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How Seasonal Shopping Events Support Chicago Homeowners
By Anthony Zammitt | Agents, brokers, home buyer, Neighborhood Guides, real estate, Real Estate Investment
With Thanksgiving Day gatherings behind us, this year's Chicago holiday shopping action re-focused on the Black Friday sales phenomenon. Early reports were encouraging—but confirmed what Chicago businesspeople expected: a substantial tilt to home-based shopping.
CNBC's initial late-night observation was that bargain hunters were ringing up record online sales. This was a result that had been foreseen by retailers, who had prepared for the reluctance consumers might show to in-person shopping.
Even so, the National Retail Federation had projected that this year's holiday sales would grow by somewhere between 3.6%-5.2%. If that proves accurate, sales will exceed averages reached during the previous five holiday seasons—a shot of good economic news for this seesawing (some would say, 'whipsawing') year.
At least as significant for Chicago businesses was Black Friday's weekend successor—Small Business Saturday—which USA Today called "crucial" for myriads of local U.S. establishments. Many local Chicago businesspeople would probably agree, having spent most of 2020 battling spikes in COVID-19 and the strictures aimed at curbing its spread. For the many Chicago small businesses who succeeded in improving their online sales functionality, this week's Cyber Monday looked to possibly match the national projections, which were widely expected to set sales records of their own.
Much of the media's coverage urging patronage of local businesses emphasized the altruistic nature of "shopping local"—but from a local homeowner's perspective, doing so is equally self-serving. Real estate's "location, location, location" exhortation includes the attractiveness of the community—which is instantly recognizable by visitors in the energy and vitality on display through its local commercial outlets. That activity attracts further investment—or not. And the whole package winds up being reflected in property values—not just in its commercial sector, but in the residential community surrounding it. Area homeowners who make a point of patronizing our own Chicago merchants don't just keep their neighbors and neighborhoods humming—they assure that local properties will see their values continue to advance in the years ahead.
For all your own Chicago real estate dealings, do give Lofty a call!
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Neighborhood Guide: University Village
By Anthony Zammitt | Neighborhood Guides
Say hello to University Village!
Sometimes referred to as Little Italy, this Chicago neighborhood is rich with charm, fun, and much more. Located on the Near West Side of Chicago, its boundaries are Ashland Ave. on the west, Interstate 90/94 on the east, the Eisenhower Expressway on the north, and 18th St. on the south.
It is home to the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Jane Addams' Hull House was founded in University Village in 1889.
There's no shortage of great eats in this neighborhood. From brunch staples to great burgers to upscale Italian, you'll find just what you want, no matter what you have a hankering for. Check out these hot spots as a perfect introduction to what people love most about this area.
1) Davanti Enoteca
This wine bar focuses on traditional Italian eats and small plates inspired by the chefs' travels to the country. You won't want to miss their specialties and crowd favorites, including the Truffle Egg Toast, anything utilizing ricotta, and the Riccio di Mare e Granchio, a linguini dish with sea urchin and crab.
2) Sweet Maple Cafe
This intensely popular brunch joint is a local favorite. It opened in 1999 and has been churning out standard but delicious breakfast, brunch, and lunch fare ever since, serving a diverse clientele. Family recipes and unique specialties make up this menu's offerings, including popular items such as cheddar grits and corned beef hash. Pull up a chair!
3) Mario's Italian Lemonade
A summertime staple, Mario's Italian Lemonade offers shaved ice to happy customers day in and day out. Get it while it's hot, though—literally; Mario's is only open during the warm months.
4) Three Aces
Food and drink specials abound at this neighborhood hot spot. Featuring great burgers, a diverse beer selection, and craft cocktails, it's a casual hangout that you'll love stopping for. Fan faves include bolognese fries, the Ace Burger with aged cheddar, bacon jam, and all the trimmings, and duck fat chips.
5) Stax Cafe
Competing lines at Sweet Maple Cafe and Stax Cafe keep these brunch spots going head to head every weekend, and this local gem offers up mini waffles, chocolate chip bacon pancakes, and an entire menu that will have your mouth watering.
6) Joy Yee's Noodle Shop
1335 S Halsted St
Bubble tea fanatics go wild for this eatery, which features a full menu of Asian signatures as well as a complex list of smoothie and slushy flavors that are available with or without the famous "bubbles."
7) Jim's Original Hot Dog
Whether you come here for a casual lunch or some post-bar noshing, Jim's Original promises to hit the spot. It opened more than 70 years ago and has fast become a neighborhood icon. Find out for yourself why this long-standing hot dog stand is known for being one of the best.
8) Al's Beef
Another gold-standard Chicago tradition, Al's Beef has been cooking up Italian beef sandwiches and more since 1938. Here, get hand-cut fries, spicy giardiniera, or sweet peppers to accompany your lunch.
9) The Rosebud
Classic Italian in the heart of Chicago, this old-world eatery shows off the dishes you love. Calamari specialties, veal or chicken parmesan, a host of pastas, and a delectable wine list means no one will be going home hungry.
10) County Barbecue
If you're looking for a meat fix, you've found it here. Diners love their pulled pork, corn pudding, and garlic fries, but you can also sample fried chicken, ribs, hot links, brisket, and you can choose from an extensive beer and bourbon list to wash it all down.
If you're looking for a nightcap, a great date place, or just a comfortable hangout for friends, this neighborhood has something for everyone. These are some of the most popular watering holes in the University Village area. Do you have a favorite that we missed? Let us know about it!
1) Ph. D. Pub
You won't want to miss this pub's beer garden when it's nice out. A casual bar frequented by students and locals alike, Ph. D. pub has something for everyone.
2) Cetta's
Slink on into this wine bar and piano lounge and enjoy a fine vintage over candlelight. Perfect for a date or just a great glass of red, you'll love living near this spot.
3) Drum & Monkey
No neighborhood is complete without a bustling Irish pub, and we'd be remiss to omit this watering hole. Free shuffleboard, drink specials, and tater tots make this place worth a visit (or three).
4) The Bar 10 Doors
Casual and inviting, this affordable bar and lounge offers up drink specials every night, plus live music and theme nights. College students and locals alike flock to this establishment, and we can see why.
5) La Taberna Tapas on Halsted
Get your tapas fix at this small-plate spot. Featured bites include patatas bravas, olives, charcuterie, and more, and don't forget to order a sangria flight!
Parks and Points of Interest
You'll need more to do than just eat and drink, of course, and thankfully, Little Italy is home to a lot of great cultural institutions, green outdoor space, and more. Take a stroll around the neighborhood and visit these top picks.
1) Sheridan Park
910 S Aberdeen St
Featuring an indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, baseball fields and more, Sheridan Park is a perfect place to spend a day with the whole family. Sheridan Park also offers Movies in the Park events during the summertime—a citywide favorite.
2) Piazza DiMaggio
Perfect for the sports fans in your life, this statue of the late, great Joe DiMaggio is surrounded by beautiful views of the city. Get an iced coffee nearby and stroll through on a sunny afternoon.
3) Maxwell Street Market
On Des Plaines St. from Roosevelt S. to Harrison St.
Want to get a feel for the neighborhood? Stop by the Maxwell Street Market on Sundays and check out local food vendors, plus furniture, clothing and collectibles. Spend all day browsing, and if you run out of time, don't worry—there's always next week!
4) Notre Dame de Chicago Church
This landmark church is known for its architecture and is also regarded as the "best extant landmark associated with the French in Chicago." Its beauty and size make it hard to ignore.
5) Jane Addams Hull House Museum
Learn more about Jane Addams' renowned project, Hull House, and what it accomplished during its time. With affordable admission and group rates available, this museum is a Chicago landmark.
6) UIC Pavilion
525 S Racine Ave
This 9,500-seat arena is perfect for checking out the biggest acts of the minute, plus rallies, sporting events, and more. The UIC Pavilion is home to the University of Illinois at Chicago Flames basketball team and is also home to the Windy City Rollers Roller Derby League.
7) National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame
Celebrating 35 years of Italian athletes, this is the perfect place to visit for any sports fan. Rotating exhibitions and galleries keep this place current and focusing on the latest and greatest.
No more teachers, no more books—wait, wrong list!
University Village is named as such thanks to the University of Illinois Chicago campus' location. It's also home to other schools, including a college prep academy.
1) St. Ignatius College Prep
Founded in 1869, this private Catholic school has a broad curriculum focused on preparing students for their futures in higher education. It has an enrollment size between 1,300 and 1,400 students as of 2011, and is known for outstanding teaching and a focus on service and leadership.
2) University of Illinois at Chicago
1200 W Harrison St
Known as UIC for short, this public, four-year university is the largest university in the Chicago area with a student body of about 29,000 people. Established in 1858 with larger expansions coming in the 1940s and 1960s, this university is a branch of the University of Illinois, which has two other campuses in Urbana-Champaign and Springfield. It is ranked the 78th best public university in the nation, and is tied for 51st-75th in the area of social sciences.
Your new neighborhood has a lot to love, but part of the reason so many people choose to live in Chicago is its rich cultural landscape, full of different sights, sounds, smells, and more. When you're ready to duck out of your usual corners, here's how you can do it.
The CTA's UIC-Halsted stop on the Blue Line trains will take residents and students most anywhere they need to go, via line transfers or connecting buses.
