Stretching my LEG-itages on Armitage
So far, my favorite street to walk is Armitage. This street is only one Brown Line stop south of DePaul, actually more convenient to walk to. To get there, you walk through the beautiful brownstones of Lincoln Park and emerge on the bustling street of Armitage. There, each direction you look in you find a number of unique individually owned restaurants and shops. Armitage is mostly walkable due to this variety of shops on the stretch of Armitage between Racine and Halsted keep that keeps the street interesting.
Some of the local shops that populate the street include Chicago Bagel Authority, Paper Source, Old Town School of Folk Music, Butcher and the Burger, Shoe’s Pub, and Glazed & Infused. Each of these offer their own individual pops of atmosphere. Walking down the street, you are faced with a new interesting thing to look at every few steps. There are a few remnants of large scale corporations manifested in the corner Starbucks, Lush, and 7eleven. However, since they are few and far between, the corporations do not overpower the average pedestrian and they in fact melt in with their small business neighbors. The street also holds community necessities such as St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church and The Goddard School. Armitage remains a street populated by people and directed by people and what they need.
When I walked Armitage to fully understand the sensory appeal, I started out on Sheffield. On either side of me, were tall houses. Some were made of dark colored brick and others out of lighter stone. In general, they rose three stories into the air. Although I do not know too much about architecture, the buildings reminded me of those from an older era, with curvature jutting out, columns, and high windows. Many of them had ivy crawling up the sides. The majority of these houses were gated in, but through them I could see thick green grass, and on occasion, blooming gardens. One of my favorite gardens was filled to the brim with red and orange flowers. It had an open white gate and an American flag hanging next to the door. Another one of my favorite houses that I passed was decorated to the max with Halloween decorations. The house had fake cobwebs covering the fence and as well as fake purple and orange spiders. The sidewalk had some cracks in it, owing to the oldness of the neighborhood and was shaded by tall leafy trees that bent over the street, creating a canopy. There were a lot of cars parked alongside the street, but not many passed by on the street. I did not see many people out in the neighborhood and I assumed most were at work or school. The only sound I heard was the wind rustling the leaves on the trees and blowing through piles of yellow leaves that mounted on the curb. It was around 70 degrees and the sun was shining through the gaps of the trees. I made my way to Armitage.
As I emerged onto Armitage, I was hit with bright sunlight, the noise of traffic, and people all around me. Although there were still trees shading the street, there were less and the sun lit up the street, unobstructed. There were more cars passing through here, and the street even had streetlights to direct the traffic. I could hear the roar of the L line which passed perpendicularly to the street. There were people everywhere on the sidewalks, including young mothers in workout clothes, jogging while pushing their strollers. There were older people with gray hair walking the street too, walking much more slowly, taking in their surroundings. Most everyone was dressed nicely with jeans and tops and button down shirts. I would describe most of the people I saw as hipsters, with beards and glasses and preppy clothing. They were shopping in stores and grabbing a bite to eat in shops with open store fronts. I saw another student sitting beneath the L with an open book on her lap. And there was me, walking along and stopping frequently to take pictures.
The buildings were tall as well and close together. There were a variety of different colors ranging from red to tan to brown to gray. They also gave off the feeling of oldness with interesting design that served for fashion more than function. However, the wide street gave a large view of the sky. I never felt trapped in, rather I enjoyed being out in the fresh air. Bikes were secured to posts along the street. There were multiple open areas including under the L station which had a wide open area with raised flower bed with thick siding to serve as benches. Farther east along the street, there was an open space, creating a mini plaza with benches in front of Second Time Around Resale shop. The sidewalk was shaded by trees but not so much that you felt walled in. It was also wide, allowing for room between pedestrians. Each building had large windows on its front so that the passerby could peek in to see what was being sold there.
I noticed open store fronts like that of Chicago Bagel Authority. I could smell the warm smell of bread and sandwiches and soup. I could overhear people inside talking about their days and someone’s funny grandma. Inside it was well lit and paneled with dark wood with a variety of pictures and posters hung up.
