Hello everyone:
This is Charles McShan from Century 21 Universal. This post is about the Neighborhood of Lincoln Square. This was my first Blog Post that I wrote back in late December, but I chose to publish the Neighborhood posts of West Ridge and Rogers Park first and second. This area like the 2 before it is also bustling with activity. The Boundaries are Peterson and parts of Bryn Mawr Ave to the North. Montrose Ave. to the South, Damen or Ravenswood Ave. to the East and the Chicago River to the West.
The area is very large and also includes the Ravenswood area of Chicago. Some people in the area feel that the Ravenswood’s area should stand on its own as it did long ago others do not feel that away. While that discussion still continues but we cannot forget that there are also 4 other areas within the Lincoln Square Neighborhood and they are 1: Bowmanville, 2 Budlong Woods,3 Lincoln Square North, and 4 Ravenswood Garden. This total area area was settled back around 1840 by German farmers and in time other forms of industry sprouted up. By 1925 The City of Chicago Destinated the area Lincoln Square in honor of President Abraham Lincoln. Today there are still buildings that reflect the German Architecture of that time. As aReal Estate Broker my office know the Lincoln Square area well. If you or someone you know wish to move into this area make this area your home you would not go wrong. If you are young or old and looking for an apartment there are plenty of Rentals available to fit your needs and price range. The same is true if you are ready to purchase a Condominium. Like the Rentals, there is a wide selection of units available in older 2oth Century Buildings that still reflects an era long past or there are also many Modern buildings with all the latest Hi-tech gadgets. Last but not least there are the Single Family Homes. They come in all shapes and sizes to fit your needs and budget. Do you want to look at the selection? Please use this link to go to my website located at
https://www.charlesmcshanchicagolandrealtor.com If you see any Property you would like any information on feel free to contact me.
Now let us discuss the activities in the Lincon Square area. If you are a Bookworm a Libary person or you do not personally own a computer that is no problem. Unofficially the Lincoln Square area has 2 Libraries. If you are living in the Northernmost part of the area by Lincoln Ave you can cross Bryn Mawr Ave, go into the West Ridge area and go the Budlong Woods Libary located at 5630 N.Lincoln Ave. This modern Library is high -tech. If you are on the Southern End of the Neighborhood you will find the Offical Lincoln Square library. It is called The Conrad Sulzer Regional Libary located at 4455 N.Lincoln Ave. This branch has quite a following and it is always crowded. Also, keep this point in mind, there are speed cameras right across the street by the park and in the area so keep your car speed under 30mph.
For those who like to spend there times in the Parks, there is no shortage of parks in this area. Right across the street from the Conrad Sulzer Regional Libary is the park names Welles. This park has multiple Baseball diamonds, Tennis Courts and other features. There is an indoor community Center complete with exercise equipment and an indoor year-round swimming pool. There are 6 other parks in the area all under the supervision of the Chicago Park District. There is also a park called River Park. While small it is very significant. Located at the Western Border of Lincoln Square at Lawrence and Francisco. Here you will find the Chicago River. Also here at River Park is the beginning of a Concrete pathway.in my first Blog called, I talked about those who love to power run or walk or ride their bike this was the place to do it. This pathway parallels the Chicago River and when the River turns to the West the North Shore River Channel continues to flow Northward. You can follow this pathway Northward, it will lead you out of Chicago into Lincolnwood, Skokie and eventually into the town of Evanston over 6.7 miles away. Once you get there, you can turn around and come back and no matter where you stop, guess what ? you have completed a minor marathon. Congratulations I did it but I will not do it again. I am too old for a heart attack.
