A response to the wall in the office...

From the alderman...

As to the change in the office, we had a wall built in the fall of 2006 to conserve heat in the winter and provide some security for the staff. Prior to the construction of the wall, you could walk off the street and have access to everyone in the office. On several occasions we have had to call the police to have them assist us in removing people who had wandered in and were in various states of sobriety. Thus the wall and a door with a buzzer.

I would have never thought conserving heat but I can certainly understand security.

You know this allows me to springboard onto another subject. That of 75th Street.

I'm starting to think of it as a rough street. In other words it's not somewhere I would choose to be late at night.

Traffic on 75th isn't as busy during the day it seems as it might be on 79th, 87th, or 95th Streets. I discuss those streets because in this general area they are the most familiar to me as far as west-east streets go. 75th certainly has a gritty feel.

That's not to say there aren't places to go there. I mention Lem's a lot that's further west, walking distance of the Alerman's office. Across the street is a Harold's Chicken Shack. Next door to that place was a breakfast shop. Oh I should mention there is a vegetarian place maybe a block away from Lem's.

Also on the same block as the Alderman's office is Army and Lou's Restaurant. I snapped this picture as I walked east to Cottage Grove. I had an opportunity and I took it. You can check out the website in the sidebars under local businesses.
In anycase, I chose a good time to stroll it was close to noon and outside of the Alderman's office there wasn't a lot of foot traffic or even auto traffic as I headed east. I decided to look at the storefronts.

I passed by an ice cream shop. I don't recall the name, but there was a tag, "Something good in the hood". Sounds appetizing already!

There was a Cafe Trinidad out east serving it seems like some meat such as jerk chicken or what not. I probably didn't get that right. There was a nice hair salon where a person so inclined could either get a hair cut or their hair braided. There was a plaque place adorned with Black liberation flags close to Cottage Grove.

Oh I should add there is also an art gallery on that stretch of 75th. The Wood Shop Art Gallery. There are some things worth seeing on that street.

I guess going to the Alderman's office is an adventure for me as I get to see a part of town I don't see often enough. I suppose if nothing else having these sticker sales might help some constituents get comfortable enough to get to know their ward office. Perhaps they'll show up a little more often than waiting once a year for the ward office to have city sticker sales.

Once again I'd like to thank the alderman for emailing, The Sixth Ward blog.