Bordering areas include West Town, Pilsen (including Chicago's Chinatown area), and the West Loop, all lively areas with plenty of options for dining, entertainment, shopping, and more. Ease of traveling to other neighborhoods and a rich history make University Village a place worth calling home!
Thinking about purchasing or renting property in University Village? Contact Lofty today to get more information!
Speak with one of our experts to learn more.
Neighborhood Guide: Wheeling
By Anthony Zammitt | home buying, Neighborhood Guides, Property Management
Welcome to the town of Wheeling!
Wheeling was home to the video game company Jaleco USA and to the American branch of Taito Corporation.
Some notable residents include:
Actor (Bones) John Francis Daley; opera singer, Deborah Voigt; singer/songwriter and comedian, Haley Reinhart.
Bob Chinn's Crab House
A Wheeling institution since 1982. For over 30 years they have been serving some of the freshest seafood from locations around the globe like Alaska, Hawaii and New Zealand. While seafood is their specialty, Bob Chinn's is also known for their wet-aged prime steaks that are comparable to some of the best steakhouses in the suburbs and Chicago.
Saranello's
601 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Inspired by Executive Chef, Mychael Bonner's Italian travels, the menu features a broad selection of Italian fare, utilizing the freshest ingredients to create the fullest flavors! They bring homemade, hand-crafted pizzas and pastas, as well as prime steaks and fresh fish dishes to the table. Enjoy the casual atmosphere while dining in a rustic setting.
Superdawg
What started out as a hot dog stand in 1948 has grown into the old-fashioned Chicago-style hot dog mainstay, and one of the few remaining places offering carhop service! There is also a diner-style inside seating area, for those that prefer not to eat in their car.
Joe's Pizzeria
57 N. Wolf Road
Family-friendly parlor known for its signature thin-crust pies and other Italian specialties, since 1966.
Tortorice's Pizza
While technically in Buffalo Grove, don't let the funny name fool you—the folks here take pizza seriously. One of a handful of family-owned locations throughout the Chicago area, Tortorice's is truly a magnificent ode to pizza. Take your New York visitors here for the Chicago-style deep dish and watch them melt like buttah.
The Original Granny's
831 W. Dundee Road
A warm, inviting, neighborhood gem serving hot and tasty breakfast items. Come hungry, leave happy!
550 S. Milwaukee Road
Neighborhood Italian venue featuring pasta dishes & wood-fired pizza in a bright space.
Chicago Bagel & Bialy II
Longtime homemade bagel specialist with outdoor seating featuring breakfast, lunch & deli items.
Rammy's Sub Contractors
834 Wheeling Road
With owner, Mike Hrametz's background in construction and studies in food service, he came up with a concept that was like no other. The Rammy's Sub Contractors brainchild is a unique, construction-themed shop that serves unbelievably great food.
PS Pub
Their extensive beer list includes a large selection of imports and domestics, while boasting their craft beer selection. They offer 12 lines of craft beers that are constantly changing. Also on the drink menu are an eclectic selection of shots. Don't see one you like? The bartenders are happy to make a drink according to your recipe. Also featured are video slots, open mic Wednesdays, karaoke Fridays and live bands on Saturday.
Old Munich Inn
Authentic German dive bar serving cold beer and cocktails only. Occasionally a tray of lunch meat and bread gets passed around to help soak up the drinks being consumed.
Bourbon and beer drinkers unite. Enjoy cocktails prepared by incredibly knowledgeable bartenders who know all about the process of making, mixing, and drinking your next high quality beverage. Spears has American roots where the best Bourbon, Burgers, and Beer meet and await to delight you!
Brewpub chain featuring rotating house beers & easy-going American grub in family-friendly environment.
Cooper's Hawk
Combines a working winery, a tasting room and an upscale casual restaurant serving New American fare paired with house-label wines in a contemporary setting.
PARKS AND INTERESTS
Community Recreation Center (CRC)
The CRC is open to the public and houses most Wheeling Park District programs including preschool classes, camps, arts and crafts, sports, adult and youth classes, indoor walking/running track, Arctic Splash indoor pool, Fitness Center, and the Guest Service Desk.
Arctic Splash
A family friendly indoor pool that features a zero-depth leisure pool, Petie the Polar Bear toddler slide, mini lazy river, four lane – 25 yard lap pool and interactive water structures.
Family Aquatic Center
The place you want to be during the summer months! A family friendly seasonal outdoor pool featuring Tsunami Splash (a water playground with large tipping bucket), Lily Pad Lagoon (a splash pool with water basketball and monkey bar activity pad), Volcano Valley (tube and body slides), Paradise Falls (two drop slides), Willie the Whale Toddler Slide, Aloha Beach (zero- depth entry main pool), lap lanes, Kona Courts (sand volleyball), grassy tanning area, Willie's Coconut Café, a picnic area, diving board and Keiki Island (sand-play area).
222 S. Wolf Road
Covering 97 acres, Heritage Park is the largest park the Wheeling Park District maintains. Encompassing the CRC and the Aquatic Center, the park has five baseball/softball fields (one with lights), tennis courts, soccer fields, play equipment, and a running/walking/bike path. There are shelters, picnic tables, drinking fountains, and an ice skating rink set up during the winter months. The park can be accessed from Wolf Rd. or via the CRC.
Husky Park
Various slides and climbing apparatus, as well as swings and individual play pieces, accommodate both two- to five-year-olds and five- to 12-year-olds. The individual play areas are sheltered by sail-like shade structures. The soft safety surface is constructed in circular shapes with contrasting colors. The old basketball court was removed and replaced with a larger, full-court. Bike racks, new trash/recycling receptacles, and landscaping were added.
Chamber Park
251 N. Wolf Road
This park consists of 13 acres and is home to the Chamber Church, Carriage House, and the Wheeling Historical Society Museum. The church is said to be the second oldest church in Wheeling and as recently as the 1970s held services on Sundays. The Carriage House was moved to the park in the 1980s and the Museum was moved from Milwaukee Road., where it served as the original Wheeling police station. In the 1970s, the park had an outdoor and "kiddie" pool, shuffleboard courts, a large fountain, and an ice skating rink. Today, Chamber Park boasts play equipment, picnic tables, a sheltered gazebo, a dedicated flower garden area, and basketball hoops for informal play. The park also hosts Santa and Mrs. Claus when they come to town every December for Lollipop Lane.
Chevy Chase Golf & Country Club
1000 N. Milwaukee Avenue
A championship, 18-hole golf course set amid rolling greens and grassy fairways proves a challenge to players of all skill levels. Play a peaceful round early on a weekday morning, compete in a fun-filled scramble, or join a league to make new friends.
To meet your needs, golf carts come with GPS and provide a full-service golf shop stocked with brand name clubs and apparel. Finish your game at our 19th hole, the Gable Room Bar & Grill, for delicious food and cold drinks.
Wheeling High School
900 S. Elmhurst Road
This high school boasts a culturally diverse student body, and draws its strength from embracing the rich multicultural community of students and staff. Wheeling High School is a four-year, comprehensive, public high school that offers all students a 21st century focus in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). US News and World Report recently recognized Wheeling as one of the best high schools in the state of Illinois.
Buffalo Grove High School
1100 W. Dundee Road
Buffalo Grove High School is recognized as a Blue Ribbon High School by the U. S. Department of Education and was named one of the top high schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report and Newsweek magazines. In addition, Chicago magazine most recently named Buffalo Grove as one of the top 20 high schools in Cook County in the state of Illinois.
The Metra
The North Central Service line Wheeling stop is located at 400 Town Street. The northern most stop is Antioch and southernmost stop is at Union Station in Chicago.
Proximity to Downtown
Obviously there is a bit of fluctuation depending on where exactly you live within the city, but Wheeling is approximately 30 miles from Chicago's Downtown Loop. Driving (without traffic) would yield about 40 minutes taking I-90 East. If traveling via the Metra, allow approximately 55 minutes.
Chicago Executive Airport, a busy general aviation airport, is located in Wheeling and Prospect Heights and jointly run by both villages. Formerly known as Palwaukee Municipal Airport, it is the third busiest airport in Illinois, after Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports.
Buffalo Grove, Prospect Heights, Arlington Heights and Northbrook are your closest neighbors. These cities, while close in proximity, each offer unique vibes and help to make the Chicago suburbs a great place to live or visit!
Neighborhood Guide – Wicker Park
By Lofty | Neighborhood Guides, Property Management
Welcome to the Wicker Park (sometimes referred to as the Wicker Park/Bucktown) Neighborhood!
Over the last decade, Wicker Park (and Bucktown), centered around the six-corner intersection of Milwaukee, North and Damen Avenues, has gradually transformed from a gritty-come-artsy neighborhood of galleries and dive bars to trendy, upscale living and entertainment. This is mainly due to an increase of homes being bought, renovated and built. However, all the flavor has not been bought out of the area as Wicker Park remains a vibrant hub of culture and commerce in Chicago, riddled with boutiques, restaurants, cocktail bars, concerts venues and condos.
The Wicker Park Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Chicago. Much of Wicker Park was also designated as a Chicago Landmark District.
2000's quintessential John Cusak film, High Fidelity, was filmed here—Rob's store was located at the corner of Milwaukee and Honore.