Lincoln Square is also home to the Old Town School of Folk Music. The history of this place is amazing. Once on the verge of Bankruptcy, the school has come back strong. Many popular Folk Artists got there start here. There are also a large number of young students learning to play various instruments there weekly. The Lincoln Ave area between Montrose to Leland Ave is always alive with people and energy. The main heart of Lincoln Square is the Square itself. Here you have a CTA hub of Elevated Rail and Bus Connections. Here you can catch the 49 Western or 49X Western Ave buses south to the South side of the city. The number 49B will take you North to Howard street. There is the number 11 Lincoln Bus. It service has been cut back so it Takes you Northbound on Lincoln Ave. For Elevated train connections, you have the Brown Line which will take you Downtown and will connect you with other train lines. The Brown line was once called the Ravenswood L. That is another reason why back in the day this area was called Ravenswood. As a kid, I used to ride the Ravenswood train a lot. I was one of those kids who would stick his head out of the windows. Maybe that was one of the reasons the CTA installed bars on their windows before Air conditioned cars made there debut. Did anyone else who rode the L stick there head out of the windows? You know I love the CTA. I rode all the CTA trains and buses. Maybe I should one day write a Blog of my travels on the CTA. I have a lot of stories I could tell. But back to the here and now, If you need Metra rail service you can board a train for either Downtown Chicago or up to the North Shore Suburbs or all the way to Kenosha Wisconsin. The Metra stop is located at Lawrence and Ravenswood.
In regards to the educating of your children, Lincoln Square has an abundance of Public and Private schools. Here is a list of some of the schools starting with the Public Schools
Budlong Elementary School
Chappell Elementary School
Jamieson Elementary School
Waters Elementary
Amundsen High School
Mather High School
Private Schools
Adler School
Lycee Francais de Chicago /The French International School
North Park Elementary School
Pilgrim Lutheran
Queen of Angels Elementary School
St. Hilary’s Elementary
St.Mathias School
Waldorf School
Last but not least there is the Entertainment side of Lincoln Square. As the young people say you can get your groove on in this area. Are you hungry? Do you want some German food? Here is a Partial list
1: Himmel’s located at 2251 W.Lawrence.
2: Huettenbar located at 4721 N.Lincoln Ave
3: Chicago Brauhaus located at 4732 N.Lincoln Ave.
4: Lutz Continental Cafe a Pastry located at 2458 W.Montrose Ave
I could go on an on but time prevents me from mentioning every German Restaurant but you can go to google it and they will give you the complete list. There are also other restaurants serving great food dishes. Their names are Gather, Luella’s Southern Kitchen, The Warbler, Artango Bar and Steakhouse, Barba Yianni, Miku Sushi, Garcia’s Restaurant, Pueblito Viejo and last but not least for Filipino food I recommend Isla Filipina Restaurant located at 2501 W.Lawrence Ave. For Restaurants closer to the Ravenswood area around Damen ave here are a few choices. 1: Bayan Ko A Filipino/Cuban eatery located at 1810 Montrose 2: Glenn’s Diner located at 1820 W.Montrose A good choice for Seafood and all day Breakfast 3: Fountainhead located at 1970 Montrose. If you want to get your drink on this is the place for it. 4: Chez Simo Located at 1968 Lawrence. This is a popular French bistro 5: Over Easy Cafe located at 4943 N.Damen is also a good breakfast place 6: Budacki’s located at 4739 N.Damen This is one of my favorite hot dog places. They also sell a great Seoul Steak bowl I give this place 5 stars. I could go on an on, there many fast food sandwiches eateries, Pizzerias, Chinese and Thailand Restaurants and if I tried to name them all I will be typing until the next year. There are also many Grocery stores, Automobile repair stores, Cleaners, and Medical Offices so you can’t go wrong in either living here coming here to shop or coming into the area to eat drink and hang out.
Well, that is it for this Blog. I want to thank you for reading it. I hope that it was informative and you learned a little more about the Lincoln Square area. It is a bustling area but when you get away from the lights it is also a quiet place to raise a family or just yourself. Please let me know what you think of this post and until the next time. Take care
Charles McShan
https://www.charlesmcshanchicagolandrealtor.com
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