April 28: Revisiting Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Northshore Visit 50 years ago

Join the Center for Civic Engagement and Open Communities as we commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s visit to the Northwestern campus and the 50th anniversary of his speech in the nearby suburbs. In 1958, King spoke at Tech Auditorium as part of Northwestern’s Mars lecture series, focusing on "The Crisis in Human Relations" and "The Christian Answer.” He came to town again in 1965, this time to speak on the Winnetka Village Green about housing discrimination and racial disparities. His speech added to the momentum sparked by the North Shore Summer Project (NSSP) – a group formed to break the pattern of segregated housing in several North Shore suburbs.

This panel discussion will explore King’s speeches – concerning both race relations and housing segregation – and illustrate how various organizations continue to confront these issues today, both on the Northwestern campus and beyond. Original NSSP member Nina Raskin, longtime civil rights activist Bennett Johnson, chair of Chicago Area Peace Action David Borris, and Open Communities Executive Director Gail Schechter will speak about housing discrimination today & the work of NSSP in the 1960s, while Northwestern archivist Kevin Leonard will present about Dr. King's visit to campus.

The event will take place in the Wildcat 101A room at Norris at 5pm on Tuesday, April 28. Light refreshments will be served.

Evanston has 10th best downtown in America

It's so obvious why locals Love Evanston, but now the rest of the world is beginning to wake up to how amazing of a city it is! Thanks to Annie Coakley of Downtown Evanston, the City of Evanston and this fantastic blog, we are on the list of 10 Best Downtowns in America!

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Downtown Evanston, Ill., attracts a high percentage of those in the so called “creative class.” This includes artists, engineers, technology experts and researchers. It’s easy to see the appeal Evanston has. Located near Northwestern University, and within view of Lake Michigan, downtown Evanston offers a highly walkable environment that’s loaded with entertainment options and thriving businesses. The mix of urban sophistication and suburban relaxation, along with social and economic diversity found in downtown Evanston make it a Top 10 Best Downtown.

Evanston’s downtown distinguishes it from the typical Chicago suburbs. A mix of contemporary condo buildings and post-modern office buildings create an appealing skyline. A high concentration of cultural attractions like theaters, music venues and bars draw people downtown. Three public transportation options, including light rail, and ample, inexpensive parking make getting in and out of downtown Evanston easy. More than 10,000 people work in downtown Evanston, which has seen the addition of nearly 1,200 new condominium units since 2000. More than 38 percent of downtown residents hold graduate or postgraduate degrees.

More than 25 galleries, museums, concert halls and museums in downtown Evanston provide a rich cultural scene. Nearly 100 cafes and restaurants provide diners with everything from grab-and-go lunches to elegant five-course meals in historic buildings or al fresco at quaint cafés. Brian Huston, chef at popular Boltwood restaurant in Evanston, was recently nominated for a James Beard Award. Nearby beaches on Lake Michigan, paved trails, and a collection of parks give residents plenty of opportunity to stay active and enjoy the outdoors.

http://livability.com/

From the Archives: I am Worthy of a City like Evanston

Evanston, You Are Beautiful!

Hurry to Northwestern this week only and take a photo under the You Are Beautiful arch! Because you are beautiful! It's only up for one week!

Can't make it to campus? Visit http://you-are-beautiful.com and pick up a sticker or 5.

Evanston Named Top 5 City to Live IN!

Thank you to USA Today for this awesome nomination!

When choosing where to live, Americans consider a variety of factors. For some, the quality of schools is important. For others, the strength of the local economy or personal safety takes priority.

To determine America's best cities to live in, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on the 550 areas measured by the U.S. Census Bureau with populations of 65,000 or more.

Based on a range of variables, including crime rates, employment growth, educational attainment, and housing affordability, 24/7 Wall St. identified America's 50 best cities to live...

5. Evanston, Illinois
> Median household income: $68,169
> Unemployment rate, 2013: 7.20%
> Median home value: $360,900
> Violent crime per 100,000 residents: 304.7
> Average commuter travel time: 28.4 minutes
More than two-thirds of adults living in Evanston had completed at least a bachelor's degree, among the highest educational attainment rates in the nation. Younger Evanston residents seem to be on track to get a good education as well. Secondary school students performed above average on math and language arts standardized tests in 2013. Additionally, Northwestern University, one of the nation's top universities, is based in Evanston.
In addition to a well-educated populace, Evanston residents have plenty of entertainment options available to them. Cook County, which includes Chicago, had 49 museums and 192 libraries as of 2012. There were also nearly 9,000 restaurants and more than 900 bars -- more than any other county in the nation.

