What’s New

Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Leeper extends no-hit streak to 15.2 innings; Roberts extends shutout streak; Howard homerson July 15, 2021 at 3:29 pm

Cubs Den

Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Leeper extends no-hit streak to 15.2 innings; Roberts extends shutout streak; Howard homers

Read More

Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Leeper extends no-hit streak to 15.2 innings; Roberts extends shutout streak; Howard homerson July 15, 2021 at 3:29 pm Read More »

Man killed in overnight Lawndale shootingSun-Times Wireon July 15, 2021 at 2:44 pm

A man was fatally shot early Thursday in Lawndale on the West Side — the second person killed in the neighborhood in less than a day.

Officers responding to calls of gunfire found him lying next to a vehicle around 2:40 a.m. in the 1400 block of South Avers Avenue, Chicago police said.

The man, 34, had gunshot wounds to his chest and neck, police said.

He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounce dead. His name hasn’t been released.

No arrest was made, police said.

On Wednesday, another man was killed in a shooting just blocks away. Kevin Starks, 24, was shot in his head while inside a vehicle about 6:40 p.m. in the 1600 block of South Christiana Avenue. He died at the scene.

The North Lawndale community area has experienced a spike in homicides. The area has recorded 29 homicides so far this year, compared with 18 during the same period in 2020, according to a Sun-Times analysis.

Only one other community area in Chicago has seen more homicides this year: The Austin area with 32.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

Read More

Man killed in overnight Lawndale shootingSun-Times Wireon July 15, 2021 at 2:44 pm Read More »

Lawyer for man found with guns in Chicago downtown hotel accuses mayor, top cop of sensationalizing arrest without any evidence of possible mass attackMatthew Hendricksonon July 15, 2021 at 2:28 pm

The Iowa auto mechanic arrested in a downtown Chicago hotel room with a rifle, scope and pistol was in town to propose to his girlfriend over the Fourth of July weekend, not to launch a mass attack as the mayor and top cop have suggested, his lawyer insisted Wednesday.

“This baseless accusation against Mr. (Keegan) Casteel spurred sensational media coverage, despite the dearth of evidence that our client had any ill intent,” said Loop attorney Jonathan M. Brayman.

“Mr. Casteel did have a plan for the Fourth of July — to travel to the city of Chicago to propose to his girlfriend on the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier that evening,” he added.

This is the first public comment from Casteel since he was arrested July 4, when a housekeeper at Hotel W led police to room 1208, where officers found a loaded semi-automatic rifle with a laser scope, five ammunition clips and a loaded .45-caliber handgun.

Both Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Police Supt. David Brown have said Casteel may have intended to fire on Navy Pier crowds from his hotel window, though prosecutors have yet to offer any proof of such plans.

Brayman said his client is licensed to have the guns and was merely possessing his Second Amendment rights. They suggested the weapons made Casteel feel safer in a crime-ridden city.

“The fact that good people feel the need to arm themselves when traveling to Chicago is the real problem that our public officials need to address,” he said. “In Mr. Casteel’s case, there was nothing nefarious afoot.”

Brayman suggested that both the mayor and the superintendent purposely sensationalized the arrest to draw attention from the city’s rising violence.

Brown announced the arrest two days after it was made, during a news conference where he was questioned about one of the most violent Fourth of July weekends in years, with over 100 people shot, including 13 children.

“While the superintendent and other public officials have made Mr. Casteel a scapegoat in the face of widespread violence and actual shootings in the city of Chicago, he is nothing more than a law-abiding person exercising his Second Amendment Rights,” Brayman said.

Casteel, 32, has so far been charged with two felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, though prosecutors said Wednesday a grand jury will review the case.

In the meantime, he has been released on a relatively low $10,000 bond after a judge reminded him that gun laws in Chicago are different than in Iowa.

After leaving Cook County Jail on July 7, Casteel walked up to an SUV and knelt in front of his girlfriend, who had just gotten out of the driver’s seat. He held a ring and proposed, and they drove off.

The judge allowed Casteel to return to his home near Des Moines, where he has run an auto garage since the fall of 2019.

