Around the Neighborhood

I love my neighborhood. It is not Lakeview or Lincoln Park, so it doesn't have a lot of eye-candy in the form of cutesy boutiques and cafes, but I love it anyway. I often say that it's like the suburbs in the city; it's definitely the best of both worlds. My street is filled with single-family-homes and 2-flats on wide lots. There is a tree canopy covering the street and it's easy to find parking. I know many of my neighbors and the next street over has a block party every year, to which they invite the whole neighborhood. We are close to the highway and the El, and can walk to a grocery store, Walgreen's and a few other places.

Yesterday, the kids piled into our double stroller (which my best friend has dubbed the rolling condominium) and we took a walk to buy The Girl new shoes at a new children's shoes boutique, Tippy Toes. The store is still in its infancy, but I am so happy to see a place I'd like to shop in my neighborhood that I've been getting The Girl's shoes there. I used to buy everyone's shoes at Alamo Shoes in Andersonville, but it's quite a trek from our house. I bought her a darling pair of black patent leather and cloth t-strap Umis for fall, and a pair of boys Stride Rite sandals to hold her through the end of the season. Oh wait, this blog isn't about my obsession with children's wear.

The Girl fell asleep in the stroller before we got to the shoe store, so we continued on to Starbuck's for a pre-shoe treat. The Boy got a Horizon Vanilla milk (they were out of chocolate) and a peanut-butter whoopie pie (which he didn't like). I tried a new Tangerine Tea Frappucino and had a plain bagel with cream cheese. We sat at a table while The Girl slept in the stroller next to us, and had a pleasant little 3.5-y/o chat. The man sitting next to our table overheard us and asked The Boy's age. When he learned it, he commented that he was quite smart and ready for school.

And today, after dinner, Mr. C. and I took the kids for a walk around the neighborhood, despite the rain. It was nice to be out and about, commenting on for-sale signs, seeing neighbors as we walked past their homes, and getting some post-dinner exercise.