Posted on 05/16/2020 8:38:14 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
Thousands upon thousands have moved out of Chicago and Illinois as part of the great Illinois Exodus, fleeing crime and corrupt politics and the always ravenous taxman. But we decided to go in the other direction.
Back to Chicago.
...We’re not in any place fancy. We’re in a neighborhood. I love the neighborhoods. The bakeries, the butcher shops, the odd little storefronts. The density. The heat on your neck in August. The dibs in winter.
I’m looking down on the alley now. Yes, the yards are small. The density takes some getting used to, how it works on your body, the compression of space, people living closer together.
The street parking is tight. In the winter when it snows, Judge Dibs will find out whether this is a neighborhood of people who proudly enjoy the fruit of their own labors, or if this is a neighborhood of anti-dibs Karens and other collectivist shamers.
Our year in Chicago begins.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
The Chicago Public Schools and the City Colleges of Chicago both actively champion illegal immigrants because their continued enrollment and access to tax dollars depend upon these students.
“You don’t own it because you shoveled it. You shoveled it to get you car out.”
In the city, the deeper the snow the more likely you will return to a damaged car.
If the snow is heavy and deep, meet Bruno and his pals; they would like to have a word with you.
Sometimes it might be Jamal and lacking impulse control; opens fire.
“Dibs” is an informal social contract - it works when you have a true community where the majority have the pretty much the same values (and that’s what much of the city used to be, especially in the ethnic neighborhoods).
Once a residential areas become more impersonal, the social structure becomes more cutthroat, so forget about “dibs”. One can argue whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but in the end, it is a thing, whether one likes it or not.
One of our relatives was in the Peace Corp. She and her husband were hired by a private corporation to help a poor African country when their tour ended.
Recently, when the Peace Corp came home around the world post Corona 19, the company offered to pay their way home or increased security to stay in Africa.
One of her cousins said, “Where they were in Africa was safer than their home in Chicago. So why not stay.”
They opted to stay in Africa.
That happens sometimes especially in smaller neighborhoods with houses on the block. It does not happen when there are three flats on the block.
I do not need the street for my parking, but I have neighbors who do. But, we have a small street of only about seven houses on a side and most of the neighbors are friendly. But we have a nearby street where most of the houses have no garage and some not even a driveway. After a bad winter snow storm the spaces along the curb on either side of that street will be littered by old chairs, trash cans, and all sorts of things folks used to stake their claim.
I don’t know how it is today but when I was growing up
there a lot of people had two cars. A regular car, and a
winter car. The winter car was an old beater with rusted
out quarter panels, snow tires, and a good heater.
“They opted to stay in Africa.”
As much as I hate the city, there are still areas that are near normal, but declining every day.
There are some cities and towns in PA where the residents of some homes have permits to park on their street.
No permit, you get ticketed and towed.
I'm not sure it's fair, but I know I will NEVER test the system {again}.
It's a real pain in the ass to find your vehicle, pay the fine, listen to all of the holier than thou advice...blah, blah, blah.
It’s a Pittsburgh thing, too. All year round.
Kass is in for some biiiiig disappointment
In New Jersey the town of Hoboken is right across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Hoboken has a stop on subway sort of train line that runs between Manhattan and Newark New Jersey. Hoboken is the last stop before heading into Manhattan and the 1st stop out of Manhattan. Hoboken was a magnet for folks with jobs in Manhattan that wanted less expensive living accommodations than Manhattan. That didn’t last forever as that reason kept making Hoboken popular. That train connection also made Hoboken a popular place for folks from outside Hoboken to go to, to take the train into Manhattan. For a long time if you got to Hoboken early enough you could find a place to park on a street all day. Last time I was there a number of streets in Hoboken required residential permits during weekday working hours and some vacated the need for those who had such permits to pay the meters during other hours. It seems like all the “yuppies”, followed by others, fell in love with Hoboken and after the gentrified it have been making it more restrictive.
Like Kankakee?
This ‘dibs’ thing seems like one of those arguments which will never be settled like whether or not its a good idea for the seats to go back on airplanes.
No way would I move to a city.. ANY city.
I watch too many murder shows to fall for THAT line of sweet talk, LOL!
Ugh.. I know Kankakee well.. it has a few nice areas around Cobb Park, but most of the rest of it is a hellhole.
Having two cars is Midwest Ingenuity. I drive a VW Golf in clear weather and my Ford Escape in the winter months at the first snowfall which can come as early as October.
Always be prepared. :)
Kankakee?
I was thinking of Peoria or Rockford, but do not recall for certain.
Where they were in Africa was safer than their home in Chicago.
I came back to near NW Chicago Christmas, 1967, 1 week before the Tet offensive. In 1968 there were 7 separate murders on my block, all by the same Street Gang. One of my teen age friends, loosely associated with one of the many other gangs, joined the Marines. He accurately figured it would be safer for him in Viet Nam than in Chicago.
That (and the murders) was my motivation to switch my focus from housing and urban renewal to youth in 1969.
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