Since his arrest, Casteel’s mugshot has been carried by media around the world along with the accusations from the mayor and the police superintendent.

Brown, during his news conference, noted that Casteel’s hotel room overlooked a portion of the Ohio Street Beach along Lake Michigan and Navy Pier.

Brown said the housekeeper who tipped off police “likely prevented a tragedy from happening,” adding, “Thank God for that hotel worker who saw something, and said something, and I believe averted disaster.”

Brown, and later the mayor, noted that Casteel was interviewed by the “joint terrorism task force” in Chicago.

Though no terrorism-related charges were filed, Lightfoot described the guns found in the room as “weapons of war.”

“Because he was charged with mere possession and legally, here in our city, the charges weren’t of the type that he could have been held,” she complained hours after Brown’s news conference. “But luckily, he was questioned by the joint terrorism task force. He is now under radar screening of the FBI.”

As described in the police report, officers found a PTR 91 semi-automatic rifle with a .308-caliber round in the chamber. It was fitted with a “laser and high-powered” scope.

There were also five ammunition clips with an “unknown amount” of ammunition, and an HK USP Tactical pistol with an “unknown amount of .45-caliber rounds.”

The housekeeper spotted the guns near a window “in a very suspicious position,” Brown told reporters, without elaborating.

But as the police report also notes, there is nothing suspicious in Casteel’s background: No outstanding arrest warrants, no investigative alerts, no threats on social media. He was neither on parole nor on probation.

Contributing: Stefano Esposito

Read More

Lawyer for man found with guns in Chicago downtown hotel accuses mayor, top cop of sensationalizing arrest without any evidence of possible mass attackMatthew Hendricksonon July 15, 2021 at 2:28 pm Read More »

Commentary: How Chicago’s Suburbs Shape Pop CultureWhet Moseron July 15, 2021 at 2:00 pm

When I was a teenager, attending what I’ll call Inner City Rust Belt High School, an integrated institution across the street from an auto plant in Michigan, I got all my impressions of suburbia from the movies. Risky Business. Ordinary People. National Lampoon’s Vacation. The entire John Hughes oeuvre, especially Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. 

It was an exotic world. Or perhaps its lack of exoticism made it seem so to me. Unlike at my high school, there were no Black people, and lots of rich people, so social distinctions were based on class, rather than race. Every John Hughes movie featured a kid from the wrong side of the Metra tracks vs. a sneering snob who probably lived in a Sheridan Road mansion. People drove foreign cars—expensive ones, like Cameron’s father’s Ferrari in Ferris Bueller. They were obsessed with academic and professional achievement. In Risky Business, Tom Cruise spared himself from going to Illinois by setting the Princeton recruiter up with a hooker.

“Princeton can use a guy like Joel,” Tom’s wealthy father tells him at the end of the movie, his voice practically cracking with pride.

Rightly or wrongly, I concluded that suburbia was segregated and snobbish, an attitude I’ve never been able to shake. I didn’t get that attitude from movies about just any suburbs, I got it from movies about Chicago’s Northern suburbs, which, over the last 40 years, have come to be seen as representative of all American suburbia. (My first job in Chicago was covering the Lake County suburbs for the Tribune. That didn’t change my mind.)

During the first wave of suburbanization, in the aftermath of World War II, the suburbs of Northeastern cities got all the attention, in movies such as Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, and in the fiction of John Updike, John Cheever and Richard Yates. When Hollywood rediscovered Chicago in the 1980s, though, it also discovered Chicago’s suburbs, through the work of writers and directors who grew up there. Paul Brickman, who directed Risky Business, was from Highland Park; Hughes was from Deerfield.

In the 1980s, suburbia was in its prime. Back then, nobody with money wanted to live in urban America. Rich people wouldn’t start moving back to cities for another decade. The suburbs are often mocked as a cultural wasteland, but towards the end of the 20th century, that’s where a lot of Chicago’s cultural energy was coming from. Even The Blues Brothers, which is revered as a document of post-industrial, pre-gentrification Chicago, was co-created by John Belushi of Wheaton. Steppenwolf Theatre Company was co-founded by Jeff Perry of Highland Park and Gary Sinise of Blue Island. According to his National Lampoon colleague P.J. O’Rourke, Hughes in particular was eager to rescue his native grounds from the notion that “America’s suburbs were a living hell almost beyond the power of John Cheever’s words to describe.”

