Slice of Life: The Tree vs. The Water Department

Mark down one near-victory for the green and leafy, as this root-bound tree in the Bucktown area works to envelop a water department manhole.  I don't know if there's a word for when plants get smart and try to take over the world, but it looks like a scene from a  Harry Potter film happening in slow motion.

Slice of Life: The Polish Alma Mater

The great thing about signs carved in stone is that they so often outlive those for whom they were carved, and thus leave us a trail back into history.  This sign for the "Polish Alma Mater" was spotted above the door of a commercial building built in 1896 at 1643 West Milwaukee Avenue in Bucktown.  It reminds us that this section of Chicago used to be a lot more Polish than it is now.  This building once housed a Macierz Polska -- a Polish aid society.  Many immigrant groups form these when they come to a new country.  You can see a number of current examples down in Chinatown.

Slice of Life: Stuck in the Middle With You

An historic Bucktown brownstone (2050 West North Avenue) fights to keep its dignity and its presence while being bullied from the left by a 1970's-looking residential block built in 2005 and from the right by the old Marvin Envelope and Paper Company building, built in 1907.  The elegant lady caught in the middle is from 1893.