Ah. The mis-used quotation marks. I love em. I have no desire to "eat" this "sushi".



End of an era. On Belmont, Dennis' Place For Games is no more. Sigh.


Johnny Depp is in town shooting a new movie here in Chicago. It's called "Public Enemies." They're doing a bunch of shooting on Clark Street and Newport. Of course, perfect timing with the start of Cubs season. So, Cubs traffic from 11am to 6pm and then trucks and gawking from 10pm to 7am. And Newport is closed off completely. Above, check out an old-timey ad.


This pic, which I thought was for Cubs Opening, is a blocking off for the movie shoot.


10:30pm, Wednesday. Spectators show up to watch the shooting. Traffic snarls.


During the day, a fake brick street is laid down on the asphalt. Check out that lighting balloon. It floats and illuminates.


Trucks on Clark unload lighting equipment.


In the movie, there's a giant ladder fight like Jackie Chan. These are the stunt ladders.

Getting ready for Opening Day.


Only the best for Clark Street.. our finest Whiskeys!


A beautiful, wet, cold Opening Day. Pre-game ambulance.


Line of four limos. Again, as Seinfeld said, it's either some jerk with money or twelve kids with 50 bucks each.


Giant beer.


The rare removal of parking meters.



The extremely rare homemade right wing sticker. Apparently these colors do run.


This strip of grossness has been bothering me for years. Next to the brunchery, Orange, it's unkempt growth filled with dog crap from the patrons of the nearby Animal Hospital. There's this four-inch jagged piece of fence post sticking out of the dirt. I'm scared to death that someone will trip/slip and land on it and get killed. Here's a closer look...


Look at it! It's awful! Plus there's poo all over!!



Post game riot truck and ambulance. Hooray for booze! Welcome back Cubs!

Weird "Dantes Inferno"-esque mural for a new pizza place.


Set from the new M. Night flick.


Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Fastidious Vandal.


The last line of this Puppy For Sale Sign is classified.


Convertibles. Not a great choice for Chicago.



Bucket of Remotes.


Even the homeless want to see how they look in a picture.

St. Patrick's Weekend.
Saturday, March 15, 2008

This first batch of photos were taken BETWEEN noon and 1pm. Repeat: NOON and ONE!!


Buses full of "revelers" begin to show up.


Also, trolleys.

And, schoolbuses.


and then two more trolleys.


Again, BEFORE 2pm, a line to get into Barleycorns.


LATER, that night....


A line to get into the Irish Oak. The blurry gent on the left is throwing free Maker's Mark t-shirts to the line.
BLURRY GUY: T-Shirts! Maker's Mark t-shirts for the hot girls!
HOT GIRLS: Yay!
GUYS AT END OF LINE: HEY! What about the guys freezing out here!
BLURRY GUY: Here's some shirts for the nerds!


Clark is a parking lot between Addison and Sheffield.


Lines to get into both Mullens and Red Ivy. Lines!


The Next Day... Sunday...



Vomit #1


The Dreaded Street Tampon.


Vomit #2


Weird "If You Catch It, We'll Cook It!" Lobster Game in the middle of an office on Clark.


Discarded pizzas and mound of cigarettes.


It makes me laugh. It seems like a weird "to-do" list... Buy Milk, Feed Cat, Establish Barbershop.



Vomit #3



Vomit #4


Vomit #5

Vomit #6

Thanks for driving the snakes out of our homeland, Saint Pat!!

Yes, I'm the next William Wegman.


Do these notes really work?


the safest random corner on Clark.


tiny shoe


and another business bites the dust.

Now available at Walgreens on Clark Street, High School Musical Cheese Dip and Cracker Sticks! Taste the Cheese!


Yep. One month later still there.


I'm just surprised "you're" wasn't used.


Sad, abandoned afro wig.


New Clark Street Game! Vomit or Soup! You Make the Call!


Lots of fun musical birthday cards. The Superman card has the Superman theme. And you can see the Baja Boys have their "Who Let The Dogs Out." and of course, kids love the "Boy Birthday - I Make Sound."

And lastly, Not on Clark Street, but on Fremont Street in Las Vegas.
A Gentlemen's Club has a video billboard featuring sexy ladies dancing in bikinis. Eventually, they take off their tops to expose their supple breasts. Now, not even in Vegas, can you have 30 feet boobies dancing in public, so their sweet pillows are hidden behind words like "WOW!" or "Hooray!" .... here's my favorite....