Chicago’s 1990s alternative music scene may have been born in Wicker Park, but its leading lights were suburbanites: Liz Phair of Winnetka, Billy Corgan of Elk Grove Village, Local H of Zion. Urge Overkill formed at Northwestern University. High Fidelity, the movie which celebrated that scene, starred Evanston’s own John Cusack as Rob Gordon, a guy from the suburbs who opens a record shop on Milwaukee Avenue.

Chicago’s suburbs continue to define suburbia in popular culture. The 2004 movie Mean Girls, the quintessential depiction of high school cliques, was set at fictional North Shore High School (i.e., New Trier). The characters even shopped at Old Orchard, although it was inaccurately depicted as an indoor mall. Greater Chicagoland also makes an appearance, and provides a contrast: Wayne’s World, set in Aurora, and Roseanne, set in the fictional, Elgin-inspired collar-county town of Lanford, are on the outside, physically, culturally and economically.

Nathan Hill’s The Nix, one of the finest fiction debuts of recent years, is about a young writer who grows up in Streamwood, then goes on to teach literature “at a small university northwest of Chicago, in a suburb where all the giant freeways split apart and end at giant department stores and corporate office parks and three-lane roads clogged with vehicles driven by the parents who send their children to Samuel’s school.” (That sounds a lot like Harper College in Palatine.) The Nix allowed me to vicariously experience the 1980s suburban adolescence I never had, depicted much more realistically than in a John Hughes movie.

This fall, Jonathan Franzen, who was born in Western Springs, is coming out with Crossroads, the first volume in his “A Key to All Mythologies” trilogy. Publishers Weekly calls it “a sweeping and masterly examination of the shifting culture of early 1970s America.” Where better to examine that culture than “the small Illinois town of New Prospect”—a suburb of Chicago.

In the early 20th Century, novelists who wanted to capture America in all its complexity set their stories in Chicago: Frank Norris’s The Pit, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, Willa Cather’s The Song of the Lark. In the early 21st Century, they’re turning to Chicago’s suburbs.

Read More

Commentary: How Chicago’s Suburbs Shape Pop CultureWhet Moseron July 15, 2021 at 2:00 pm Read More »

Ten Awesome Things to Do in Scottsdale’s Desert ParadiseMira Temkinon July 15, 2021 at 2:07 pm

When the temps go up in Scottsdale, the prices go down. So bring on the heat and save big bucks on that luxury vacation you’ve been dreaming about. With rates 60% off peak season, forget about that three-digit number on the thermometer and plan a trip now. Check out ItsThatHot.com for easy, breezy trip-planning with everything from hot resort rates to chill desert experiences.

1. The Phoenician – A Luxury Resort Collection, Scottsdale 

Advertisement

The sprawling Phoenician Hotel stands against the backdrop of the Camelback Mountains. Photo by Mira Temkin.

Get ready for the time of your life! The AAA Five Diamond  Phoenician is now welcoming guests back to a true luxury experience. Choose from a range of accommodations…more than 600 spectacular guest rooms/suites as well as 60-Canyon Suites with exclusive services, private pools and cabanas. Bring the gang and hang out at the Phoenician Athletic Club,  a new two-story facility where you can do it all. Play tennis, pickleball, work out or up your skills in the game room. Like to hit the greens? Tee up for a premier golf experience at the 18-hole Phoenician Golf Club, showcasing the unique beauty of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert.

Dine Divine 

Advertisement

Hungry?  The Phoenician offers eight different venues that feature sumptuous steaks, bold, American cuisine and poolside options.

Charred Hanger Steak with wild mushroom, pickled blueberry and sunflower pesto. Photo by Mira Temkin.

