Last night's storms were wild, and one grid on Division Street hasn't recovered yet. Businesses like Janik's Cafe, Mulberry and Me, Division Street Watch Co., Jimmy John's, Kiz Clothing, Small Bar, InnJoy, Thai Village and Fifty/50 are still dark, and many have handwritten signs in the window informing passerby of no power.
The entire grid is still out on the south side of Division Street between Hoyne and Damen, so make sure to call before you visit any of these places to make sure they indeed are open. Businesses across the street and just the next block over are experiencing no outages, but several reported that are having issues with air conditioning today. Stay cool out there!
One of the cons of living on Division Street is that it's a bit too far to take a quick trip to the lake, so many of us take to sunbathing in Wicker Park. But if you're looking for some water, today marks the opening of the Pulaski swimming pool, just north of Division Street on Blackhawk. The Olympic-sized swimming pool is open until Labor Day and entry is free to Chicago residents. There's also a kiddie pool and playground for the youngins.
For the most part, you'll be able to access the pool 1 p.m.-4:45 p.m. and 6 p.m.-7:15, but call ahead to confirm as the schedule is subject to change.
Division Street's own Real Naked Foods has been in the news this week over controversy surrounding its BYOC policy - that's "Bring Your Own Container" including jars, bottles, bags or the like. The Division Street grocery store has an entire wall of bulk items, such as grains, nuts, oils and teas where customers can purchase these bulk items using their own containers.
....to Chicago's Department of Public Health, the [BYOC] practice also can mean danger and potential liability if someone gets sick from cross-contamination.
"We don't … allow folks to bring in their own containers to restaurants, delis or any other place, for that matter," said Cort Lohff, medical director for environmental health at the Chicago Department of Public Health. "We are worried about people bringing in containers that are not cleaned very well and then contaminating any surface that they might touch with that."
Another clip from Fox Chicago shed more light on the policy:
Although Real Naked Foods owner Lauren Yucan said only about 25 percent of customers actually bring their own containers, it would be a shame to see this option shut down at the grocery store, which opened in April.
What do you think about BYOC - public health issue or sustainable, eco-friendly shopping practice?
When Threadless Kids (1905 W. Division St.) closed in March, the street lost a kid-centric retailer in between Elevenzees and Real Naked Food. Come July, it will be gaining a haven for women called Surreal. Half clothing store, half spa for nails and hair, they will offer a range of beauty services for women according to its owner, Dahlia. The target opening date is July 1. We wish we had more information, but the storefront is still bare and they're just getting started, so we'll just have to wait and see.
The location of Surreal, coming in early July
In other retail news, Paper Doll will be moving to the former Event Studio location at 2027 W. Division St. They're hoping for a mid-July move and will be closed for a couple of days during the moving process. Hopefully Maude the pug will approve of this new space!
We use Yelp all the time before going out for dinner or drinks -- the reviews should be taken more as "a heads up" than the ultimate gospel, of course. But it's easy to forget that Yelpers review just about everything, even street festivals.
Here is a random sampling of the good, the bad and the ugly from Do Division 2011. Remember that all these are certainly not representative of the larger opinion, but they're entertaining to read nonetheless.
The Good:
"The music lineup is strong, and very light on the midwest 80's cover bands that infest this city's street fairs."
"Division is a wide boulevard, allowing plenty of walking and relaxing space on all sides. The organizers put out plenty of benches with awnings, too."
"Big Freedia. There was tons of booty shaking and actual nudity. Insane. In the best way possible."
"Cevapcici! Best street meat around. And they have the line to prove it."
The Bad:
"A notably poor showing of craftsmen and vendors, beyond the zipcar and funnel cake booths at every festival. I couldn't bring myself to even browse, much less buy. No offense meant to the proprietors of these tents, but I have to give you an Etsy-Minus."
"My phone did not work at all the entire time I was there. No service. How do I communicate to my friends how awesome this is and they should come meet me??" (Editor's Note: See our earlier post about this.)
" The Ugly:
"...the area in front of Fifty/50 and Innjoy is best avoided, as it was a knot of the smarmiest clubgoing types I've ever seen outside of Excalibur. (And I've never been to Ex)."
It's taken us until today to recover from the fun and festivities of the Do Division fest, which stretched from Damen to Leavitt on Saturday and Sunday. How was your experience? We'd love to hear your thoughts on the music, the food, the vendors, the kids' area and anything else on your mind.
Overall, the crowds flocked to the streets, the music was diverse and up-tempo, and the smell of grilled meat was only surpassed by the ridiculous amounts of sunshine (except for the lone thunderstorm Saturday afternoon). All in all, it was a great year.
One thing that had tongues wagging was the changed presence at Wicker Wash at 2133 W. Division St. While in past years, the car wash has been home to throngs of dancers and several DJs, this year it was turned into a sedate island paradise (complete with sand), an event put on by a third-party sponsor that rented out the car wash.
So what happened? According to folks at the carwash, the West Town Chamber of Commerce had received complaints about the loud, pulsating music and crowds of dancers on the sidewalk, and did not allow them to bring DJs back to the space this year. After a series of talks, as far as they know the DJ is no longer permitted at any fest in the future.
(Footage of 2010 Wicker Wash party via YouTube)
What do you think? Were there less distractions without the car wash music or was something missing this year? There were several other "impromptu" jam sessions on the street that were not an official part of the festival (such as in front of the Division Gold Pawn Shop at 2112 W. Division St.), but the show went on for them. Regardless, a major hat tip to all the organizers of the festival, and we'll see you next year!
*UPDATE 6/7/11: An eagle-eyed reader pointed out that Armand's Grand Opening is tomorrow, June 8, and Delish is still not totally open -- although some readers reported being allowed inside for milkshakes and ice cream this weekend. However, the full menu is taped to the window in case you are curious.