Read the full article here! 

Granted the USA Today article forgot to mention Open Studios Evanston which is why I think Evanston rocks! 

Evanston Named One of the Best Suburbs for Education in America!

From Patch

Evanston ranks among the country’s best suburbs for education, according to the real estate website Movoto.

The site put Evanston at No. 7 on its Top 10 list. It singles out city’s high test scores, high graduation rate and large spending per pupil.

Newton, MA tops the list, with Plymouth and Minnetonka, MN and Wauwatosa, WI representing the Midwest along with Evanston. Evanston is the only Illinois community to make the list.

The site compiled the list by assessing four criteria: student-teacher ration, money spent per year per student, high school graduation rate and GreatSchools.org rating, which is based on test scores.

From NBC Chicago

A Chicago suburb has been named one of the best suburbs for education in the country.

Movoto Real Estate has released a list of the top 50 suburbs for education in America and Evanston snagged a top spot on the list.

Researchers gathered data from more than 100 different suburbs in the U.S. using criteria like student-teacher ratio, money spent per year per student, high school graduation rate and GreatSchools.org or test score ratings.

Evanston ranked no. 7 on the list and was cited for having some of the highest test scores and a high school graduation rate of 91 percent.

The top-ranking suburb in the country was Newton, Massachusetts, followed by Plymouth, Minnesota; Ellicott City, Maryland; Minnetonka, Minnesota; and Dublin, Ohio.

The only other Chicago-area suburb to make the list was Skokie, which ranked at no. 12.

Celebrate Black History Month in Evanston

From the City of Evanston website:

Black History Month begins February 1. Celebrate with us!

Local organizations and groups are invited to submit Black History Month events and programs for posting on the City of Evanston's website. Information should be sent to Community Engagement Specialist Charliese Agnew at cagnew@cityofevanston.org.

Click here for a full month of events.  

Northwestern also has a long list of events, click here to visit the calendar.

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Thank you for reading my blog Evanston Newbie, a blog dedicated to helping you too fall in love with the City of Evanston, just like I did. If you have any questions or need to get in touch with me about this blog, Evanston, or anything else you can email me at thelisadshow@gmail.com. Also feel free to send me announcements about upcoming Evanston events and I will promote them here!

Photo: Mallard Duck Feet on Snow

How cute are those duck feet prints? This makes the Polar Vortex seem not soooooo bad!

Photo by Amber Tris Ray of Northwestern University

Sublet Available within walking distance from Edzo's Burger Shop in Evanston

May 16 -- June 30, 6 week sublet
$2,700
3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom apartment
Contact us for availability: 847-720-7900

The Judson Apartment building on the corner of Dempster and Judson in Evanston provides first-class apartment living at market-friendly prices. Two blocks from some of the most spectacular beaches on the North Shore, this location is ideal for college students, families and community-minded people who like to walk to work and play.

BJB also offers excellent building management services with a 24-hour hotline and friendly, immediate service for any apartment needs.

The building is wired for Wi-Fi and is only blocks from one of the regions best Apple service centers Lapin Systems.

Apartments have modern accommodations and the courtyard offers a lovely shaded garden for grilling and dining outside in the summer. In addition to spacious bedrooms and living room, the apartment features a sun room, ideal for an at-home-office or salon. There is also space for a formal dining room adjacent to the roomy kitchen. The best part of the apartment is the huge pantry and the ample closet space. Crown moldings adorn the walls and windows, making for a very elegant feel.