Go casual, yet refined at Mowry & Cotton, and indulge in a menu that combines bold, simple flavors of Modern American cuisine with traditional cooking under fire, coal and smoke. Chef Tandy Peterson’s approach uses the large, hearth oven that that stands as the focal point of the restaurant for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. Recommended is the Charred Hanger Steak with wild mushroom, pickled blueberry and sunflower pesto which was rich and succulent.  Save room for the warm S’mores Pie.

Advertisement

The Spa of Spas

Get the treatments you deserve at the new, three-story Phoenician Spa offering a contemporary approach to relaxation, fitness and beauty. Using desert botanicals, savor a range of treatments, therapies and salon services and feel totally relaxed. Try the Personal Remedy facial and come away with skin that feels fresh and rejuvenated. Then chill out at the rooftop pool with mountain views, feeling at one with the desert. Visit the Drybar for a blowout/hair styling, nail salon; aromatherapy blending bar and the fitness center for personal training.

Advertisement

2.Sip and Savor at LDV Winery

Wine concierge Grant Gibson can recommend a host of vintages. Photo by Mira Temkin.

Head to LDV Winery in downtown Scottsdale for a pairing of their finest vintages. While their vineyard is located in the Chiricahua Mountains in Southeastern, Arizona, you can enjoy their hand-crafted, estate-grown Rhone-varietal wines by the glass or bottle right there in town. Share the bounty with your pals or a plate of “little bites” to munch on while you’re sipping on the patio. Grant Gibson, wine concierge, explained how the volcanic soil of the region as well as the high elevation contributes to the wine’s unique flavors. What’s more, LDV is also Arizona’s only vegan winery.

Advertisement

Dining Recommendations

3.The Herb Box

Advertisement

Go big at The Herb Box. Photo by Mira Temkin

Advertisement

Plan to be wowed at this farm-to-table restaurant where you can watch the food being prepared outside window at the Herb Box. Savory twists on tried-and-true cuisine along with fresh, seasonal ingredients combine regional flavors with uber-creativity. Start with the Crisp Brussel Sprouts Chips, served with yellow pepper aioli. Dee-lish and healthy, too. Recommended entrée is the Chimichurri Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Fries and Happy Garden Salad, so plentiful. The Herb Box is known for its shared plates, bowls and flatbreads. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

4.Farm & Craft

Think sustainable, gluten-free and organic food and you’ve got the focus of Farm & Craft community-style dining. They believe in a seasonal Wellness Menu that drives four paths to optimal health. Try the Wild Mushroom Flatbread with caramelized onions, sesame cashew salad or a roasted beets bowl for great taste and nutrients. Kombucha Cocktails are out of this world.

5.Postino’s Wine Bar, Highland

Continuing to expand their locations, Postino’s Highland is the newest jewel in the crown. Housed inside a restored midcentury modern bank, Postino’s Wine Bar is the perfect place to sip and savor. Famous for their luscious bruschetta, go with the Brie, Apple and Fig Spread, Ricotta, Dates and Pistachio, Artichoke Spread and Smoked Salmon and Pesto. Everything was perfect-o! For a light lunch, go with the Raspberry Chicken Salad sandwich. Pair your meal with one of Wine Merchant Brent’s picks for wine or beer and dig in!

6.Wonderspaces – It’s Virtual Art and More 

Watching a virtual reality movie. Photo courtesy of Wonderspaces.

A really cool place to hang out is Wonderspaces, a year-round, evolving art show featuring extraordinary artwork from around the world This interactive, Instagram-friendly series of installations is the first permanent location of the popular art pop-up. Get your I-phones ready for awesome selfies. Experiences like the Virtual Reality movie where a dog jumps into your boat as you drift along and self-drawing art will amaze you!  It’s all inside Fashion Square Mall.

7.Indulge in the Ultimate in Luxury at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

The exquisite Fairmont Princess

Located on 65 acres in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, you’ll find the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, a AAA Five Diamond luxury resort that caters to your every need. Known for its uncompromising standards of excellence, the luxury resort features five distinctive restaurants and lounges, two Tournament Players Club golf courses, Well & Being Spa, five heated outdoor swimming pools and five tennis courts.

