Tag: chicago

Do You Remember These Chicago Name Changes?DuSable Drive will be just one more.

Chicago Name Changes. Photos Courtesy of Chicago Tribune

My family always called it the Outer Drive. As a five-year-old, I remember the traffic jam around the S-curve as my uncle swore his way to Hyde Park for a Passover Seder as the Palmolive Building beacon glowed on us.

Aliotta, Haynes, Jeremiah romanticized it and immortalized it–there ain’t no road just like it…slippin’ by on LSD.

And if it changes–if it becomes DuSable Drive, c’est la vie. I will learn to live with it. After all, it is not the first landmark in Chicagoland to endure a name change, and it will not be the last.

Here, in no particular order, are 10 more-or-less successful name changes in our history.

  1. First, the boomerang: The above mentioned Palmolive Building was renamed Playboy Tower in 1965, but is back as Palmolive since about 2001.
  2. The AON Building, that drab white tower downtown? It started life as the Standard Oil Building, and was AMOCO for awhile, too!
  3. Guaranteed Rate Field, quite a mouthful, was originally New Comiskey Park, but is most fondly remembered as The Cell (U.S. Cellular Field,) home to the World Champion White Sox of 2005.
  4. One exception to c’est la vie. Willis Tower will be Sears Tower FOREVER. ‘Nuf said.
  5. Wonder why O’Hare International Airport’s designation is ORD? Goes back to humble origins as Orchard Field. Though shouldn’t that have made it ORC?
  6. What exactly did Mayor Jane Byrne do to justify renaming the Circle Interchange as the Jane Byrne Interchange. Perhaps she could look down on the jammed junction during the month she “lived” in Cabrini-Green.
  7. Northwestern University’s Dyche Stadium, named in perpetuity for the Dyche family, is now Ryan Field. Go ‘Cats!
  8. Will Boystown really become Northalsted? I’m not betting on it.
  9. Been to 875 N. Michigan Ave lately? What a naming comedown for the late John Hancock Building. Why not talk to Lin-Manuel Miranda and sell him the naming rights to Hamilton Tower?
  10. Drive down Pulaski Avenue much. That was once Crawford, a name it retains as it goes through the northern suburbs.

Names come and go. I won’t fret about another name change in the City of Big Shoulders, Windy City, Second City. It’s how you live it, not what you call it.

Like what you read here? Add your name to our subscription list below. No spam, I promise! ___

#mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; }
/* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block.
We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
Email Address *
First Name
Last Name
//s3.amazonaws.com/downloads.mailchimp.com/js/mc-validate.js(function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]=’EMAIL’;ftypes[0]=’email’;fnames[1]=’FNAME’;ftypes[1]=’text’;fnames[2]=’LNAME’;ftypes[2]=’text’;}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); ———————————–

George Lucas-I’ve Got Your Museum Right Here!

constructionIf you build it…

…he will come.

Field of Dreams-1989

April showers have hopefully faded away. The Cubs and Sox are both in first place. Cinco De Mayo is here. And we are making progress on the house! With carpenters working overtime (but not violating the neighborhood construction restrictions!) the framing and roof construction are near completion. Barb took a climb on a rickety ladder yesterday and tells me the view from the second floor is magnificent. Of course, when all the wallboard is up some of those sight lines will disappear, but we will always be able to look out at our tranquil pond and its occupant swans, Harvey and Sheila  (Alan Sherman, anyone?) We have also finalized selection of the exterior stone; a little of this color, a little of that color, then a little more of both. Preliminary sketches for cabinet designs are done. Barb has raised her sights and begun assaying light fixtures.

All this leads me to believe we WILL eventually be moving into our new home. And I have a convenient solution to the problem that has been plaguing Chicago and George Lucas. Where the heck to put that museum? The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has been ejected from San Francisco, evicted from its first potential Chicago site, and now the McCormick Place locale is also being challenged. Mellody Hobson, George’s wife, has pronounced they may look elsewhere, prompting Waukegan to get in on the action.

Waukegan? That’s half way to Wisconsin. And don’t they have something nuclear up that way? A Jack Benny Museum I could understand, but Lucas? I have a much better suggestion. When we move out of our Long Grove home, the Lucas Museum can move in! It’s a revolutionary suggestion, but the pros outweigh the cons.