I also walked past a bright orange building with orange balloons tied to the door. It was Glazed and Confused donut shop and I had the luck of walking past during happy hour. I walked inside and was greeted by two hipsters with piercings and tattoos. The building was small, devoted mostly to a display of interestingly flavored donuts of all sizes. The donut case was accompanied by a register, a bar with two lone stools for eating and a ceiling fan turning lazily. I could of stood inside smelling the baked goods all day but the weird looks I got from the hipsters prompted me to buy something. I bought three mini donuts for myself and each of my roommates. My choices included red velvet, Boston-crème, and double chocolate. I handed a hipster my $2.26 and left with my box of pretty donuts.
I walked past Paper Source which was decorated with happy paper skeletons and pumpkins for Halloween. Inside I could see shelves of parchment, cards, stamps, and ribbons. Everything was brightly colored and I marveled at the quirky novelty of paper goods.
I also walked into Lush, a handmade vegan soap and cosmetic store. The chain store was bright and cheery with white walls and light wood floors. The store itself smelled clean and fresh and I stopped to smell individual lotions, shampoos, and bath bombs getting whiffs of flowers, herbs, and fruits. One of the workers was another student from DePaul and we talked about school and she gave me a sample of cocoa-butter lotion for my hands.
I next walked into Warby Parker, a glasses and eye-wear shop. The store seemed to be individually owned and it was unusual in that all of the glasses were unisex. Each frame also qualified as hipster as they included styles with large thick frames, clear plastic sides, and wire aviators. The workers inside were friendly and informative. There were a variety of people inside from young scholarly types with book bags to older couples asking each other, “Honey, which do YOU like best? No, which do YOU like best?”
I walked past bars such as Ezra’s which had a funny sign outside that read “Don’t cry over spilled milk; at least it isn’t whiskey!” Although I don’t drink, I enjoyed the humor.
The sidewalk was mostly pristine, save for some few cracked squares. When walking, I could turn my head and look down long alleyways between buildings, usually lined with garbage cans. I never saw any debris or garbage on the side of the street. In fact, the sidewalk was only littered with newspaper boxes like the Red Eye and mailboxes both in and out of use. There was also bus stops along the street for the 73 Armitage CTA bus. The street was full but never crowded, meaning I was never alone but I was never squished in on the sidewalk. Although there were no people begging on the streets, there were no anti-loitering design, and people mingled outside shops leisurely.
One of my last sights on my walk was that of St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church. The building had two bells raised on the top column of the building. I did not get to hear the bells toll as I walked past. The church was lined with trees, and it was there that I saw the most leaves on the ground.
Armitage will remain one of my favorite places to walk in the city because of it’s variety of shops as well as because of its aesthetic appeal and closeness to my home at DePaul. I hope to continue exploring this stretch of street, as I know I will find new surprises every time I visit.
Response to Weekly Readings:
In “Downtown is for the People,” by Jane Jones, the author makes the point that good steak houses are usually found in an old building. This is true largely due to the fact these old buildings have a unique history and character. They hold hundreds of stories and they give the building a life of their own. Also, these buildings are smaller and closer together, making them easy walk. Also their close proximity to each other creates a variety of shops on one stretch of street. Although I do not know of any steakhouses in Chicago, I have noticed the charm of certain older buildings in Lincoln Park. The Potbelly Sandwich Shop on Lincoln Avenue is one example. A quick Google search informed me that this Potbelly is the very first Potbelly to ever exist, the sandwich shops’ origins tracing back to an antique shop in the 1970’s with the building dating back farther than that. Another favorite restaurant in Lincoln Park is Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. which is a landmark pizza restaurant in Chicago. It has a wait time of over two hours on weekend nights and the building dates back through the nineteenth century and was even rumored to house Al Capone. These restaurants show how old buildings stand the test of time.