In 2001 a season of MTV's The Real World, was filmed in Wicker Park in the loft building currently home to Cheetah Gym.
Milwaukee Avenue's Costa Rica Restaurant, Irazu, has been featured on PBS television's Check, Please!, Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (Guy Fieri sampled several dishes) and Food Network's The Secret Life of Milkshakes. The burritos competed in ESPN's FiveThirtyEight's 2014 Burrito Bracket.
WWE wrestlers, Colt Cabana and CM Punk; singer/songwriter, Liz Phair; former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist, James Iha; singer/guitarist for The Alkaline Trio, Matt Skiba.
Chicago is a food city! With too many great restaurants to include them all, consider this a quick start guide to your flavorful adventures… enjoy exploring your new neighborhood eateries!
Antique Taco
Owned and operated by a husband and wife team, indulge yourself in a seasonal menu of gourmet tacos & Mexican appetizers doled out in a shabby-chic, counter-serve space.
1531 N. Damen Avenue
Probably one of the best outdoor patios in the city and their tacos speak for themselves. No matter what time of day, this place is jammed with people eating the Mexican street food and drinking. Heads up though, this popular spot is cash only.
Piece Brewery and Pizza
This isn't your typical pizza joint. The go-to specialties? A New Haven, CT style pizza smothered in red sauce, topped with garlic, extra parmesan, and olive oil with notably no mozzarella (though cheese is an option as well as other toppings) paired with award-winning, brewed-on-premise, small-batch beers. Fun Fact: Doug Sohn chose Piece to host his Hot Doug's swan song–a fusion of encased meat and pizza, named the Atomic Bomb after the menu mainstay from his much-missed eatery.
Trencherman
Formerly a Russian bath house, the space is now host to a Modern American menu influenced by Chicago's rich neighborhood history, with a ridiculous Wednesday $10 burger and beer special!
Mindy's Hot Chocolate
Hip, family-friendly American eatery known for it's seasonal menus, rich desserts and of course, hot chocolate.
The Bongo Room
The place to go for all your brunch desires. Features inventive pancakes and other updated American breakfast and lunch classics.
As previously stated, consider this a quick start guide to begin your exploration!
This swanky cocktail lounge has a distinctly speakeasy vibe and the carefully constructed cocktails are excellent. You won't find a sign on the door, and the decor is completely and unarguably gorgeous.
Emporium Arcade Bar
Bring out your inner child with 40+ 25¢ arcade games to provide the entertainment and 24 rotating craft beers and 50+ kinds of whiskey to provide the fuel!
Bangers & Lace
1670 W. Division Street
Named after sausage ("bangers") and "Brussels lace," i.e., beer foam on the edge of a glass ("lace"), this Division Ave upstart harnesses a stellar draft selection and knowledgeable staff that draw in a lively mix of beer aficionados and neighborhood clientele at all hours and seasons. They even offer two-ounce sample beers and a sweet patio space in the summer!
Estelle's
At this low-key sanctuary in the Milwaukee-North-Damen intersection, no one is trying to out-cool anyone—the uncool simply can't hang and leave. Comfortably strike up a conversation with a new friend over a PBR ($2 on Tuesdays!) and some late-night bar food, served till 3am, after one of many shows at Subterranean, the venue next door.
RSVP Gallery
1753 N Damen Avenue
Technically in Bucktown, RSVP is a design and fashion-minded shop selling high-end clothing, art and wares for those young of heart and thick of wallet. Heavy streetwear and fashion-blogger influence.
Mildblend Supply Co.
1342 N Milwaukee Avenue
With "a rustic and recycled interior," MildBlend Supply Co. (formerly Untitled, a Chicago legend) carries high-end denim along with all type of trendy men's and women's casual and fine clothing, leather goods, shoes, bags, and grooming products. They are also pioneering supporters of the Made In USA movement.
Green Music Fest
Intersection of Damen, North and Milwaukee
This environmentally conscious Wicker Park street festival takes over Damen Ave, bringing green vendors, food and biodiesel- and bicycle-powered live music to the neighborhood for two nights each summer.
SAIC graduate, Vincent Uribe opened this gallery in 2009, just after he finished his freshman year. Years later, he's still runs this space and is presenting some the area's most exciting group shows, gathering work from artists all over the country.
This four-acre recreation area may be small for a popular park, but when the weather is warm you will be able to find residents sitting by the fountain, playing basketball on the courts and kids playing on the swings. A field house in the middle of the park contains a gymnasium and meeting rooms, overlooking a lush public garden that is tended by members of the community.
Wicker Park Farmer's Market
Each Sunday, a small grouping of farmers, vendors and shoppers descend on Wicker Park for the neighborhood's farmers' market, which features fresh fruits and veggies, baked goods, meats, cheeses, and flowers. The market begins in May and ends in October.
also referred to as The Bloomingdale Trail – various access points along Bloomingdale Avenue
This old elevated train line has been given new life as a connective system of parks, access points, and multi-use exercise trail.
The L – Blue Line
Easy access to the CTA Blue Line services this area. Stations are located at Division, Damen and Western.
The following bus routes are also readily available:
North-South bus lines:
#9 Ashland Avenue
#50 Damen Avenue
#49 Western Avenue
#56 Milwaukee Avenue
East-West bus lines:
#70 Division Street
#72 North Avenue
#73 Armitage Avenue
#74 Fullerton Avenue
Obviously there is a bit of fluctuation depending on where exactly you live within the neighborhood, but Wicker Park is approximately 5 miles from Chicago's Downtown Loop. Driving (without traffic) would yield about 13 minutes taking I-90 East. If traveling via the CTA, allow approximately 45 minutes.
Bucktown, West Town and Ukranian Village are your closest neighbors. The awesome thing about the surrounding neighborhoods is that they offer up different atmospheres that are unique to them…and quite honestly, that's what makes Chicago great.
Get in touch with our experts to learn more about this wonderful neighborhood.
Neighborhood Guide: West Loop Fulton Market
Welcome to the West Loop Neighborhood!
With one of the most happening food scenes in Chicago due to some of the best restaurants and bars in the city, some might say the West Loop is the Best Loop. No doubt, it has become a very desirable and active area! Fulton Market and Randolph's Restaurant Row are just a few of the main attractions in this popular neighborhood!
The West Loop was once strictly industrial. The hip, industrial vibe is still alive today, with former manufacturing and warehousing buildings converted to loft condos, restaurants, nightclubs, event spaces, showrooms and art galleries.
Oprah Winfrey's syndicated television show, Oprah, was previously produced in the West Loop at Harpo Studios.
Google recently reclaimed and remodeled the old Cold Storage building for their Chicago Headquarters. The southeast corner of the building is home to Cold Storage Oyster Bar and Swift & Sons Steakhouse.
Au Cheval
Awarded the "Best Burger" title by Bon Appetit magazine in 2012, and has since ballooned with popularity. Au Cheval goes through about 400 hamburger patties each weekday and up to 500 a day on the weekend. Head to Au Cheval when it will serve you best: for a burger and a beer at the bar.
Publican Quality Meats
825 W. Fulton Market Street
Located in the neighborhood's meat-packing area, this a butcher shop, a sandwich joint, a grocer and a bakery. Menu offerings include house-made charcuterie, artisanal cheeses, freshly baked breads, specialty coffee drinks and rustic soups and sandwiches. The little sister restaurant of The Publican, PQM acts as The Publican's private dining room by night.
Stephanie Izard's bakery and diner serves up reimagined comfort food. As the sequel to her popular Girl & the Goat, the restaurant that put the West Loop on the map, Little Goat has redefined the small-plate trend and proved that winning Top Chef can actually translate into real world success!
Chicken & Farm Shop
113 N. Green Street
Located in Soho House, serving rotisserie-cooked, free-range birds sourced from Pine Manor Farm in Indiana—birds come whole, by the half or quarters. The chickens are continually roasting on a rotisserie behind the bar, so they come out hot and juicy in minutes. You will also be able to enjoy classic American sides and British dessert "puddings." Craft cocktails, beer and wine offered in a stylish, industrial diner featuring exposed brick walls and big windows.
The Corned Beef Factory
1009 W. Lake Street
An offering of tender, slow-cooked meats awaits you at this cozy, spot located in what was once the front office of the 60+ year old Ex-Cel corned beef factory, an old-school meatpacking district staple that used to sell wholesale briskets out the back door. The meats are cured on site and boast exceptional flavor, and every sandwich comes with house made potato chips and a perfect pickle.
High Five Ramen
Journey under Green Street Meats and feel the vibe of a gritty basement ramen shop in Tokyo. Spice is the name of the game in this hidden gem, but there are plenty of mild bowls to choose from as well. Slushy cocktails are a must at this hip, subterranean eatery.
The Beer Bistro
1060 W. Madison Street
A low-key, tavern with a neighborhood feel just steps from the high-profile establishments of Randolph Street, The Beer Bistro carries upwards of 100 beers. Enjoy one and strike up a conversation with your beer-geek bartender or another good-natured patron.
Fulton Market Kitchen
311 N. Sangamon Street
Part restaurant, part lounge and part art gallery. Grab a seat in this chic warehouse space on one of the couches or at the bar and check out the artwork that is created by local artists and a street art-inspired mural.