Check out the Ironwood American Kitchen which serves all-day fare in a warm and inviting atmosphere overlooking the resort’s South Pool. The menu features a variety of hearty, wood-fired specialties such as flatbread pizzas, sandwiches and oven roasted nachos, as well as mixing bowl salads and chef Sean Mayhew’s famous Bechamel-drizzled potato chips. Take time to watch the exhibition kitchen and interact with Mayhew and his team. With summer rates starting at $199, the newly renovated Princess packs in fun for your whole gang.

Dine at Scottsdale’s best Mexican restaurant

Under the direction of Chef Richard Sandoval, La Hacienda at the Princess serves the best Mexican cuisine in Scottsdale. Look for innovative flavors featuring seasonal, indigenous ingredients. Sandoval’s philosophy embraces the concept of “Old Ways, New Hands”, sharing old classics in exciting new ways. Emphasis is on tableside preparation to delight your senses, starting with guacamole. Local favorites include grilled skirt steak served with cactus pico, fajitas and barbecued seabass or short ribs. End with their iconic flaming coffee, served tableside, with tequila, coffee, cream, cinnamon in an unforgettable presentation.

8.Hit the water!

Photo courtesy of REI

Think you can’t kayak or raft in Scottsdale? Head out to Salt River just 20 minutes outside the city and you’ll find there’s no shortage of outdoor adventure in the Arizona desert. Check out REI- Co-op for a full itinerary of challenging and fun adventure trips, including guided tours, mountain biking, curated experiences and more on the water and off. Let their nature experts show you their knowledge of the Sonoran Desert as you bike, raft and hike the great outdoors. Kayak down the Lower Salt River and bask in the serenity of the clear waters. Take in the blue herons and bald eagles with magnificent views of four mountain ranges. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot a group of wild horses grazing in the shallow waters.

9.Go True North at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West

Photo by Mira Temkin

The spirit of the American West is alive and well at the nation’s best Western museum and Smithsonian affiliate. Explore the outstanding art exhibits, rare Old West artifacts and movie posters that bring Western heritage to life. Check out the collection of saddles and wonder about the adventures the riders had seen. You’ll get a feel for the culture of cowboys and Native Americans who settled this country. Walking distance of Scottsdale’s numerous art galleries and restaurants.

10.Scottsdale’s Newest Dining, Shopping, Entertainment Scene — Arizona Boardwalk

Welcome to the Arizona BoardwalkThis is the place to play! Arizona Boardwalk features eight different attractions with more than 10 shops and restaurants.

Go Deep at OdySea Aquarium

Odysea at The Boardwalk

The 16-acre complex is the largest aquarium in the Southwest and the fourth largest in America, all developed by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Featuring high-tech, high-entertainment, oceanic adventure with floor-to-ceiling windows, you can view aquatic life many fun ways. SeaTREK was way cool, where you descend deep into the water and meet marine life face to face, if you dare! The OdySea Voyager takes you on a rotating aquarium experience with sea turtles, sea lions and sharks. You can even watch the actual feeding. Check out the award-winning bathrooms for more surprises.

Butterfly Wonderland – A Rainforest Experience

What a feeling to walk into Butterfly Wonderland, the largest indoor butterfly conservatory in America and see thousands of butterflies flying freely. Get up close and personal with reptiles and amphibians, all in the magic of the rainforest. Be sure to catch the “Flight of the Butterflies” movie in their immersive 3D theater.

Plan your trip to Scottsdale soon. For more information, go to ExperienceScottsdale.com.

Read More

Ten Awesome Things to Do in Scottsdale’s Desert ParadiseMira Temkinon July 15, 2021 at 2:07 pm Read More »

The Irish Oak is Hosting ‘Joke at the Oak’ Comedy Showcase to Benefit Chicago Gateway Green This FridayBrian Lendinoon July 15, 2021 at 1:28 pm

This Friday, one of Chicago’s most important community missions and one of Wrigley’s most iconic watering holes are teaming up to host the Joke at the Oak Comedy Showcase.

Chicago Gateway Green is a non-profit, public-private partnership dedicated to the greening and beautification of Chicago’s expressways, gateways and neighborhoods through landscape enhancement, litter and graffiti removal and the installation of public art.

