Our (mostly) Fabulous 'Hood

We made a conscious decision two years ago to buy a big condo in this neighborhood in lieu of a house in the suburbs or even a house in a neighborhood further inland. The idea of being landlocked frankly made us both feel like we might smother, so we decided to stay here, in Rogers Park. True, it's not a perfect neighborhood, but it has character (and characters, for that matter). The truly great things are 1) the diversity/people (I think it's the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in the country); 2) the proximity to the lake and the lake parks; and 3) the proximity to public transportation (Metra or the El). So we stayed here because we love it here. I was reminded of how much I love this neighborhood (and why) Wednesday.

Wednesday was a truly magical morning. It was beautiful, and cool, and breezy. Gillian gleefully ate a huge breakfast, which always puts me in fine spirits, and I was giddy to get us out and enjoy the gorgeous weather. We got in the stroller and headed out. There was a great breeze to blow through our hair, the sun was out, there were beautiful flowers poking through fences for G to try and grab, and the park, the fabulous park that is just 2 blocks from our house, was enchanted.

In the early morning, the park and the beach are so quiet. The sun was glinting off of the lake like a million diamonds, and everyone you passed gave you that "happy-enjoying-the peace-and-quiet" smile. If you don't live here, you don't know the luxury of having a place like this so close to home. A place where you collect beach glass instead of sea shells, where you can play soccer, tennis, barbeque, and go swimming three minutes from your house, and where there are 10 ft of magnificent glaciers on the shore in the winter... Anyway, here are a few pics of the heart of our neighborhood: