Living in Edgewater

Every day I see new apartments and condos being built in downtown Chicago. While living close to work has its perks, I am glad I am living on the far north side in a neighborhood called Edgewater. I live within two blocks from the El and bus systems that can take me downtown in a half hour. I am a block away from Lake Michigan and the beach.

My neighborhood suits my personality. The residents are laidback and come from countries around the world, in particular Africa and the former Yugoslavia. One day I saw an African woman walking on the other side of the street, wearing her native clothing and balancing a large bundle of toilet paper on her head. I smiled and waved. She then removed the bundle from her head and carried it in her arms as she walked. Many of the Africans I work with live in my neighborhood, having escaped civil wars in their native countries. They are taxi drivers, housekeepers and dishwashers. With a diversity of people comes a diversity of food. One of my favorite places to eat is a Colombian restaurant called La Fonda (on Broadway and Berwyn). The owners are from Cali and have a great weekday lunch buffet.



The front entrance to my apartment, The Ambassador, in the Edgewater neighborhood.

The street outside my apartment.

A view from the rooftop porch of my apartment. Lake Michigan is just a block away.