Advertisement

Chicago Gateway Green developed the Expressway Partnership program, joining the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois and Chicago’s corporate community to transform the city’s expressways into beautifully-landscaped parkways. More than 100 gardens comprise the Program, covering almost 150 acres of roadside landscapes on all major expressways leading into and out of the city. Each garden is carefully planned using native shrubs, trees, and perennials that require fewer resources and are well adapted to the harsh roadside growing conditions. We work closely with professional landscape crews to provide plant care, weed control, mowing, and litter pickup from April through October to ensure our gardens always look their best! Look for our signature Oak Leaf signs along the expressways.

Joke at the Oak was started December 12, 2018 as an open mic to give rising comedians a chance to compete for featured and headlining sets Wednesdays, and to participate in our charity showcases Fridays.

Advertisement

To get your tickets to this Friday’s event, head to Gateway Green’s website. Ticket prices are $25 for general admission this Friday, July 15, 2021 from 7pm-9pm.

Pat Treuer, Colorado raised, started doing stand up when he was a young man at 23. After his first show he knew that comedy and making lives better one laugh at a time was his true dream. As a young comedian there was one show that didn’t go quite as well and left him feeling discouraged and doubting himself. At that point he chose to walk down the path of corporate life. After 13 years of working for money instead of happiness he realized something was missing. It was time to get back on the horse, and back to doing what he loves. Pat decided to quit his job and put everything he has into his dream, being a comedian.

Knowing the struggle for up and comers, he was inspired to start his own weekly show at his favorite bar in Chicago, The Irish Oak. He has since then encouraged and inspired many new comedians to not be afraid to follow their dreams. Not only is Pat genuine and kind, he is pretty hilarious. Every week Joke at the Oak gets better and better, and every week another funny human with a dream gets the confidence to do what they love.

Advertisement

Featured Image Credit: The Irish Oak on Facebook

Advertisement

Read More

The Irish Oak is Hosting ‘Joke at the Oak’ Comedy Showcase to Benefit Chicago Gateway Green This FridayBrian Lendinoon July 15, 2021 at 1:28 pm Read More »

5 Most Expensive Houses on the Market in Lincoln ParkOlessa Hanzlikon July 15, 2021 at 2:51 pm

I can 100% say that I’m guilty of driving around Chicago looking at the massive houses and apartments that line the city streets. It’s sort of like therapy for me. And I always think to myself, one day I’ll own one of these. I’m sure I’m not the only person who has driven by those expensive properties and gawked. It’s hard not to look, am I right? And I’ve always wondered, how rich do you actually need to be to afford one of these? Trust me when I say this…however much you think that beautiful white brick stone costs, triple that number. No, actually, quadruple that.

So, we’re going to look at the 5 most expensive houses currently on the market in Lincoln Park. From the “cheapest” costly one to the you might need to sell your kidney and more expensive one. I gathered these from Zillow, but I’m sure there are even more extravagant ones on the market from different sites. We’ll take a look at square footage, style, amenities, and of course, the ridiculous prices.

Advertisement

Most Expensive Houses Lincoln Park#5. 2550 N Lakeview Ave Unit S3502, Chicago, IL 60614

Price: $4,500,000 | Sqft: 4,500 | Bed/Bath: 4 bed, 5 bath

Located on the 35th floor, this 4,500 square foot home is the epitome of urban living for the modern sophisticate. The residence has two private terraces, a custom-built office, and multiple living spaces. It also has access to luxurious amenities and services like a large private park, indoor pool, fitness center, club rooms, dog run, theater, first-rate door staff, valet, and more. Inside, the elegant foyer gives way to the main living and dining spaces. To the west, there is a custom-built office and three additional en-suite bedrooms with large, floor-to-ceiling windows. Just off the family room is the kitchen with a large center island, stainless steel appliances, and a butler’s pantry. Separated from the rest of the unit by the foyer is the east-facing primary suite. This suite features a marble bath and several closets. The unit’s best features are of course the floor-to-ceiling windows that allow for panoramic views and the amazing terraces.