Click here to see photos and floor plans

Apartment Features
• Spacious floor plans
• Hardwood floors
• Big closets
• Large sunroom
• Great views
• Decorative fireplace
• On-site laundry
• Back patio
• Storage Unit
• Bike storage room
• Short stroll from Northwestern and downtown Evanston
• Great Location
• Tree-lined residential street
• Responsive 24-hour engineer
• Cats welcome
• Internet Amenity

What's Nearby
• Beaches
• Public Tennis Courts
• Northwestern
• Main Street and Dempster Street CTA & Metra Stations
• Starbucks
• Union Pizzeria
• Space, Concert Venue
• Brothers K Cafe
• Lucky Platter (Breakfast and Feel Good Food)
• Whole Foods Chicago Avenue
• The Alcove
• Found Kitchen
• Edzo's Burgers
• Frontero Fresco (Northwestern)
• Oceanique Fine Dining
• Burnham Park Beaches
• Blind Faith Cafe Vegan

Art News: Vintage photographs by Edward Steichen gifted to Block Museum

Photo: Carl Sandburg, 1923. By Edward Steichen. Gift of the Hollander family in honor of Morton and Mimi Schapiro.

“This donation is transformative for the Block, which has steadily been building its photography collection,“ said Lisa Corrin, the Block Museum’s Ellen Philips Katz Director. “Of his many achievements, Steichen was a pioneering figure who created a vocabulary of visual conventions that came to define ‘celebrity,’ ‘style,’ ‘leader’ and ‘genius.’ This gift will provide an excellent tool for critical discussions with students from a variety of fields about how such conventions continue to operate today.” An exhibition of the photographs is planned at the Block this fall (Sept. 20 to Dec. 1, 2013).

Click here for the full article.

1.28.13: Harry Belafonte to keynote Dr. King program at NU

From Evanston Now submitted by Northwestern News.

World-renowned actor, singer, civil rights activist and humanitarian Harry Belafonte will deliver the keynote address commemorating Martin Luther King Jr., at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28, at Northwestern University’s Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.

The program will conclude Northwestern’s two-week celebration that includes discussions, lectures, film screenings, music, theater and service projects to inspire reflection on Dr. King’s life and legacy.

Belafonte, the "King of Calypso," who made the songs“Jamaica Farewell” and “Banana Boat (Day-O)” hits on the Billboard charts, met a young Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in New York in the 1950s. They developed a long friendship that transformed Belafonte’s life.

Click here to read the full article.

Ritual: Two friends go jump in a lake once a month

It's so fun to have a relationship with a beach, which I totally do seeing as Dempster Street Beach is my family's personal beach or at least we like to think so. It's only 2 long blocks from our house and we can walk to it easily anytime of year or day.

It's off season now which is why this shot is completely empty of people but just before I took this photo, 2 Northwestern Students showed up at the beach, stripped to their shorts and jumped in the lake. They were only in the water for a minute or two but it freaked out my son's and me to see people swim so early in the season. Of course I interviewed them when they got out of the water.

It turns out once a month these two friends go jump in the lake, the entire year, even in January. It's just something they do. Two friends who go jump in a lake once a month. That is a fantastic monthly tradition.

I can't wait until the season opens and this lake is full of screaming children and adults jumping in the lake. It's been quiet on the beach in the off season and although I love it, I love a busy beach too.

Happy Labor Day!

Today we rode our bikes onto the Northwestern campus to feed the carp. We brought Cheerios and they loved them, as did the ducks and geese. What a great way to celebrate Labor Day! Hope you all have a fantastic day.

Go: Paint Evanston Purple Pep Rally

From the City of Evanston website: Kick off the wildcat season right and join us for the home opener Pep Rally festivities on Thursday, September 8th, 2011 at 6pm at Independence Park on the 2000th block of Central St., and help us PAINT EVANSTON PURPLE! Guests of honor will include Mayor Tisdahl, President Schapiro, Coach Fitz and AD Jim Phillips. Come listen to the NU and ETHS bands play live and watch awesome performances by the NU cheerleaders! FREE and FUN!

Independence Park
on the 2000th block of Central St
Thursday, September 8 · 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.

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Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni

Purple Hydrants on Howard St. in celebration of Evanston Day

From the City of Evanston website: 8th Ward Alderman Ann Rainey, Y.O.U. and Northwestern University are teaming up to help Paint Evanston Purple this Friday, September 2nd! As part of the festivities leading up to the Evanston Day at Ryan Field--when the Wildcats take on the Eastern Illinois Panthers--Alderman Rainey, Y.O.U. and members of the Northwestern Football Team will be painting fire hydrants on Howard Street (in front on 415 Howard St). Painting will start at 3:45 pm.