensation....yummmmmm. (I know, I know. Eggs. Raspberry preserves. Sour cream. What is that about? Trust me on this one. I grew up as a picky eater who would eat only a few things for years: 1) spaghetti and butter, 2) steak/roast beef, 3) french fries. So, if I like it? It's good stuff.)
When I meet friends there who have toddlers, a toybox keeps the kids occupied. Or sometimes I will escape there with the laptop, leaving Grace at home with her daddy, and I will surf the Internet for an hour using their wireless connection. (Got's to have my wireless.)
In the evening, it's cozy and warm there with the fireplace going in colder weather. The family who owns the shop bakes the cookies and treats, makes the hummus and meals, and they make a fantastic latte. I love to support independently-owned coffee shops though I am often disappointed by their coffee. Happily, the Open Hearth makes truly fabulous coffee and espresso! So, my caffeine-loving taste buds are content. Soon, they'll begin hosting live music. And they are currently accepting artwork from local artists to display on the walls.
Places like these are a little watering hole for community, a hodgepodge of people gathered together around the neighborhood coffee pot. It gives you that small town feeling in the middle of the big city. And I think we miss more than the coffee when our choices become limited to strip malls or drive-thru's...
The Open Hearth, 5207 North Kimball, Chicago
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Comments
I miss Chicago.
It's not unheard of to make a dessert omelette with preserves and powdered sugar--I think that's kind of a French thing, actually. It sounds heavenly. The coffee shops down here are always packed with students and their belongings, and it gets tiresome after a while. I miss Cafe Ennui, a block or so from my old apartment in Rogers Park. Oh, and Don's Coffee Club on Jarvis, which was great and served no lattes.
Posted by: tully monster | March 28, 2006 10:14 AM
Sounds like this is your Third Place (http://www.pps.org/info/placemakingtools/placemakers/roldenburg) - it looks like a lovely place to hang out.
Posted by: LisaB | March 28, 2006 11:01 AM
Oh, SURE...Chris and I move out of the 'hood and fun, good, yummy things happen. I'll be taking you and Grace out for quiche and coffee then next week, my friend.
Posted by: Lisa | March 28, 2006 4:23 PM
whats that baby doing with a bottle?!?!?
Posted by: Anonymous | March 28, 2006 8:09 PM
Coffee houses are the modern community centers, for sure. I am here in Austin, Tx (for now) and each neighborhood has it's own coffee house - one of my favorites parts of living here. I used to live in Chicago and will again when my 50's ranch sells here. 10 years ago when I did, I frequented Don's Coffee Club, as did Tully Monster who mentioned in the post above. It was one of the most magical Chicago experiences! Reading this post really made me smile! I am glad you found the perfect neighborhood spot! It makes the neighborhood home, not just somewhere you live.
Posted by: dena | March 29, 2006 12:09 AM
Relax, it's whiskey and expressed breast milk. The bottle makes it easier to give her the alcohol.
Posted by: jm | March 29, 2006 7:50 AM
i have some friends up in that area. its always a treat to go up to visit them. its a twenty to thirty minute drive for me--depending on traffic. i like to joke that its the 'other side of the world'. but having been a lifelong southsider first thing i noticed was that the neighborhood was very diverse and not as segregated as other parts of the city. lucky you, i think its going to be a great spot to raise your baby.
Posted by: irasali | March 29, 2006 1:05 PM
As a former Chicagoan now living vicariously through others, I'm curious to know where this new fabulous restaurant is...possibly in the old Tastee Freez location if it's on Kimball near Foster??...please do satisfy my curiosity, would you?
Posted by: A different Lisa | March 30, 2006 7:18 AM
There was a TASTEE FREEZE here?! I am so bummed that it is gone.
Open Hearth is around the corner from Kim's Mart and across from Lawando's Auto Repair. It used to be Albina Cafe and before that a pizza place maybe (?) and long before that, it was the Broken Wall Coffee Shop.
But Aaron would know better than I. He knows the neighborhood history better.
Posted by: jm | March 30, 2006 8:45 AM
Oh yeah, the Tastee Freeze! (I forgot about that place. It was kind of a dump, though.) Actually, they tore that building down and built a new Subway there.
Times change....
Posted by: Aaron | March 30, 2006 9:19 AM
Whoops, I was on Foster, wasn't I? Thanks for clarifying though, now I know right where it is. And Aaron, you're right, the TF was a dump and I forgot about the Subway.
Toodles
LE(A)P
Posted by: A different Lisa | March 30, 2006 12:19 PM
Don's Coffee Club on Jarvis was indeed the most magical place in the city. I miss it!
Posted by: Jess | May 25, 2006 12:00 PM