apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Did anyone else attempt to go to the household/hazardous materials drop-off site (event?) at 5801 N Pulaski this past Saturday?

I'll be the first to admit that I am not always that conscientious about regular recycling, but I do try and make an effort not to dump toxic materials. I had several cans of leftover paint and an old cellphone to get rid of and I saw the ad in last month's issue of Chicago and thought I would give it a try.

The line of cars waiting to enter was at least 1/2 mile from each direction. I don't know what the problem was (logisitics? organization? staffing?) but whatever it was, I wasn't going to wait around to find out.

Fortunately, my boyfriend offered to take the paint to a recycling center in the suburbs for me. I am still pretty bitter about this experience though. Obviously there is a huge demand for this kind of service in Chicago - why is it so difficult to safely dispose of these common household materials?

Kathryn: Wow! What a story.

The good news is that a permanent household materials recyling center is planned to open on goose island. It is at the site of the first drop off of the summer (1150 n. branch at division) and is scheduled to open this year. I've been keeping an eye on it and will do a post once i hear of the official opening date.

info about it is in the newsletter linked at my name.

Thanks Janel, that is great news!!

Seems this one was advertised better than previous events. Staff there said folks had come from the suburbs and from as far as Wisconsin and Iowa. All in all it took us about an hour to make the loop. Wildlife kept us entertained while we waited with some deer taking in lunch some twenty yards from the line of cars.

Still, am looking forward to the North Branch location opening soon.

yup, should've hopped on the first one of the summer. there were maybe 3 people in front of me, as i dropped off a lil' can of paint and an old ipod battery in exchange for the blue bags. now if only i felt confident about my recycling in those blue bags actually getting recycled....

Hello! I have two questions: Could anyone recommend a coop grocery store, or a non-chain grocery store that sells locally grown produce? Also, does anyone know of a good health/pharmacy store in Chicago? I'm thinking of something like the Community Pharmacy in Madison (see the link in my name).

This is a message for Janel--I recently came across your post about the Kelso lamp from CB2 and the lovely photo of your bedroom. I've been looking for blue & white porcelain garden stools like yours, at a reasonable price--would you mind revealing your source? Thanks!

julie:
i bought the blue & white stool at the white elephant thrift store on halsted about 6 years ago for $25. i'll never forget that day - i carried my son in my arms for the entire walk home as I wheeled the stool in his stroller (he was easier to carry than the stool)!

it is a favorite item of mine and has worked in many different spots around the apartment over the years - good luck in your search!

Betsy, I don't know what neighborhood you're in, but there's an independent grocer on Broadway in Edgewater that sells local organic produce. True Nature I think it's called. 6034 N. Broadway. There's also a coop near Loyola:

http://www.newleafnatural.net

Kathryn,
We went to the hazardous waste disposal site too. We were really suprized that there were so many people too. Last time we went to one of these events very few people brought stuff. When we asked one of the city workers, he said that they only expected about 500 people. Let's put a postitve spin on this and be glad we live in a city where so many people wanted to dispose of their hazardous material in a safe and environmentally sound way. Maybe next time the city will be more prepared.
Suzanne

Anyone live in a downtown hi-rise rental apartment? Any recommendations? Any reasons you don't live in one? We're looking to move to Chicago very soon. Currently are looking at 180 N Jefferson, Chestnut Tower and North Harbor. Any feedback, suggestions and tips would be greatly appreciated. My wife and I will be looking for a 1 bedroom as close to the loop as possible. Thanks in advance!

Has anyone ordered upholstered furniture online, particularly from Pottery Barn, without having had the opportunity to test it out? I am looking for a small-scale sectional to frame my fireplace and "TV wall" for my long, typically Chicago front room. (I'll have another seating area near the front windows.) The Barrington from Pottery Barn looks really good dimension-wise, but as we spend a lot of time on the sofa, I want to make sure it feels right. And the stores don't carry it. And it's a lot of money to spend "sight unseen." Any thoughts, or suggestions on other sofas of about this size?

