I love my neighborhood.

You'd think I'd write about it sometime, wouldn't you? I've lived in Humboldt Park for years and I don't recall if I've even ever posted shots of Humboldt Park-the-park, or the two bakeries near me, or the construction and demolition that occasionally goes on (an entire building a block away from me completely disappeared this week and I didn't know until it was an empty lot. It was one I don't particularly miss; I'm just a bit perturbed because it shows I didn't get out much this week). Here's a couple shots I took on a brief errand Friday. My neighborhood is not actually this color; I've just gotten into digital cross-processing on Flickr this spring...

The nearby shopping center (seems too small to call a strip mall) recently got resurfaced, and the store below now has windows. Big windows. I stopped first at my favorite dollar store of the ones near me (well, it's gone from three to two dollar stores, not counting Family Dollar. They're a decent store but NOT a real dollar store, though when they turn up in news broadcasts [I swear Chicago has a lot of Family Dollar calamaties--roof collapses, shootings, I forget] they're referred to as a "dollar store"). It was a short visit, made even shorter by the fact that the store had the overwhelming smell...of skunk. Well, that's a new one in my Chicago retail experience. The store IS near a park, but...huh? The clerk explained when I paid for my stuff--a man smelling of skunk had been in the store. Possibly raises more questions than it answers.

On to the liquor store, for cheap beer for the weekend, and empty boxes to sort things in my apartment. I noticed the unrefrigerated 16 oz. 6 packs of Old Style were still marked as $3.99 (I used to buy the commemorative Cubs cans of the stuff) so I grabbed one. The clerk didn't know the price and had to ask someone else, which took a while. He said it was $5.79. I said the sign still said $3.99 and he said it was just the Colt .45 6-packs that were $3.99. I went back and got a 12 oz. 6-pack of Hamm's, same price, instead, glancing again at the sign (still said Old Style). I told them they should change the sign. I wasn't going to argue my way into paying less for Old Style, I like to think I have SOME dignity.

Another employee saw what I'd bought and asked if I could carry 2 6-packs. "I'll pay for one." Shocked, I managed a "yeah." And he bought me another 6-pack (of Hamm's, though I didn't notice that till hours later), pointing at the Old Style and saying "as long as you never buy that again!" In a mild state of shock, I thanked him, grabbed some empty boxes on the way out, and walked home. I wanted this post to be a little more in-depth than "I GOT FREE BEER," but I won't deny, that's the main reason I posted.