Number 1 - Swans

There are two swans on the lake who scare off those pesky geese and lay eggs each spring. You get to see baby swans and they are SO adorable but be careful! The last thing you want to do is get too close to the baby swans or the mama swan will try her best to bite your nose. They like little bits of bread, sometimes they'll eat it out of your hand.

Number 2 - Booze Cruise on the Paddle Boats

So, there's no motors allowed on Murphy Lake to avoid freaking everyone out, but paddle boats and canoes are all the rage. If you don't drink then grab a water and enjoy the views. If you DO drink, fill that built-in cooler with Stella Artois or Cabernet and let the good times roll! *Word to the wise: sound carries over water so don't start yelling about that one time, at band camp... if you don't want your neighbors to hear it.*

Number 3 - 4th of July

Who needs Navy Pier when you have neighbors who light up the sky like nobody's business. Combine Number 2 with Number 3 and you'll have the best July 4th of your life. Guaranteed. 

Number 4 - Winter

Everyone seems to agree that winter can kick rocks once December ends. But I don't think you'd feel like that if you had an ice rink in your backyard. It freezes really, really deep so you can plow out your own hockey rink if you so choose. It's been done before and will be done again come January!

Number 5 - Wildlife

So when it snows over the ice rink you built (see #4) you'll start to notice all sorts of tracks imprinted in the snow. It won't take long for you to figure out that you're noticing deer, coyote, fox and whatever else tracks. I once saw a dog chase a deer all the way across the ice on the lake until the deer jumped over someone's 6-foot fence and got away. I would not lie about this.

In the summer there's an even bigger variety: swans, geese, cardinals, hawks, orioles, blue heron, chipmunks, bunnies, raccoons and more deer.

 I KNOW what you MUST be thinking! 

'Man, I wish I didn't have to move so far away from the city to live in such a crazy cool suburb as Park Ridge. Welllllllllllll, you don't.

Park Ridge is only 15 MILES from the heart of downtown Chicago. 15 MILES! AND the schools are insanely amazing.

I've driven from the 'City of Trees' (seriously, that's it's nickname) into the real city on innumerable occasions and without traffic it only takes me 18 minutes from the time I sit down on my painfully sun-warmed leather seats (that summer sun is relentless!) to the time I get to the loop. Maybe even less. I once made it all the way to Comiskey - ahem, U.S. Cellular - in 22 minutes. I know this because I was running late, as usual, and so I timed it.

See commuters? The suburbs really aren't so bad, are they?

If you're wanting to move downtown, it's a smart idea to familiarize yourself with the market. I thought this was a great video, check it out!

Don't forget, I can help you buy, sell or lease anywhere in Chicago. Email me at SellWithGrace@gmail.com if you need any help with your next move.

The move comes less than three weeks after Michael Jordan placed his 56,000-square-foot Highland Park compound up for sale for $29 million. The Jordans, who divorced in 2006, bought both properties during their marriage. In their divorce settlement, Michael wound up with the Highland Park mansion and Juanita kept the 8,000-square-foot penthouse, which takes up the building's 39th and 40th floors, plus its roof space.

Read more at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/luxury/ct-mre-0325-elite-street-20120323,0,4533339.story?track=rss

The secluded compound encompasses over 56,000 square feet, 9 bedrooms, 15 full baths, 4 half baths, 5 fireplaces, a 15-car climate-controlled garage and, of course, an indoor basketball court.

In fact, only 2% of women said they'd prefer to date a man who rents and only 3% of men said they would choose a woman who rents over one that owns her home. Provided, of course, that all other factors are equal.

Ahem - a whopping 62% of those surveyed preferred to date singles who live alone. So if that friend who said he'd be off your couch in two weeks is still there two years later, survey says he's killing your game. Get him out and move on.

Sorry college grads living back home, but this is a direct quote from CNNMoney:

And there was bad news for the growing number of boomerang kids -- the young adults who went off to college, graduated and then wound up back in their old bedrooms. It's going to be hard to find love, except (perhaps) from your parents. Less than 5% of all singles surveyed said they would date someone living in their childhood homes.

"That's a real deal-breaker," said Michael Corbett, a spokesman for Trulia. "If you're still living with your folks, you're dead-on-arrival for dating."

Don't worry though! Everyone knows the economy is tough right now! So what if living at mom and dad's house is totally ruining your love life? Use your time at home to save up so when you finally do move out you can buy instead of rent! 

Oh, and when that time comes, you know I'll definitely be there to help you out!

Video Courtesy of YoChicago

Demand for apartments is booming as more people choose renting over buying, one reason effective rents at the most expensive downtown high-rises jumped 9 percent last year, according to Appraisal Research Counselors, a Chicago-based consulting firm.

But now supply is surging, too, which could limit landlords' ability to raise rents next year or, if demand falters, even force them to cut rents to remain competitive. Downtown developers are poised to complete 1,219 apartments this year and 3,500 in 2013, Appraisal Research Vice-President Ron DeVries said at a luncheon Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com/article/20120215/CRED03/120219882/surge-in-supply-could-hit-downtown-apartment-rents#ixzz1mTMLb9q1 

Some neighborhood names were given to them for obvious reasons, i.e. Lakeview, South Loop, River North, but if you've ever wondered why other neighborhoods were given their particular names read on to find out!

Pilsen
This one always confused me. What exactly is Pilsen? In the late 1800s, this neighborhood was actually inhabited by Czech immigrants who named it after a large city back home, called Plzeň.

Wicker Park
Land developers Charles and Joel Wicker bought tons of land in the 1870s with plans to build a neighborhood, and kindly donated four acres to the city to build a public park. That park was named Wicker Park, and the name stuck for the entire neighborhood.

Bucktown
You've probably heard that Chicago has the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw, and it has been that way for over 100 years. During the early 20th century, this area was known as the Polish downtown and many Poles resided here. The Poles had a tendancy to keep goats in their homes, and since a male goat is called a "buck," the area became known as Bucktown.

Logan Square
Not surprising, Logan Square is named as such for the square in the middle of the neighborhood. The actual Logan Square was named after Civil War hero and former Congressman General John A. Logan.

Andersonville
Before it was the eco-friendly neighborhood it is today, Andersonville was just a distant suburb of Chicago. Swedish immigrants began arriving after the Great Chicago Fire and by the 1900s the area was dominated by Swedes. The name Andersonville comes from the popular Swedish surname, Anderson.

Bronzeville
This area was known as the "Black Metropolis" in the early 1900s, its development credited to such famous African Americans as Louis Armstrong, Marla Gibbs, Lou Rawls and Ida B. Wells. In the 1930s the local newspaper was the first to call the neighborhood Bronzeville for the color of the residents' skin.

Source: How the Neighborhoods Got Their Names (http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-quirk/2012/01/how-the-neighborhoods-got-their-names/) by Chicago Quirk

The only red flag here is that Epstein paid $250,000 over asking price. The home was listed for $3 million. Let's hope his uncanny ability to overpay doesn't follow him into Wrigley the way it did in Boston. But who knows, maybe he just really, really liked his new mansion! I must admit, it is pretty awesome that if he runs out of sugar he can just jog on down to Ryan Dempster's place to borrow some. So, now that he's finally getting settled in I have just one request: Can you PLEASE help us get to the world series, Theo??