Jimi Hendrix

Do you ever feel like you’re out of touch when it comes to the wide array of techno-toys that exist? I mean, who can keep up with the myriad changes? Not that I aspire to acquire the latest and greatest digital fare. Au contraire!

Janis Joplin

This morning I received an email from a close friend in another city, ending: “Sent from my iPod.” Now, for me, this was a first. I thought iPods were for music.

Considering that my notion of nouveau technology consists of having just recently purchased a new Sony turntable, speakers, and FM/AM stereo receiver, it’s no surprise that the aforementioned newfangled iPod was foreign to moi.

Santana

Simply stated: In my world vinyl rules! I love music. I love to listen to my albums: all 300+ of them. With anecdotes commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock flooding the airwaves and blogosphere of late, I am amazed at how many of the artists who performed at Woodstock reside in my vast yet humble collection. (Too many to photograph for this wee post.) I say, “humble,” because last month my son, Dylan, downloaded some 500 “albums” onto my grandson Matthew’s iTunes while 10-year old Matt was away at summer camp…

The Band

Sly and the Family Stone

With  images and sounds of the Woodstock generation resonating front row and center this 40th Anniversary weekend, I actually feel au courant!

Harold Washington Library Center

As an avid reader, the object of my adoration the past year or so has been the Chicago Public Library. Its Web site has made the retrieval of books, as well as movies and music, accessible in a way I never dreamed possible. From the comfort of my laptop I can peruse the library’s catalog, renew a book, place an item on hold, and select my preferred location for pick up. All at the click of a button and at no cost. A valid Chicago Public Library card is required. When an item has reached its destination I receive an email notification.

Of course, one still has to visit the library to pick up the item…

John Merlo Branch

I frequently walk or ride my bicycle to the Merlo branch on Belmont, my intimate, Lakeview neighborhood library; and I commute easily to the flagship Harold Washington Library Center on State Street between Van Buren and Congress, a couple blocks from my South Loop realty office.

Needless to say, with such a convenient and efficient system, I find myself forever flush with literary companions, contributing to a rich and fulfilling commuter lifestyle. Whether it’s a 10-minute ride to show one of my listings or a 40-minute commute to the office, both translate into chapters read, my mind stimulated—and often inspired! In short: reading makes for a relaxed, content CTA customer. And I have the Chicago Public Library to thank.

But, you may ask, does said satisfaction rise to the level of salvation? The answer: Yes.

But don’t believe me. Try it for yourself! And let me know what you think…

Matthew on right

Victory is sweet. Especially when attending my grandson’s AYSO soccer game at 8:00 on a Saturday morning!

As a realtor, I favor early morning games that allow me to be present without having to juggle my showings. Even today’s eager buyers are not looking to get started before 9:00. In fact, with games at various times I only missed one this spring; I was successful in scheduling my appointments, for the most part, to suit my soccer commitment. Just one of the challenges facing a full-time realtor/soccer grandma…

Go Green Hornets!

And what a beautiful morning it was! With a spectacular 2-1 win in the final game of the regular season the Green Hornets (8-0) remain undefeated.

The upcoming June 6-7 tournament promises to highlight the remarkable team effort demonstrated all season long by the Green Hornets. I’ll try my best to be there—at whatever hour!

In my view, nothing says springtime in the city more than tulips. In fact, one of the rarely mentioned, tangible benefits of car-free living includes tulips. It’s true!

Strolling most anywhere in downtown Chicago during the month of May, well, what can I say? Tulips rule!

This time of year many of the high-rises along Lake Shore Drive conspire to create a floral feast for those of us who favor our daily constitutionals along the Inner Drive.

As a Lakeview resident, my lakefront tulip domain ranges between Belmont and Addison. Ever since my grandson learned to walk we’ve played a fun game of challenging each other to recognize our neighborhood tulips: calling out our favorite colors; pretending that the abundance has come to an end, only to cross yet another street and—surprise surprise—discover even more tulips! All the while singing the quirky tune “Tiptoe Through the Tulips“ made famous by the late Tiny Tim. 

When showing property in the city I’ve noticed that tulips provide a certain curb appeal duly noted by prospective buyers. It’s no coincidence that tulips tend to thrive at the peak of the spring real estate market. Forget about baking cookies to conjure up the comforts of home. Plant tulips!

With their vibrant colors, standing proud and tall, tulips seem to signal a season of promise; sentries ushering in a welcome time for change. And, like autumn leaves in all their glory, tulips herald an exquisite new season like no other force of nature.

Armed with an inordinate amount of high expections I attended my first-ever Chicago Bulls playoff game Thursday night at the United Center. I even wore red. In fact, I have never in my entire life seen so much red!

Despite the Bulls’ blow-out 107-86 loss to the Celtics that night, my son, grandson, and I had a lot of fun! In fact, my optimism remained in tact.

Always able to salvage something positive in what otherwise would have been a totally bleak situation… I reminded myself after the game that we had watched Derrick Rose receive his Rookie of the Year award and felt pride in the fact that he had grown up in Chicago.

Plus, an evening out with Dylan and Matt is something to cherish. My busy life as a realtor doesn’t often lend itself to going out-on-the-town with the boys.

In fact, today I had to opt for the DVR to capture the Bulls  in all their glory while I was conscientiously doing a “second showing” of a very cool condo in West Bucktown. I arrived home just in time to witness this afternoon’s dramatic double-overtime finish in real time. 

And if I didn’t know better, I’d swear that Matthew and I, while obviously enjoying a light-hearted moment at Thursday night’s otherwise dreary game, were secretly sharing a premonition of an upcoming, joyful basketball memory together.