Advertisement

View full listing here.

Most Expensive Houses Lincoln Park#4. 1810 N Burling St, Chicago, IL 60614

Price: $5,795,000 | Sqft: 6,600 | Bed/Bath: 6 bed, 6 bath

Advertisement

This home features high ceilings, custom windows, intricate moldings, stone, tile, and cascading center staircase. The main entry has an exterior heated limestone entry, a foyer, 12′ ceilings throughout, and a separate formal living room with a shared fireplace between the dining room, music gallery, and butlers pantry. The kitchen has a massive quartzite island with a ton of cabinetry and storage, 60′ Wolf Range, separate full-sized fridge and freezer, beverage centers, 2 dishwashers all overlooking a large banquette/eat-in area, and a large family room with access to a teak terrace with a built-in grill. The 2nd level features 4 bedrooms, including a master with custom built-ins, floor to ceiling windows, a private terrace overlooking the backyard, an ensuite bathroom with separate vanities, a soaking tub, an oversized shower, and a large walk-in closet with a separate prep vanity. 3 additional bedrooms, including 1 with an ensuite bathroom and full laundry room complete this level. The top floor has a built-out office and an additional bedroom/guest suite with a full bath. The lower level has a mudroom with additional laundry and direct access to the attached 2 car garage with a heated driveway. Another family room houses a built-in bar with 3 full-sized wine refrigerators and a limestone fireplace, plus access to the backyard. This level also has the 6th bedroom/craft room with a full bathroom. The residence also comes equipped with an Elan security system.

View full listing here.

Advertisement

Most Expensive Houses Lincoln Park#3. 1857 N Orchard St, Chicago, IL 60614

Price: $6,695,000 | Sqft: 9,000 | Bed/Bath: 8 bed, 9 bath

The main level of this modern residence houses living and dining spaces with huge windows for amazing light. The kitchen has two islands – one with a built-in breakfast table, 6-burner stove & griddle, double ovens, steam oven, and a prep sink. There is also a butlers pantry that has a prep sink, built-in espresso maker, and wine refrigeration. The adjacent great room backs up to the deck and yard-allowing for true indoor-outdoor living. There also is a separate, fully enclosed office. A beautiful central glass staircase takes you to the bedroom level where you will find four bedroom suites including the master with closets, a hidden desk/office nook, and a spa-quality bath. The laundry is also on that level. The penthouse level has a large family room/hang-out space with another set of doors opening directly onto the rooftop terrace. Two additional bedrooms that share a Jack and Jill bath can also be found on this level, as well as a powder room and a kitchenette. The lower level has a media room, separate playroom, and space for a pool table. A temperature-controlled wine room, two guest suites that share a bath, a powder room, and a second laundry room complete the lower level. The house is complete with a Savant system controlling all lighting, sound, and HVAC. There is a true sport court with a snowmelt system as well as a turf deck over the attached 4 car garage.

Advertisement

View full listing here.

Most Expensive Houses Lincoln Park#2. 1950 N Burling St, Chicago, IL 60614

Price: $15,000,000 | Sq. ft: 8,000 | Bed/Bath: 6 bed, 8 bath

Advertisement

On the main living level, each indoor space flows to the outdoors with full-height French doors. The center entry with double front doors leads to a foyer. Located on either side of the entry foyer are the formal living room and dining room. The living room is anchored by a wood-burning fireplace with a limestone surround and hearth and features double-height windows overlooking the yard. Next to the living area is the study. The kitchen, dining, and family room are the heart of the home. The kitchen features high-end appliances and a family dining table. Outside, a separate grilling area, additional paved basketball court, and lower side yard complete the all-purpose yard. The second floor of the home features a master bedroom suite comprising a comfortable sitting area, main bedroom, his and her walk-in wardrobe, and a marble master bathroom with a spa bath. There are 3 more bedrooms that complete the second level. The lower level has a large guest suite with a king-size bedroom, an ensuite, a sitting room, and a private entrance. Also located on the lower level is a second guest bedroom and bathroom, a recreation family room, a fitness studio, laundry room, lower level office, gift wrap room, and two large storage rooms. The home features Control 4 home automation which controls the lights, shades, televisions, and music.