Haymarket Pub & Brewery
A throwback brewpub that offers a rotating selection of housemade craft beers and pub fare, as well as occasional live music. Even with so many outstanding restaurants in close proximity, this is a great place to grab a drink and a bite.
RM Champagne Salon
Enter this champagne bar through an unmarked alleyway, where glowing strings of lights lead to a cobblestone courtyard! RMCS serves American cuisine small plates in an elegant setting replete with marble fireplace and chandeliers.
1200 W. Randolph Street
A veritable one-stop-shop, this unique, 30,000 square foot venue is not only Chicago's premier wine and fine dining experience with attached concert venue, but also offers food and wine classes, flexible event space and seem to be on a noble, artistic quest to find the perfect combo of drink, food and sound that will leave you breathless and satisfied.
Randolph Street Market Festival
1340 W Washington Boulevard
Typically occurring on the last weekend of each month, RSMF boasts 100+ vendors selling goods from antiques, furniture, clothing. During the warmer weather months of May through September, the market features an outdoor spot, with more vintage shopping and a beer garden. Shop for vintage clothes and jewelry, enjoy a fancy food market and global goods or bring your own items for appraisal. Tickets are available at a discount online or can be purchased at the gate.
Mary Bartelme Park
115 S. Sangamon St
At 1.4 acres, this city park is very kid-friendly with swings, slides and a lot of other cool things on which to run around—this park also features pieces that allow for inventive, non-linear play without traditional play equipment! For the dog in your life, there is a sunken dog park which includes a continuously filling, oversized dog bowl, ramps, ledges, steps, and an artificial grass exercise area. You can also find a "viewing hill", up to six feet high that provides an incredible view of the park with the Chicago Skyline as the backdrop.
Brooklyn Boulders
100 S. Morgan Street
An expansive rock climbing facility which offers classes for beginners to advanced climbers. The building is also home to an "Active Collaborative Workspace," a co-working office in which you may participate in a little physical activity during the workday. Gee, wonder what that is…
119 N. Peoria Street
The go-to place for video art. Here is the only commercial video art space in the city so be sure to check out the top film-focused exhibitions.
Union Park
From the 1920s through the 1950s, this park was well-known for cultural and social events. Many notable musicians performed there, including: Thomas A. Dorsey; trumpeter Sunny Cohn; and jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis. In the last 12 years, the park has been home to many music and art festivals, including the annual Pitchfork Music Festival, usually held in July, featuring artists from all different music genres including rock, metal, alternative, electronic, pop, hip hop, jazz and more!
The L
Easy access to the CTA Blue, Green and Pink Lines service this area. Stations are located at Clinton and UIC Halsted (Blue Line), Morgan and Clinton (Green and Pink Lines).
The #20 bus (Madison) services the West Loop.
Obviously there is a bit of fluctuation depending on where exactly you live within the neighborhood, but the West Loop is approximately 2.5 miles from Chicago's Downtown Loop. Driving (without traffic) would yield about 10 minutes. If traveling via the CTA, allow approximately 15 minutes.
Greektown, Fulton River District, West Town and Little Italy are your closest neighbors. The awesome thing about the surrounding neighborhoods is that they offer up different atmospheres that are unique to them—quite honestly, that's what makes Chicago great.
Thinking about purchasing or renting property in The West Loop? Get in touch with our experts to learn more about this wonderful neighborhood.
Neighborhood Guide: Rogers Park
Welcome to the Rogers Park Neighborhood!
Rogers Park has two main distinctions as a Chicago neighborhood: First, as the city's northernmost neighborhood; second, it is considered one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Chicago in terms of population, culture, and even natural wonder.
Despite the seemingly far distance from Downtown, there is plenty of easy accessibility to all forms of public transportation. This means that the unique dining, arts, culture and entertainment found in Rogers Park are never far away. This dynamic neighborhood boasts bright, fresh murals and artwork in newly-updated 'L' stations along the Red and Purple lines.
Rogers Park wins the second distinction as people from all over the world call this neighborhood home. There is no dominant ethnicity in this neighborhood as residents speak nearly 40 different languages and have roots from over 80 countries. Howard and Clark Streets are known as the "Commercial District", while the Glenwood Avenue Arts District and Jarvis Square are home to a pretty robust theater scene and music clubs, in addition to late-night dive bars, galleries, studios, and coffee shops.
Enjoy the sound of waves crashing! The lakefront is within ear shot, and nearly all the streets leading east end at public beaches and parks on Lake Michigan. Beautiful views at dawn give way to breezy afternoons along Lake Michigan. Cyclists may utilize the myriad bike lanes on winding side and main roads to maximize their new locale, and urban naturalists will find an entirely different set of florae and faunae than they are used to seeing in Chicago.
The Rogers Park area was developed on what once was Native American trails, now known as Rogers Avenue and Ridge Boulevard. The Potawatomi tribe (among other regional tribes) would settle in Rogers Park seasonally. Indian Boundary Park, west of Rogers Park and Pottawattomie Park near Clark Street and Rogers Avenue, pay homage to these historical roots.
Rogers Park has a higher rate of residents with Master's, Professional, and Doctorate degrees than the state average. In addition, the amount of residents that work for not-for-profit institutions and organizations is almost twice as high as the state average.
Former First Lady, Betty Ford; actresses Tina Fey and Lara Flynn Boyle; Olympic speed skater, Shani Davis; NFL Hall of Famer, Fritz Pollard; U.S. House of Representatives, Jan Schakowsky; State Senator, Dan Kotowski.
Capt'n Nemo's
A Chicago landmark since 1971, serves up some of the "Best Soups, Best Chili and Biggest Best Subs and some of Chicago's Best Italian Beef."
Jamaica Jerk
1631 W. Howard Street
Is locally owned and operated by Chef Waite, who brings a culinary degree from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC) and an experienced expert with Jamaican cuisine. His menu will delights your taste buds with delicious Jamaican and Caribbean food in a fun, feel like you are on vacation, tropical atmosphere. This restaurant prides itself on made-from-scratch fare, with only top quality ingredients, including spices, vegetables, and fresh fruits.
Heartland Cafe
7000 N. Glenwood Avenue
Heartland Café opened it's doors in 1976 with a vision to serve "good wholesome food for the mind and body". This community favorite takes great care and effort in finding local, organic, sustainable, socially conscious ingredients whenever possible. It's also a great place for a date.
La Cazuela
This isn't your typical mexican restaurant! La Cazuela offers delectable breakfast, vegetarian meal options, wraps, seafood, and Mexican cuisine. Every dish prepared at La Cazuela is made with fresh ingredients and cooked to perfection.
Act One Pub
1330 W. Morse Avenue
Best described as a combination of a neighborhood favorite and a destination dining experience. Features live entertainment and high quality American cuisine, so you can find all the comfort of a neighborhood pub coupled with the sophistication of a first class dining experience. There is a carefully crafted global wine and beer menu to represent the high standards you would expect in fine dining. Next door is Mayne Stage, which makes it the perfect spot to complete a special evening out on the town.
BopNGrill
This quick-serve spot has been featured on the Food Network, in Timeout Chicago and the Redeye. It features street food with a international (mostly Korean) influences and bacon: kimchi fries; a Bavarian burger served on a pretzel with Dusseldorf mustard; Japanese chicken Katsu!
Taste of Peru
Casual Peruvian BYOB eatery specializing in traditional cuisine (the owner is native to Peru) and lively native folk music.
Ethiopian Diamond II
Friendly, casual restaurant and bar featuring Ethiopian stews and weekly live music.
Royal Coffee
Pure Ethiopian Highland Coffee straight from the Ethiopian farm to your cup. The coffee comes from an elevation of 4,920 feet and it is grown in one of the richest coffee growing areas in Ethiopia. The beans are then sun dried by Ethiopian farmers and they are imported directly to the Royal Coffee Headquarters in Chicago. The boldness of "Royal Coffee" will keep you going through your day.
Here there is a good chance you will often find yourself wrapped up in a conversation over a wide selection of domestic and imported beers, as well as classic draft offerings and cocktails.
PARKS AND INTERESTS *disclaimer – your new neighborhood has more to offer! Listed below is just a start…enjoy exploring!
Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society
Established in 1975 by local residents who believed this Chicago neighborhood was a place too exciting not to celebrate, they find, collect, preserve and share the story of this diverse community. Today, the Society serves the community through its publications, architectural tours, and various educational and outreach efforts.
The Mile of Murals
Glenwood Avenue
An 10 year, ongoing, community-based public art initiative to paint a full mile of murals along the CTA Red Line track from Estes Avenue to Pratt Boulevard along the Glenwood Avenue train line. The project will result in 19 large-scale murals: ten block-long walls, seven viaduct walls, and two overpasses. New artists and themes are selected every year through a specific selection process determined by arts professionals and community leaders.
The Bach House, designed for Emil Bach in 1915, is one of the last of Frank Lloyd Wright's designs for a small urban house. The house is designed with its entrance almost hidden from Sheridan Road, to ensure privacy and reflects the importance of family life, according to Wright. This is Chicago's only Wright residence open for vacation rentals and private events.
B1E Gallery and Sculpture Garden
B1E is a well known art gallery in the Glenwood Avenue Arts District. Outside is a very vibrant "sculpture garden" you can view on Glenwood Avenue.