Pros-

  • Long Grove is used to crowds-the Apple and Chocolate Fests really pack ’em in. And this could be a bigger deal than Strawberry Fest.
  • The kitchen is perfectly designed for dishing out American Graffiti Burgers. Just be kind to the marble countertops.
  • Now that we sold the exercise equipment from the bonus room ((Thanks Wallapop!) there is plenty of room up there for a Millennium Falcon exhibit.
  • Six bathrooms and no North Carolina type laws restricting their use.
  • Pretty good cell phone reception, as long as you stick to Verizon.
  • Long Grove isn’t that far from Harrison Fords hometown of Park Ridge.
  • Empty lot behind the house is perfect for parking.

Cons-

  • The Home Owner’s Association Renovation Committee might be picky about exterior signage. No wait, Barb is ON that committee. No problem as Lucas gets it approved before we move.
  • Long Grove is not known for its public transportation. However, I am sure we can work out a deal with all the landscapers to use their trucks to move folks in and out.
  • We think Adam Driver is better on “Girls” than he was in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” But maybe he will bring Allison Williams to the Grand Opening, so all is good.

All in all, its a win-win. Mr. Lucas, let’s do this!

You never know what you will find here. To subscribe, type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. It is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

Why You Should Be Reading This Blog

hc

You can check out any time you like…

…but you can never leave.

The Eagles–1976

Another Newbie Blog on ChicagoNow. What is this one all about? Call it a personal adventure if you like. My wife Barb and I are young (in our own minds) empty nesters, rattling around in a big suburban home with Max and Phoebe, our resident dog/cat combo.The kids are long gone. So after months of flip-flopping, U-Turns and a 360 or two, we decided to defy reason and build a new, too large, suburban home. We are losing a bedroom here and powder room there, but it will still be a home dedicated to our lifestyle. We began documenting our progress with the blog downsizemaybe at WordPress. We have developed many dedicated followers there, and look forward to migrating with them to this new, more grammatically correct, version in ChicagoNow.

One thing we discovered when building a home from scratch is that for long periods of time, particularly in the early phases, NOTHING HAPPENS! There is only so much that I could write about the horrors of financing this project or the fun of picking out windows. The blog has therefore evolved into a more open forum for my inner ramblings. Sometimes my mind is on music, from classic rock to Broadway show tunes. Other days you may read about my car, my pets or my family, though not necessarily in that order. Current events?  Sure, sometimes.

I try to keep my professional life (I have a full-time career as a pathologist) out of the picture, though one day you may see a sidebar on what pathology is all about. It’s not much like “Quincy” or one of those “CSI” shows, Miami, Chicago or otherwise. And I certainly don’t know any docs like Cathy Martin, the pathology resident on “St. Elsewhere” who liked to lure her lovers underground for energetic morgue sex.

Despite my best efforts, not everyone will love this blog. To make it easy for you to decide, here are four reasons NOT to follow Downsize, Maybe:

  1. If you don’t like having a particular tune stuck in your head all day. One of my partners gave up reading the blog after she complained the opening lyrics  in a particular post were driving her crazy and wouldn’t stop. As for me,  I can’t stop singing “Hey, Jealousy”, the tune that introduced the  last post on the old site.
  2. If you are waiting for Barb to write a post.  Forget about it.  Unless all of you ask very, very, nicely.
  3. If you need a new post seven days a week. Sorry, but I just don’t have the juice for that. Three or four posts a week should serve all of us just fine.
  4. If you are looking for a ranter. I am a laid back guy, though non-vaccinators drive me up a wall, and some presidential candidates do too.

But if you want a tune filled, mellow and entertaining blog, Chicago but a bit suburban, with an occasional twist or two, this will be the place for you. Any comments, suggestions, criticisms or complaints are encouraged. We even have a Facebook Page Downsize, maybe that you can contribute to.

So welcome aboard. Please keep your arms and hands inside the car while you enjoy the ride.
Want to subscribe? Enter your email below. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

Like Downsize, Maybe on Facebook
Like BULLSVILLE on Facebook