View full listing here.

Advertisement

Most Expensive Houses Lincoln ParkNow to see what you all have been waiting for….the MOST expensive listing (per Zillow) in Lincoln Park. Before you look, think about what you could do with this kind of money!

#1. 1932 N Burling St, Chicago, IL 60614

Price: $45,000,000 (!!!!!!!) | Sq. ft: 25,000 | Bed/Bath: 6 bed, 11 baths (not sure why you need that many bathrooms)

Sited on an enormous 177’x149′ parcel totaling more than eight city lots, every step has been taken to provide complete privacy and tranquility. Manicured grounds with multiple fountains, a reflecting pool, and a hand-forged antique garden pavilion transport you to another world. Absolutely no expense (literally) was spared inside or out throughout this mansion. Grand in every way, but not overwhelming, the design is perfect for large-scale entertaining as well as intimate everyday living.

Zillow doesn’t provide a ton of pictures or more information about this mansion, so all I can say is WOW. We covered this property a few months ago when it hit the market. This property is so grand, it reminds me of the Great Gatsby. From the pictures, every single possible detail has been accounted for and thoroughly thought over. It’s truly a work of art. There are even 7 fireplaces, your very own reflecting pool, and a f*****g garden!

View full listing here.

Photo by Ryan Heuer on Unsplash

*All home images taken from Zillow.com*

Read More

5 Most Expensive Houses on the Market in Lincoln ParkOlessa Hanzlikon July 15, 2021 at 2:51 pm Read More »

Chicago Cubs: 3 trades with Oakland Athletics to blow it upRyan Heckmanon July 15, 2021 at 2:16 pm

Chicago Cubs (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Chicago Cubs (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Next1 of 4Prev post
Use your (arrows) to browse
Chicago Cubs, Javier Baez

Chicago Cubs (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)

After an All Star break that was full of plenty of excitement for baseball fans, the Chicago Cubs come back to reality. Kris Bryant’s performance in the 2021 MLB All Star Game was somewhat forgettable and Craig Kimbrel pitched one-fifth of an inning.

There wasn’t much to watch if you’re a Cubs fan, which only fits the mold of what has been happening on the North side for the past month and a half.

The Cubs are 2-8 in their last 10 games and have fallen hard and fast in the NL Central race. At this stage, the Cubs aren’t necessarily admitting defeat, but they also are not considered “in” the race. After leading the division for a little while early in the year, the Cubs are now reeling and will face a tough trade deadline ahead.

The Cubs will sell. Make no mistake. They will be sellers. How aggressively will they sell? That’s the real question. One team that will buy, and potentially from the Cubs, is the Oakland Athletics. They seem to be a perfect partner for the Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs may be able to pull off a big trade with the Oakland Athletics prior to the 2021 deadline.

Oakland is in a tight race out in the AL West, as they are currently 3.5 games behind the Houston Astros. Funny enough, the Astros and Athletics could be after similar trade targets this year as well.

The Athletics’ farm system isn’t exactly chock full of top-100 prospects right now, but they do possess a few guys who could become much more exciting as time goes on.

If Oakland and Chicago engage in serious talks, the Cubs may end up signaling a fire sale. This could be the year they finally blow it up. It seems like forever ago since the 2016 World Series honeymoon occurred, but the truth of the matter is, the Ricketts haven’t cared a whole lot since winning that title.

Now, they face the reality of blowing things up in a big way. These trades with Oakland could end up providing some significant value if the Cubs were interested.

Next: Trade Number 1

Next1 of 4Prev post
Use your (arrows) to browse

Read More

Chicago Cubs: 3 trades with Oakland Athletics to blow it upRyan Heckmanon July 15, 2021 at 2:16 pm Read More »

FACT: I DO Like the Beatles!on July 15, 2021 at 1:54 pm

Getting More From Les

FACT: I DO Like the Beatles!

Read More

FACT: I DO Like the Beatles!on July 15, 2021 at 1:54 pm Read More »