Greenleaf Art Center
1806 W. Greenleaf Avenue
Provides studio and exhibition space for 50+ local artists and is home to five business enterprises. The center is host to a variety of exhibitions, open studio events, art salons and creative workshops throughout the year.
Loyola Park and Beach
A large, expansive beach which offers plenty of open room and sights of the famous city skyline at a distance. Loyola Park sits on approximately 21.5 acres. The field house is equipped with two gymnasiums, a woodshop, a boxing center and clubrooms available to rent out. Outside, the park offers a senior baseball and a softball field, a two-hoop basketball court, sand volleyball courts, four tennis courts, a playground, and a 2/3-mile walking trail along the beautiful beach and Lake Michigan. Beach season begins the Friday before Memorial Weekend and goes through Labor Day.
Easy access to the CTA Red Line services this area. Stations are located at Loyola, Morse, Jarvis and Howard.
Bus #22 (Clark) or #147 (Outer Drive Express) are also accessible for this neighborhood.
Obviously there is a bit of fluctuation depending on where exactly you live within the neighborhood, but Rogers Park is approximately 12 miles from Chicago's Downtown Loop. Driving (without traffic) would yield about 25 minutes taking Lake Shore Drive. If traveling via the CTA, allow approximately 55 minutes.
Edgewater, Andersonville, West Ridge and the city of Evanston are your closest neighbors. The awesome thing about the surrounding neighborhoods is that they offer up different atmospheres that are unique to them…and quite honestly, that's what makes Chicago great.
Neighborhood Guide – The Glen
By Anthony Zammitt | Neighborhood Guides, Property Management
Welcome to the The Glen!
www.comed.com
Nicor
www.nicorgas.com
Garbage/Recycling/Landscape Waste Service
www.groot.com
Contact the Resolution Center at (847) 724-3112 to set up a water and/or sewer account and to ensure that a final water read has already been scheduled by the previous owner/renter.
Television and Cable
www.comcast.com
www.wowway.com
www.att.com
In 1995, the Naval Air Station Glenview was closed as part of the Base Realignment and Closure military restructuring process. 1,121-acres was deeded back to Glenview by the U.S. Department of Defense.
EATS AND DRINKS
BRAVO! Cucina Italiana
2600 Navy Boulevard
Family friendly, upscale yet affordable dining featuring classic Italian food and inviting atmosphere with a Roman ruin decor.
The Curragh Irish Pub and Restaurant
1800 Tower Drive
A great experience for the entire family with authentic Irish fare, a wide selection of beer and wine, and even live entertainment. During the summer, enjoy the ample seating of the patio!
Eggsperience Pancakes & Cafe
Looking to brunch or even just grab some breakfast for lunch? Here, breakfast and lunch is served up daily.
Flight Wine Bar
Features an extensive wine list with over 35 wines by the glass options with origins from all over the world. The menu best described as American contemporary, handcrafted comfort food, that is locally sourced when possible and always raised, harvested or produced sustainably.
Jameson's Original Charhouse
Best known for steaks, chicken and seafood, they also offers a wide variety of crisp salads and freshly made soups and sides. New creations are made daily using only the highest quality ingredients.
Mingle Juice Bar
Cleverly concocted juices, smoothies, acai bowls, seasonal ingredient soups, salads, and other delectable foods to delight your senses and fuel your day!
Ra Sushi
2601 Aviator Lane
A Japanese fusion restaurant known for its inventive sushi, cocktails & happy-hour deals at the bar.
Ted's Montana Grill
Authentic, like you are living on the ranch, Craftsman-style food that specializes in bison.
Uno Mas Cocina & Tequila
Serves authentic Mexican food with a modern flair; boasting menu items that have a twist to what you would typically find in a Mexican restaurant.
High-end sports-bar chain with a huge menu of American, made-from-scratch dishes. Also offer an extensive list of draft beers; over 100 ales, craft beers, IPA beers, lagers and imported beers on tap.
Your Pie Pizzeria
Feeling creative? You get to choose your dough, sauce, cheese and toppings at this pizzeria chain with gelato and microbrews, to truly make your perfect, satisfying meal.
2400 Chestnut Avenue
A multi-purpose community center, one of the largest in Illinois! The Park Center has an indoor pool (Splash Landings Indoor Aquatic Complex), Park Center Health & Fitness, Park Center Preschool, Glenview Senior Center, along with many programs including arts, dance, and adult and youth sports programs.
Obviously there is a bit of fluctuation depending on where exactly you live within the neighborhood, but The Glen is approximately 23 miles from Chicago's Downtown Loop. Driving (without traffic) would yield about 35 minutes taking I-94 East. If traveling via the Metra Rail, allow approximately 50 – 60 minutes.
Thinking about purchasing or renting property in The Glen? Get in touch with our experts to learn more about this wonderful neighborhood.
Neighborhood Guide – Lawndale
Welcome to the Lawndale Neighborhood! Sometimes referred to as Douglas Park (because of the close proximity to this awesome park—more info further down), Lawndale is a bustling neighborhood featuring tons of interest, new and old!
Chicago's West Side neighborhood of Lawndale is full of history. Once a hub for Eastern European immigrants, the area eventually became a center for the Civil Rights Movement when Martin Luther King Jr. lived there in 1966 while campaigning against housing discrimination. Today, the neighborhood is home to many terrific restaurants, one of the best breweries in the city and one of the city's biggest music festivals, Riot Fest.
When you take a drive, ride or walk around the area, you will probably notice quite a few Greystone style homes. That would be because Lawndale has the greatest concentration of greystones in the city. Greystones are a style of home most commonly found in Chicago. As the name suggests, the buildings are typically grey in color and were most often built with quarried Bedford Limestone from South Central Indiana.
The former Sears headquarters planted in this neighborhood starting in 1906. The administration tower of the former headquarters (925 S. Homan Avenue) was listed as a Chicago Landmark on September 4, 2002. It was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark in 1978.
This area is home to Cinespace Studios (2621 W. 15th Place) which is where all of the shows set in Chicago go to film when city streets are not available.
Martin Luther King Jr.; Dinah Washington, "Queen of the Blues"; the rapper, Twista; NBA players, Kevin Garnett, Isiah Thomas, and Mickey Johnson; as well as NFL players Darryl Stingly and Marques Sullivan.
Crazy Bird Chicken
1138 S. California Avenue
Owner, Larry Tucker (N.N. Smokehouse) opened this tiny, mostly takeout spot that focuses on fried chicken and sides in 2014. His wife makes the pound cake herself and on Fridays and Saturdays, Tucker gets back to his barbecue roots and smokes rib tips in his small smoker.
Dave's Red Hots
3422 W. Roosevelt Road
Been in business since 1938 and it looks like nothing has changed in decades, there are flyers tacked to the wall and yellowing menus. The must have menu item in this diamond in the rough are Vienna Beef links (they've been inducted into the Vienna Beef Hall of Fame) with their hand cut fries.
Green Tomato Cafe
3750 W. Ogden Avenue
This lively cafe is attached to the Lawndale Christian Health Center and is a welcoming spot with people gathering together and some on their own tapping away on laptops. The food is simple but satisfying and they even have a Saturday pancake breakfast. Just want coffee? A full espresso bar is available and uses beans from Bridgeport Coffee.
Lagunitas Brewing Company & Chicago TapRoom
1843 S. Washtenaw Avenue
This is the largest craft brewery in the city. Housed in a group of warehouses near Douglas Park, the facility has quickly become a popular destination for tourists and beer aficionados. A solid bar food menu is the perfect pair to your pint.
Las Quecas
2500 S. Christiana Avenue
A quesadillera that only serves quesadillas! Located in the back of the La Catedral Cafe & Restaurant, they are known for their thick, fresh, homemade tortillas, made right in front of you!
The Original Maxwell Street
601 S. Sacramento Boulevard
A walk-up window, located right at the corner of Sacramento and Harrison, serves basics like a hot dog and burger, but the Polish is what this place is known for.
1401 S. Sacramento Drive
Named after Illinois Senator, Stephen A. Douglas, who famously lost the 1860 presidential election to Abraham Lincoln, Douglas Park is an expansive 218 acre, historic regional park. Features that you can use include 2 gymnasiums, an auditorium, computer lab, fitness center, a kitchen, grand ballroom, and meeting rooms. Outdoors, the park offers tennis courts, a game day football stadium, outdoor pool, water spray features, basketball courts, an artificial turf soccer field, a pavilion, baseball fields, and a small golf putting range. In collaboration with the Chicago Bulls Basketball organization the children's computer learning lab serves the children of the community. In partnership, with Ravinia, the park is host to a series of summer concerts, Riot Fest and the annual Junta Hispana festival in July.
Homan Square Park
3559 W. Arthington Street
The recreation, health, family and education center at Homan Square Park is a Lawndale staple. This park is home to an Olympic-size swimming pool, basketball courts and lots of green space.
Intersection of Douglas and Independence Boulevards
Once a center of the Lawndale community, this public fountain (which has been dry for decades) celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Dedicated in 1902, the statue on top of the fountain depicts patriotic children waving a flag and holding fireworks.
Easy access to the CTA Pink Line which services this area. Stations are located at Kedzie and Cermak, Central Park, Pulaski, and Kostner.
Obviously there is a bit of fluctuation depending on where exactly you live within the neighborhood, but Lawndale is approximately 6 miles from Chicago's Downtown Loop. Driving (without traffic) would take about 13 minutes eastbound on I-290. If traveling via the CTA, allow approximately 45 minutes.
