Goodbye, Loft

I recently upgraded from a super cool loft (glorified studio) to a 2-bedroom (guests welcome). It is super cool and very Chicago. We had exposed brick and really tall ceilings. But, it was nearly impossible to keep warm. At least I can say I have lived in a loft, now.

The building's alley is what was historically known as Hell's Half Acre. A hundred or so years ago, it was the most dangerous alley in Chicago. Whores, pimps and theives would rob and sometimes murder anyone who walked down it. Even police officers would not go into the neighborhood. Today, Printer's Row is one of the safest beats in the City. It is also one of the coolest neighborhoods. My building used to be a papermaking company. You could still see nails in the wall where they used to hang paper.

I moved a whole 2 blocks. Now, I live on Satan's alley, historically, the 2nd most dangerous alley. Today, it is just a typical alley... I get kind of creeped out thinking about how many people lost their lives in my neighborhood.

Here are photos from my loft... (I tried to put the pictures in different places on the page, but I gave up... actually, I just didn't feel like dealing with it. So, they are a bit jumbled... oh well, you get the point.









Goodbye great view of the Sear's Tower! Goodbye Neighbors! Goodbye brick!