The best-of-seven series, presently tied 2-2, resumes Tuesday night with Game 5 in Boston, returning to Chicago for Game 6 on Thursday. Wear red! Go Bulls!!

With the Cubs home opener upon us, residents of Wrigleyville and beyond brace ourselves for the annual uptick of automobile traffic. While I enjoy an unobstructed view of the ballpark from my Lakeview high-rise, I’m astounded and yes, disconcerted each year, as I witness the never-ending queue of cars along Addison Street in the hours surrounding a home game.

This is also the time of year that real estate agents are sure to feature, as appropriate, ”Walk to Wrigley!” in their listing remarks. Of course, one person’s walk is another person’s cab ride…

When I list a property, I insist on accurate representation of amenities, including proximity to parks, lakefront paths, etc. Prime example: I’m presently listing a gorgeous 2 bed/2 bath condo in North Center. While my sellers tell me they enjoy their walk to the ballpark and I can totally relate, I cannot assume that their healthy two-mile hike would necessarily translate to all prospective buyers. Therefore I do not include Wrigley in my written listing remarks but am certain to mention it at showings.

Other car-free options to the Friendly Confines include riding a bike. Or taking the CTA. Hey, the Addison stop of the Red Line couldn’t be more convenient @Sheffield. For night and weekend games there’s even a special 154 Wrigley Field Express bus from the DeVry University parking lot on Rockwell just south of Addison where baseball fans can leave their car for a nominal fee that includes a round-trip fare.

Go Cubbies!

This question was posed more than three decades ago by someone who’d been raised in suburban Chicago during the 1950s and ’60s; privileged to have lived in a single-family house since the age of two. As a young adult in the early 1970s, she moved to a high-rise rental apartment on Sheridan Road in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, directly across the street from one of the very-first high-rise condominium developments built in the city. In fact, it was from this rental unit that she enjoyed her first-ever residential lake views, sliced between the twin towers of the aforementioned condominium complex.

The condo concept, relatively new in 1974, was completely foreign to the young woman who hailed from Skokie and Lincolnwood. In her sheltered world, people either owned a house or rented an apartment. Period. In all fairness to her, though, the newfangled condominium mind-set heralded more than an innovative lifestyle; it represented no less than a revolutionary route to home ownership at the time. She, not unlike most Chicagoans back then, merely needed to educate herself on the topic. (Those were pre-Internet days when one was without the resources simply to ”google” an unfamiliar word, if you can imagine such an era!)

Fast-forward 35 years. The person described above–yours truly–is about to offer guidance on the fine-points of condo living to a buyer who recently purchased an in-town apartment. This client lives primarily in a single-family house outside the city and is unfamiliar with the nuances of condo protocol.

Having owned an apartment in a high-rise condominium since 1997, I have an abundance of advice to dispense. Indeed! For the past few years, I have owned two studios side-by-side that I recently combined into one residence. Stay tuned for condo-combo and condo-lifestyle tutorials in future posts.

In the meantime, for all you Chicago real estate history buffs, a quiz: Name the two-tower condominium referenced earlier, located on Sheridan Road directly across from the first Chicago apartment where I learned to love lake views. Speaking of which, that rental high-rise converted to condominium within the past few years…

Three people in different cities reaching out to me. Why?

One is starting a Biking Realtors Group in Chicago and wants to “pick my brain”; another just started an online guide to living car-free in the San Diego area and wants my “advice”; and the guy, well, he and his wife are planning to build a very cool house in Laramie, Wyo., with green features including solar hot water, radiant floor heat, and wind turbine. All excellent reasons to connect with me, since sustainable living is right up my alley! 

I’m thrilled to be hearing from such a wide array of readers: real estate agents, mortgage lenders, buyers, sellers, attorneys, writers, editors, doctors, nurses, artists, stockbrokers, accountants, teachers, designers, inspectors, technicians, musicians, yoga students, parents…

An ever-expanding community is blossoming beyond my wildest expectations. Like-minded people linked by mutual interests, shared priorities, and so much more… As I celebrate the one-month anniversary of my blog, let me hear from you, too!

Thank you to my son, Dylan, who took the photo that accompanies the interview by Lee Crandell of Carfree Chicago. Thank you, Lee!

After launching my maiden blog last week, I received a number of phone and email queries about all things yoga. I’m glad to jump-start a discussion for anyone wondering if yoga might be a good fit for them; as well as for seasoned practitioners who might like to share their yoga stories.

For the record, I commute once a week to Yoga Circle in Chicago’s River North neighborhood.

The rigorous 90-minute class sets the tone each week for my daily practice at home. Yes, I practice yoga everyday for at least one hour.

But how do you find the time? You’re a busy real estate agent. Exactly! Focus is key to time management. Ask any realtor…

Yoga is the most efficient way I’ve found to help balance all facets of my well-being. Consistent yoga practice heightens awareness, relieves stress, builds strength, increases flexibility, and quiets the mind; all the while improving focus.

And those are merely the obvious benefits! More on the subtleties of yoga another time…

I once overheard an instructor tell a student, “Attending class is no substitute for daily practice.” And she was right.

I reach the studio a variety of ways on CTA from the North Side as well as from the South Loop. Located at 401 W. Ontario, 2nd floor, Yoga Circle is a short walk from the Chicago Avenue stop of the Brown Line as well as the #66 Chicago Avenue bus.

If you have a favorite yoga venue, I’d love to hear. If you have a favorite asana, by all means: share!

Namaste!