Little Village, Pilsen and the Illinois Medical District are your closest neighbors. The awesome thing about the surrounding neighborhoods is that they offer up different atmospheres that are unique to them…and quite honestly, that's what makes Chicago great.
Thinking about purchasing or renting property in Lawndale? Get in touch with our experts to learn more about this wonderful neighborhood.
© 2021 Lofty Real Estate. All Rights Reserved, Lofty, LLC


A weekend party, an angry student, a house fire, a young man dies: Some kids could have told police what they knew, but they didn't say a word.
The watch in Mike Scrocca's dresser stopped at 4:19. That's probably when the heat from the fire reached him. He was asleep on his mattress on the floor in the house he shared with five other University of Maryland students.
The party at Scrocca's house on Princeton Avenue in College Park that rainy Friday night was a big one. Someone was celebrating a birthday. Guests played beer pong in the kitchen and did liquor shots through a big block of ice in the backyard. Lots of people crowded onto the covered porch out front.
Scrocca, a finance major three weeks from graduating, was in and out of the party—he wasn't one to sit still. Nobody knows for sure, but he probably missed whatever altercation happened outside his house, whatever caused a drunk freshman walking by to get angry and come back.
Scrocca was in his second-floor bedroom when the freshman—a cellular-biology and genetics major who had grown up on the Eastern Shore—poured gasoline onto the couch on Scrocca's wooden porch, ignited it, and ran.
Mike Scrocca's parents would later hear there were marks in the soot on the windows of their son's room—evidence that he'd tried to escape. It was nearly a year before they found out what really happened that night, but other people around the Maryland campus, good kids from good backgrounds, knew all along.
It's hard to know what happens when college kids get together and kegs are tapped. The freshman, Daniel Murray, told coworkers later that night that several guys had made fun of him when he walked by a house party carrying a pink umbrella; he later told police he might have been pushed. Nobody who was at the party has acknowledged that incident, but investigators believe it happened. Something set Murray off, they say.
The fire killed Scrocca and left one of his housemates critically injured after jumping from a third-story window. The next day, before he heard someone had died, Murray told a coworker at R.J. Bentley's, a popular College Park bar and restaurant, that he'd lit something on fire the night before. That coworker, conflicted by what he'd heard, sought advice from five friends.
As police searched for an arsonist and Scrocca's family handed out reward fliers around campus, Murray went to class and hung out with his girlfriend. None of the students with information about the fire said a word.
Mary Scrocca was visiting her parents in Pennsylvania when her cell phone rang around 10 pm on Friday, April 29, 2005—the night of the party. It was her son Mike calling from school.
Mike usually called home to New Jersey on Sundays; sometimes he and his mom talked three times a week. He had called one night from the road sophomore year and asked her to look up a street name in Philadelphia. He was on a scavenger hunt for the fraternity he was pledging, he told her, and had to steal the street sign. "Don't worry about it, Mom," he'd said.
On this night, Mike was calling for his dad, Tony. A friend was having computer problems, and Mike knew that Tony, a computer analyst, could help.
"I love you," Mike said to his dad before he hung up. He always said that when he called home.
Mary's phone rang again the next morning. It had been ringing and ringing, but she hadn't heard it. Tony picked up—it was his wife's sister.
"I need for you and Mary to be in the same room," she said.
Tony handed her the phone: "It's your sister—something's wrong." Mary thought the call had to be about Tony's mother.
Mary dropped the phone and fell to the floor.
Mike Scrocca's housemates didn't think he was home the night of the fire. His bedroom door was closed, and his car wasn't parked outside. He usually checked to see if people were awake when he came home, no matter what time it was, to see if anyone wanted to hang out. Friends had seen him leave the house when the party was winding down and assumed he'd slept somewhere else.
Scrocca had run into the sister of a friend from high school that night and offered to drive her home because it was raining. While he walked her into the apartment building where she was staying, his car got towed, so he went to a friend's place nearby.
He and his buddies hung out and laughed about Scrocca's car. It was 3 in the morning and everyone was half asleep, so Scrocca asked if he could crash there. His friends said sure, but they only had a loveseat, a tight fit for someone almost six feet tall. They told Scrocca he'd be more comfortable in his own bed, so he decided to go home.
Nobody at Scrocca's house heard him come in. His best friend, Steve Blumberg, who lived down the hall, went to bed around 4 and smelled smoke a few minutes later. As the smoke detector sounded, Blumberg heard someone on the first floor screaming, "Fire! Fire! Get out of the house!" Blumberg grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911.
He knew one of his housemates was at his girlfriend's and another was out of town, and he thought Scrocca was out, so he banged on the other doors yelling, "Fire—everybody get out!" He tried to scream loudly enough and make enough noise so his housemate, Stephen "Tex" Aarons, who lived upstairs, could hear him.
Smoke filled the stairwell as Blumberg ran downstairs and saw the front right side of the house engulfed in flames. It was hard to breathe. When he got outside, he saw Aarons being taken away on a stretcher. He kept calling Scrocca's cell phone to see where he was and tell him what had happened.
After graduation, he'd planned to start a job in the internal-audit department at Johnson & Johnson, where he'd interned, about 15 minutes from his parents' house.
The last time he visited home, he sat in the backyard and talked to his mom about the future. Things were getting serious now, he told her, and he'd have to make some important decisions. He said he'd soon meet the girl he was going to marry.
According to witness statements, Daniel Murray came into R.J. Bentley's the morning after the fire and told a coworker named Adam what he'd done. He and Adam, who weren't close friends, were at work early to set up R.J. Bentley's stand for a Taste of College Park event. They were sharing stories of their drunk Friday nights.
Murray said he had been walking from a party to R.J. Bentley's, where he often hung out when he wasn't working, when three or four guys started harassing him and broke his umbrella; police could never confirm any type of assault. Murray described himself as "crazy, blackout drunk" and explained how he went back later with a gas can and lit the couch on fire where those guys had been sitting.
Adam wasn't the first person Murray talked to. Just before he started the fire, Murray had called a friend who was working at R.J. Bentley's that night and asked him to come help fight some guys who'd made fun of him. When the friend said no, Murray had come back to the bar "riled up," according to a witness.
One coworker heard Murray talk about burning something and told him to "chill out" and have a beer. Murray called his friend again later and mentioned finding gasoline in a garage and lighting a porch on fire.
None of Adam's coworkers from R.J. Bentley's contacted police. According to Bill Billiet, a former R.J. Bentley's employee who lived with Murray in the year leading up to his arrest, they didn't take Murray seriously.
Billiet wasn't at work that night, but the rumors he heard around the bar—the talk of Murray getting in a fight and burning something—didn't mesh with the Danny Murray he knew. He thought of Murray as a quiet guy—the kind who would pull over and help a stranger change a tire. He'd never seen him get rowdy.
A few hours after Murray told Adam the details of what he'd done, someone at work said there had been a deadly fire the night before.
Adam later told police that Murray gave him "a look" and that they never spoke of it again.
Daniel Murray had never been in trouble. At the time of the fire, according to court documents, he was living with his grandparents in Hyattsville and working part-time as a barback at R.J. Bentley's. He'd spent time in community college before transferring to Maryland.
Murray's family had moved from Prince George's County to Hurlock, Maryland, a small town in Dorchester County 90 miles east of DC, when he was two. He had grown up with a stay-at-home mom and walked to school a few blocks away. He played Little League and sang in the church choir. When he got injured playing high-school soccer, he started swimming competitively.
In letters to the judge involved in their son's case, Murray's parents—who declined to be interviewed for this story—described him as an outstanding student who got along with teachers, coaches, and peers. They wrote about his good morals and character.
His sister, Caitlin, called her younger brother "a kind, generous, intelligent, hilarious person." She recalled a time when she was crying after a breakup and Danny came into her room to give her a hug.
"The feeling I got was they'd done everything right with Daniel—provided everything he ever needed, got him a good education," says Prince George's County detective Ben Brown.
According to Jen, Adam told her that a coworker had told him he'd gotten really drunk and started a house fire, but the guy had made it seem as though he might have dreamed it.
"You should call somebody," Jen said.
Adam said he didn't want to get involved. What if this person—he didn't tell her Daniel Murray's name—was making it up? What if Adam messed up this kid's life? He was a good guy, Adam said, and he couldn't see him doing something like this.
"But you should tell the police just to check it out," Jen said.
Adam didn't want to, and she didn't want to push him. It was May, and they had final exams to worry about. She asked him who else he'd told. Three other people, he said.
It wasn't long before Jen knew the story was real. The news reports mentioned a gas can, like the one Adam's coworker had told him about.
Jen wanted to go to the candlelight vigil for Scrocca, but she couldn't. It was only a day after Adam had told her he knew who started the fire, and she'd been trying to act normal, but she thought maybe people could tell.
"I was scared I was giving off this vibe," she says.
She would read stories about Scrocca and start to cry. She would have nightmares that her house was burning and she couldn't get out. Everywhere she went, people were talking about the fire.
She sent Adam links to articles in the campus newspaper, the Diamondback, to make sure he saw them. Adam's the one who knows the name, she thought; it would be better coming from him.
