Clark and Estes, northeast corner

Built: 1914

Architect: L.E. Stanhope
Cost: $25,000

Looking for Bubble Tea in Rogers Park? You actually have two choices- China Hut (shown above) or Grande Noodles (a half mile south). If you're a real aficionado you can walk back and forth all summer long. But if you're looking for a cheaper option, try dropping a handful of flavor-free jelly beans into a McDonald's milkshake. Actually, I like Bubble Tea, but I'm in a cranky mood.

(Note:  Since this was posted China Hut has moved acorss the street into a larger space.  That's a good sign, right?)

Greenleaf and Clark, northeast corner

Built: 1911

Rocky's Futbol Taqueria! Burritos as big as a futbol! Last week they changed their awnings to a scary orange and black design. I guess this means they're doing well.

When I go to a new Thai restaurant I always order the Pad See Ew (which everyone spells differently). This way I can compare the same dish and decide if the place is any good. For Mexican places I recommend the same thing, but with chile rellenos (fried poblano peppers stuffed with cheese). I've been meaning to try out this method with all the Rogers Park taquerias. Some day...

Hey, Angela got a job! This means we can afford name brand cereal again.

I got my first cell phone, which does not make me proud. It's a Virgin Mobile phone, and all the advertising is geared towards 16 year olds without a credit card.
 
(Note: Since this was posted Rocky's Taqueria got some new awnings, which are not much better.)

Clark and Albion, part 2

Built: c.1974

I can't believe I'm still fiddling with this corner. I even have a tiny watercolor about the same size. I'm trying to find a graphically satisfying way to represent these buildiings, but in a way that can be cheaply reproduced on a copier. Maybe I should try some transfer textures to render tone. I know those reproduce pretty well. Or maybe I should just stick to crosshatching. But I do like these solid tones.

Weird Aluminum Animals at Pottawatomie Park

This is a drawing I did as a birthday present for Angela (July 25th, if you want to drop her a line!). North of us at Wolcott and Rogers is Pottawatomie Park, which has become a favorite. There's a nice playground with plenty of shade, and some candy cane shaped tubes that spray out water when you trip a sensor. Most of the equipment is relatively new, except for these old cast aluminum spring rockers. There are so many layers of mulch underneath that they no longer even bounce the way they used to.

I recognize these same stylized animals from when I was a kid at Lakeview Park in Lorain, Ohio. Angela recognizes them from her childhood in Ashtabula. Maybe in 30 years Felix will recognize them when he brings his children to a park. Strange to think that we're caught up in these huge cycles, just the way our parents were.

Angela likes the turtle, but I suspect her affection is mostly ironic.
 
(Note: We don't go to Pottawatomie as often as we used to.  Not since we watched some kid smash a bench to pieces with a baseball bat.)