Link to the Barrington is: http://ww2.potterybarn.com/cat/index.cfm?src=shpcfur%7Crshop&cid=fursctbar

Thanks,
Katie

Dave H:

don't forget to investigate condo-rentals. There are oodles of condos up for rent near the loop -- a friend of mine rented in the Sterling and liked it (although we both thought the condos themselves were overpriced).

I lived at Skyline Century of Progress (Lake and Wells) -- DO NOT LIVE THERE! I think it's converting into condos, so that may not be an option anyway, but while the building is gorgeous, the rehab job the owner did was awful. The soundproofing in particular is bad -- we were kept awake by the trains even up on the 23rd floor. The ventilation was insufficient: it's central air, but there weren't enough vents in our unit to keep the place sufficient cool in the summer or warm in the winter. Finally, the units are absolutely TINY. Run, do not walk, away from this building!

On the positive side, I've heard great things about the Fisher Building.

Has anyone been to the CB2 store in the Chicago area and seen these storage/tables?

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=114&f=3011

I saw them in the catalog and was wondering if the top lid looked sturdy enough to be used as seating if I put a cushion on top? I guess the wheels would need to support enough weight as well. I've been looking for some type of mobile storage/ottoman at a reasonable price and this looked better than most I've seen.

We like New Leaf Natural Grocery (www.newleafnatural.net)where we get a small veggie/fruit box for $15 each week. Not all the produce is local. This week about half the veggies were local--none of the fruit was local.

It is also a bit of drive for us from Albany Park to Rogers Park each--though they have home delivery for $5.

However, we like the fact that this is on a week-by-week basis, no big bucks upfront. You can get $30 boxes and all veggie or all fruit. Plus the staff is really friendly and easy going.

True Nature (click my name for their site) is a great neighborhood store and their produce boxes come from/through a farm in Wisconsin. They are also developing a green roof (with a grant from the city) which is pretty darned cool if you ask me

Virginia, thanks for the heads up on condo rentals. I never thought to look into that route. Thanks also for mentioning the Fisher Building. Very nice. We'll plan on checking it out in October when we're there next. Thanks again!

jimkk,

I have spent a lot of time at CB2, but I haven't seen these cube tables. They must be pretty new. Anybody else seen them?

>D

Hi: On my real estate cyber stalking rounds, I spotted the house in the link below. Dig the orange wall and cedar ceiling! On the off chance someone is moving to madison, or you just can't get enough madtown modern:
http://www.fsbomadison.com/details.asp?ID=10293

HI RISE APT: Great location, view in not so great building, spartan apartments. dorm-like. Fewkes tower--corner of chestnut & dearborn. High floor, good sized 1 BR about 1000K. Now making repairs on garage/deck & updating elevators. (So the $75/mo garage parking is unavailable right now). Window units for AC. W/D downstairs. Worth considering bec good price/great location.

hi all - does anyone have any suggestions for very long, low profile media centers? i would like something in a chocolate wood, that can accomodate a DVD player and have storage for CDs, DVDs, etc. i've looked at cb2, crate and barrel, west elm, ikea... none of these have things that are long/low enough. any suggestions of other places would be greatly appreciated.

thanks!

Leah, check out the door store, they have some great pieces like that.

http://www.doorstorefurniture.com

Jennie (2) I was just going to post a message for you!

A few days ago you posted about the Ikea Lack shelves, with tips on using Elfa's drywall anchors. My husband and I are determined to hang our 6-foot Lack shelf this weekend. Can you offer any other tips? We are on the edge of a high-rise building so we might not have any studs (?) on the wall we're hanging it on.

Did you use any special hardware in addition to the anchors? Toggle screws? What size were the anchors? The 5/8"?

Any tips are appreciated! Thanks so much!!