"He didn't know what to do," Jen says. "He knew he was the only one that Daniel told. There was no one to back up his story." Soon the subject was off limits.
A month after the fire, Jen wrote a pros-and-cons list. If she came forward, she could bring an end to the case and help Scrocca's parents heal. But she'd be betraying Adam's trust. And what if somehow it wasn't really this kid who had done it? What if this got turned around on her?
What would she tell police—that she knew somebody who knew somebody who had said these things about the fire? She decided that wasn't enough.
She saw reward signs posted in a bagel shop near campus. The Scroccas were offering $25,000 along with another $25,000 from Crimesolvers. The money sounded good but didn't sway her.
That fall she saw Scrocca's dad, whom she recognized from the Diamondback, handing out fliers at a Maryland football game. She didn't take one.
Mike Scrocca's parents thought the fire was an accident. So did his housemates. People had been smoking on the porch—maybe someone had dropped a cigarette on a couch cushion and walked away.
About 200 people gathered for a memorial service at the university's chapel in early May. Some wore a T-shirt with a photo of Mike Scrocca on it.
After the service, Prince George's County fire spokesman Mark Brady told Tony and Mary Scrocca he needed to speak to them privately. A dog had sniffed gasoline on the porch, he said; investigators were ruling the fire an arson. He wanted them to hear it from him before they saw it on the news.
The Scroccas met with detectives that day at the Cornerstone Grill and Loft, next to R.J. Bentley's. When Mary told her son Brian that the fire was arson, he punched a campus stop sign.
People called Brian and Mike "Irish twins"—they were best friends, only a year apart. Arson had already crossed Brian's mind: He remembered driving around College Park seeing businesses his brother said had been burned down. He wondered if the same arsonist had done this. He knew his brother didn't have enemies.
A few months later, the Scroccas hired private investigator Steve Kerpelman, who'd spent 21 years with the Prince George's County police. Kerpelman and his staff went door to door and interviewed more than 100 people.
Every lead fell through: There was talk that one of Scrocca's housemates had thrown a guy out of the party, but nobody could confirm that. Someone falsely reported seeing an African-American man walking down the street with a gas can.
He and his staff asked all of the partygoers they interviewed whether they'd seen or heard an argument—but nobody had. Kerpelman stopped in at R.J. Bentley's while passing out fliers in College Park, but nobody mentioned Daniel Murray.
"You've got all these people at this house throughout the night, and nobody sees anything," Kerpelman says.
Daniel Murray moved in with Bill Billiet and five other guys in August 2005, a few months after the fire. Billiet had gotten to know Murray at work and had an empty room.
Billiet didn't want a housemate who smoked pot or had weird friends. He thought Murray seemed laid-back: When guys at work turned the sprinklers on while Murray was carrying coolers underneath them, leaving him soaked, he'd laughed about it.
Billiet says Murray started dating his girlfriend, Amy, who also worked at R.J. Bentley's, that fall. He stopped hanging around the bar as much.
During the nine months they lived together, Billiet didn't notice anything strange about Murray. He says Murray spent most of his time with Amy. He listened to music by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam and had a guitar. He watched sports and studied a lot.
Looking back, Billiet says, maybe Murray was quieter. Maybe he didn't go out as often. Billiet can't remember seeing him drunk that year.
As the year went on, Jen's thoughts about the fire faded. It was hard passing by the house on Princeton Avenue, but she didn't know Scrocca and didn't know the person who'd killed him. She assumed the police would figure things out.
Adam called her one day in May, about a year after the fire.
Adam told Jen that a detective had come to his door when he wasn't home. He warned her that he'd given the police the names of everyone he'd talked to.
"Can I at least know who this kid is?" Jen asked.
After he told her, she went home and looked at Murray's profile on Facebook. His girlfriend looked familiar to her. He seemed like a regular kid: He had lots of people posting on his message wall; he was smiling in pictures.
Jen thought: How can you be a cell-biology and genetics major and kill somebody?
She wondered if Daniel had ever told Amy. Or whether he'd read the stories in the Diamondback, especially the quotes from Scrocca's mother.
An anonymous tip came in to the Crimesolvers hotline in April 2006, around the one-year anniversary of Scrocca's death. Detective Brown had been telling the Scroccas not to give up. He'd said that five years might go by before somebody came forward and that sometimes media coverage around an anniversary got people talking.
Both Brown and Kerpelman, the private investigator, received a similar message from a young woman calling from a phone booth.
The woman said she'd heard about the fire from a friend, who'd heard from someone else. She'd confronted the person from whom the information originally came—presumably Adam—and asked if it was true that he knew who'd started the fire. He said no, that he had been joking, but she didn't believe him. She gave him an ultimatum: If he didn't go to police, she would.
The caller, a student, gave police Daniel Murray's name. They found him on Facebook.
Brown convinced the tipster to meet with him, then got Adam's name and knocked on his door. When nobody answered, he left his business card.
Brown says he heard from Adam's father the next day. Soon Brown had witness reports from the five friends Adam had confided in, along with statements from Murray's coworkers. At the police station, Adam told Kerpelman he was sorry it had taken him so long to come in.
It was a week and a half before Brown could make the arrest. He talked to the instructor during Murray's biology lab. "Can you point him out?" Brown asked.
The first thing Daniel Murray asked for during his six-hour police interrogation was a glass of milk.
Murray spent the first few hours saying that he didn't remember getting in a fight that night or where he was or talking to Adam about a fire.
"Somehow I wound up at Bentley's, and they closed, and I left. And I went back. I took a broom or something. There was a broom on the side of the house, and I went on the porch. I forget why I had matches. I think they were from Bentley's, and I just had them in my pocket. And I lit the broom on fire, and tossed it on the couch." He denied using a gas can.
During a motions hearing in October 2006, a few months after his family hired attorney William Brennan—who has also represented Lee Boyd Malvo, convicted in the 2002 Washington-area sniper case—Murray testified that his confession had been coerced. He described his statement of guilt as "a lie." Neither Brennan nor Murray responded to requests for an interview.
The judge postponed a ruling on whether Murray's confession was admissible. As the court proceedings went on, Brown found Murray harder to figure out—maybe, he says, because life on a cellblock was taking its toll.
When Jen looked through the peephole and saw police officers outside her door, she started shaking.
"We're here about the Daniel Murray case," one said.
She noticed their guns. Someone asked her to write down everything she remembered. She cried as she wrote. She learned she'd have to appear in front of a grand jury.
After word got out that other students had known about the fire, Jen shut down her Facebook profile. She went to the student judicial center, where she was told that if her name was in public court documents, there was nothing she could do to stop it from getting out.
Soon a Diamondback headline read police: six knew about Murray's involvement.
"It makes me really mad when I read about what the people who knew must have thought and how they could know for so long and not say anything," says Jen, who has saved the Diamondback articles about the case.
Jen has thought about contacting Scrocca's parents. But more than two years have passed since Murray's arrest, and she hasn't tried to talk with them.
There's a poster hanging in the lobby near Ben Brown's office at police headquarters that reads SOLVE A CRIME. BE A SUPERHERO. YOUR IDENTITY STAYS SECRET.
As a homicide detective in Prince George's County, Brown is used to cases where people who know about a crime won't talk. There are times, he acknowledges, when talking might mean putting their lives on the line.
But this case was different. There weren't gangs involved. These were college students who weren't being threatened.
Brown asked Adam if he went back and questioned Murray after hearing him admit he'd set the fire.
The other guys working at the bar that night did question Murray, Brown says, but when he said he didn't do it, they turned it into a joke. "Somebody had to have their suspicions," he says.
The woman who called in the tip tried to refuse the reward money—she later told Mary Scrocca she was only doing what anybody should have done—but police convinced her to take the $25,000 from Crimesolvers. She didn't want anybody knowing her name. Mary has never even told her husband.
Brown couldn't charge anyone other than Murray with a crime. Adam and his friends were never questioned by police, so they weren't technically withholding evidence. It's not against the law in Maryland to have knowledge of a crime and not report it.
"I think people do that in most of the crimes we can't solve," says prosecutor John Maloney, now a deputy state's attorney for Montgomery County.
Mary Scrocca remembers the first time she saw Daniel Murray. It was at a bond hearing in May 2006, soon after his arrest. She and Tony were sitting in a small courtroom waiting for the judge to rule on another case. The back door opened, and the police walked in with a guy in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs.
Mary screamed, "Oh, my God!" She'd been told Murray wouldn't be there that day.
He's just a skinny kid, she thought.
She'd known for nearly a year that somebody set the fire, and for a while she'd wanted that person dead. Now he was in the same room, and so was his family. Now there were faces.
Mary says Murray's relatives didn't react to her hysterics in the courtroom. They stared straight ahead.
At later hearings, she'd see his mother and sister talking and smiling before the judge came in.
"I had to leave the room," Mary says.
She'd notice Murray turn to his girlfriend and laugh in court. Brian would see him rolling his eyes.
The state's attorney's office started listening to Murray's phone conversations in October 2006, about six months after his arrest.
Maloney was struck by what he heard. Murray would talk to his dad about Maryland sports scores. He'd ask his girlfriend about classes and which of their friends were hooking up. He didn't seem like someone who had killed somebody.
"Danny, what should we eat?" Amy asked during a call in October when she was deciding what to cook.
"Penne or what kind of pasta—ziti?" Danny said.
Amy told him it would be penne with vodka sauce. "They both sound ridiculously good right now," he said.
Murray was polite and often upbeat on the phone. He was often telling Amy how much he missed her and asking if she'd gotten his letters. He called his grandmother to check on her. He thanked his mom for little things, like adding money to his phone account, and told his parents he loved them.
Murray described his days as filled with boredom—sleeping, watching television, waiting for visits. He raved about eating some pancakes. He told his mom he'd been praying.
In the beginning, Murray didn't say much about the case. He didn't mention the Scroccas. He got concerned when Amy told him about a story in the Diamondback.
He thought he'd be home by Thanksgiving.
In late 2005, before an arrest was made, Brian Scrocca left Thanksgiving dinner and drove to the cemetery. He couldn't sit at his parents' house when his brother wasn't there.
He remembers thinking on the drive home that there was someone out there having dinner, laughing and passing the turkey, and that that person's family didn't realize they were sitting with a murderer.
Maloney used Murray's behavior after the fire against him in court. "He lived a completely normal college life," Maloney says. "That was significant for its lack of significance." He would later call Murray a psychopath.
Maloney can't put a number on how much time Murray would have had to serve, if any, if he'd confessed right after the fire. Mary thinks he would have spent a few years in alcohol rehabilitation.
Daniel Murray played chess in jail with a man named Carlos Yates, who had beaten a murder conviction but was serving time on related charges. The state's attorney's office received a letter from Yates in October 2006 as Maloney was preparing to defend the legality of Murray's confession.
The letter was the first in a string of setbacks for the defense. Prosecutors implanted a recording device in Yates's cell and heard Murray tell Yates that there were no footprints or fingerprints, that nobody had said anything for a year, and that a Bentley's coworker had told police Murray didn't get violent when he was drunk.
Investigators listened to Murray say he would pay another cellmate's girlfriend $200 a month for the rest of her life if she'd lie to police about the night of the fire. Then they tracked down the letter Murray had sent her. In it, he told the girl exactly what to say and drew her a diagram of Princeton Avenue—marking Scrocca's house with an X.
The prosecution also found a letter Murray sent to his grandmother asking her to say he had come home early the night of the fire.
In January 2007, during a hearing about Daniel Murray's confession, his attorney announced that he would plead guilty to first-degree murder. He'd face up to 40 years in jail. There would be no trial or any chance for an appeal.
In a phone call around the time of the plea agreement, Amy asked Danny what he was thinking.
"My life's over," he said.
Mary says that after the hearing, someone from the defense team asked Maloney if Daniel Murray's father could speak to the Scroccas. Mary said okay—she'd always seen more emotion from him than she had from Murray's mother.
Both he and his wife gave Mary a hug; Tony put his hand up to show he didn't want one.
The letter was one of hundreds that Scrocca's friends and relatives sent to the judge before they packed the courtroom on March 30, 2007, nearly two years after the fire.
John Maloney told the court about the time Scrocca's summer-league baseball team had lost a big game and his coach told the players not to shake their opponents' hands—but Scrocca did it anyway.
Scrocca's best friend, Steve Blumberg, talked about the what-ifs: What if he had banged on Scrocca's door? What if Scrocca had taken a different room that year?
Brennan told the court that his client was devastated when he heard someone had died—that Murray meant to set the couch on fire, not to burn the house or to harm anyone.
The judge sentenced Murray to a life term with all but 37½ years suspended. Anyone who lit a broom on fire and threw it onto a sofa would be able to foresee the consequences, he said, especially somebody as smart as Murray.
He told the court that as he'd listened to Murray's parents—who spoke of raising their son to understand the importance of church, family, friends, and making the right choices—he'd jotted down a note: From those to whom much is given, much is expected.
The Scroccas don't talk about Daniel Murray. Mary has nothing to say to him. She says he didn't look at her family during the sentencing.
"You would think he would have stood up and turned to us and just said, 'I'm sorry. I didn't mean it,' " says Mary, who wears a necklace with a silhouette of her son's photo.
They're satisfied with his sentence. It gave them some closure, they say, though there's never closure to their son's life. When Murray is up for parole—in about 17 years—they'll be there.
She still wonders how so many people stayed quiet for so long. She hopes to meet Adam someday and find out. "I'll never understand his decision," she says.
Detective Brown still thinks about the case. He hasn't spoken to Murray since the day he arrested him. He saw Murray's parents at the sentencing and tried to put himself in their shoes.
Brown has three kids, and two are scouts as Murray was. Brown thinks: Am I doing everything I should be doing?
They're taught about being trustworthy and loyal, he says—values Murray was supposed to live by, too.
People in this article who are identified only by first names have been given pseudonyms to protect privacy or because they were promised confidentiality in exchange for cooperation.
This article first appeared in the November 2008 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles like it, click here.


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Payment is due by the deadlines published by the Student Accounts Office. In most cases, payment is due before the start of the term. Late payment or non-payment of the balance owed may result in late payment fees, interest charges, finance charges, cancellation of the current registration, a hold on future registration, and withholding of transcripts and grades. Unpaid balances for students not enrolled in the current term are subject to collection by a third party; Students are responsible for paying collection fees, interest charges, finance charges, and attorney fees.
Payment may be made by cash, check, electronic check, credit card, savings account, or international wire transfer. For students receiving financial aid, payment in full is considered to be payment of any balance owed.
We understand that education expenses are easier to pay when spread over predictable monthly payments. Our monthly payment plan, administered by Tuition Management Systems (TMS), is an alternative to large annual or term payments and helps limit borrowing. It is available for a low enrollment fee and includes: convenient monthly payments, 24-hour account access through Tuition Management Systems' web site, toll-free automated account information, toll-free personal service Monday-Friday at 800-309-1698. For costs and schedules, toll-free phone numbers, or to enroll, visit hnu.afford.com.
Students whose employers will be reimbursing all or part of their tuition are not required to pay the reimbursement amount in advance if certification from the employer is submitted to the Student Accounts Office prior to the payment deadline. Certification forms are available on the Student Accounts webpage.
An ABD or BSN student may take classes in the traditional undergraduate program. However, if 50% or more of the units in any semester are taken in the traditional program, the adult student will be charged the traditional student tuition rate for all units in that term.


Rainwater has been discovered beneath the Earth's fractured crust – something scientists previously thought impossible.
The rainwater was found in the ductile crust, where temperatures reach over 300C and high pressure causes rocks to "flex and flow rather than fracture", scientists at the University of Southampton said.
Lead author Catriona Menzies and the team say their finding has huge implications for the understanding of earthquakes and the generation of mineral deposits.
Along with scientists from GNS Science in New Zealand, the University of Otago, and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, the team studied geothermal fluids and mineral veins from the Southern Alps in New Zealand.
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Buying a studio microphone can tend to be a hard decision to make because you will need to choose from hundreds of microphones. The use of your studio microphone is the core factor to consider when buying the microphone and also the price of the Same. Buying a studio microphone does not need to be a costly or a complicated process all you are required to do is to assess your needs for the studio microphone. Highlighted here in are things you need to consider when buying a studio microphone.
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Buy a dynamic studio microphone.
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Prepare a list of all the instruments used in the recording.
your microphone decision on which to take should be based on the instruments to be used in doing the recording. Having this in mind will help you get the studio microphone that will be fit for your studio's needs.
In addition to your microphone then should be a condenser.
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The United States is honoring our Nation's Presidents by issuing circulating coins featuring their images in the order that they served. The series begins with Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison in 2007. The United States Mint will mint and issue four Presidential Coins per year and each will have a reverse design featuring a striking rendition of the Statue of Liberty. The composition of the new Presidential Coins will be identical to that of the Golden Dollar featuring Sacagawea.


Following are the important benefits of irrigation.
During the period of low rainfall or drought, yield of crops may increased or remains same, due to irrigation system.
The food production of a country can be improved by ensuring the growth of crops. This helps a country to prevent famine situation.
Securing increased agricultural production and thus improving the nutrition of the population.
Irrigation helps to improve the cultivation of cash crops like vegetables, fruits, tobaccos, sugar cane.
In some river valley projects, multi purpose reservoirs are formed by constructing high dams. At these river valleys, hydro electric power may be generated.
Retention of water in reservoirs and possible multi purpose use thereof.
Irrigation canal may be the source of water supply for domestic and industrial purposes.
The reservoirs and canals can be utilized for the development of the fisher project.
Culturing the area, increasing the social and cultural level of the population.
Recreation facilities in irrigation canals and reservoirs.
Increases employment by providing jobs to people.
Improvement of the micro climate. Possibility provided for waste water use and disposal.
Improvement of water regime of the irrigated soils.
Danger of water logging and salination of soils.
It may change properties of water in reservoirs due to waste water use and disposal.
Deforestation of area is to be done which is to be irrigated. With it, change of water regime in the area.
Possible spread of diseases from certain types of surface irrigation.
Danger of pollution of water resources by return run off from irrigation.
New diseases caused by retention of waste water in large reservoirs.
Due to excessive irrigation, climate becomes damp and cold. Thus humidity increases, which is not good for health.
Careless irrigatio may lead to retention of water and create places for breeding of mosquitos.
Excess of irrigation may result in raising the sub soil water table and lead to water logging of the area.