4:30 PM
Just got home from the Chiasso Warehouse sale on 400 W Jefferson. Absolutely worth the trip! I did't buy much (a supercool doorstop and a desk lamp) but they have lots of rugs, and furniture and home accents. The prices are fairly good, but as per usual with Chiasso, be aware that they sell the real deal design stuff with low cost imports, and it isn't always easy to tell them apart. So some things may seem expensive, but if you were to comparison shop, you would find they are a good deal.

Go here for more info:
http://www.chiasso.com/broadcasts/warehouse-sale.aspx

Thanks Janel for posting this yesterday.

Leah, check out the Zurich design at Room & Board.

Leah,

Also check out www.BoConcept.com. I've never seen any of their stuff in person, but i like the looks (not quite sure about the price tag though.)

I too went to the Chiasso sample sale yesterday...as did my boyfriend (we do not live together though). He got a lot of super nice, cheap things to begin the process of sprucing up his room etc...its pretty empty. He got some small ottoman stools in different colors and nighttables and a lamp....i actually love everything he got and they were super good deals.

...i dont really feel as confident that i found good deals. i thought they had good deals on the larger ticket items like couches etc...but i just went looking for small accent pieces to add to my place...and i didnt really think they were very cheap at all, basically same price as any sale item on the site etc...i ended up with a mail organizer entryway thing, a coatrack, a few plant pots, and a 3 shelf thing i havent built yet to go into the entryway.

...though maybe the trek with all those boxes and no car just soiled my opinion of the event. it was raining when i left and i had to stand in the rain with all my boxes waiting for a cab for 25 mins or so. And you know its going to be a miserable cab ride when the dialogue with the driver goes like this: Me: "Hi, I'm going to wicker park" Cabbie: "Oh, Where is that at". UGH!!!!

Devon,

There's an article in the current Martha about how to choose anchors/toggle bolts. It's very interesting!

I used the red elfa anchors made for double drywall, to be on the safe side. Not sure what size they are. Basically I can put picture frames a couple small items on the shelves. When we move I will probably upgrade to a toggle bolt. I wouldn't expect to load the shelf up with books and whatnot, because the shelves have a weight maximum, but I would guess that you can't go overboard with the strength of the bolt.

New contruction should have metal studs so make sure whatever you get is made for that! Hope this helps!

Leah,

Went through the same process about 3 years ago. I ended up going with this from BellO (mine is lighter wood though):
http://www.bello.com/index.php?partition=show_product&prod_id=88&categ_id=40

It may not be long enough for you. I have a 42" plasma that isn't wall mounted. There is 10" of "counter" space on either side of the TV. The glass is frosted on the lower side of each cabinet which allows you to toss some CDs under there.

-Dan

Dave H,

North Harbor Tower is a good bet if you have kids. Maintenance can be slow so make sure your apartment is right before you move in.

If you are looking for a condo to rent in the New East Side you may want to check out www.apartmentspecialist.org.

Helen

Jennie -- thanks for the tips. We went with the toggle bolts, sans anchors, and everything seems to be holding fine, with a vase or two and a picture. I'll have to check out the new Martha! Thanks again!

Helen, thanks for that website. I also found Chicago Apartment Finder. I now feel a bit more confident knowing that there are services out there like this.

FYI, regarding the CB2 storage cube tables I inquired about above. I called the CB2 phone order line and the operator was very helpful in looking up the info which wasn't available on the website or in the catalog. Unfortunately the tables are listed as supporting 40 lbs maximum so they would not work as extra seating as I had hoped.

Just had to share: Jonathan Coulton has written a song honoring AT's most loved/hated big box, Ikea. Click my name for the link, then click "Download the mp3" at the top.

I'm sorry - this is totally off subject, but my eye is drawn to the Grapefruit Tang image in the little montage at the top of this post every time I see it. Is there such a thing, and if it still exists where does one find it? I just really love that little jar. Thanks!