More Do Division: Yelp Speaks

 Photo courtesy of a reader

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)."

Do you agree?

Recap: How Was Your Do Division Festival?

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.

 (image via Flickr)

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!

By the way, it seemed Delish and Armand's Pizzeria did open as planned with limited menus.

*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.

Good Things Come in Threes -- New Openings, Including Delish

The anticipation for the Do Division street festival is building steadily, and there are three new openings that will take advantage of the buzz on Division Street this weekend.

• Word on the street is that Delish Diner & Bakery (2014 W. Division St.) will possibly be doing a soft opening Friday at 7 a.m., or Saturday at the latest. We can't wait to get inside this new breakfast diner brought to you by the folks behind next-door-neighbor Picante.

 

The secretive wooden plywood has been removed!

• As we mentioned before, Armand's Pizzeria (2121 W. Division St.) still plans to open Saturday and Sunday for the first day of Do Division with a pizza-only menu. On Monday, it'll roll out its sandwiches, salads, pastas and more.
  
• FoundRe Furnishings (2151 W. Division St.) has been open for a few days, but will make it's big debut this weekend. The custom picture frame and furniture gallery features recycled materials from around the city. That stretch of Division Street is a little quieter than the rest, so it's great to see retail units going up on that block -- especially when huge crowds are expected to descend on it for two straight days.

Any other openings on your radar? Remember to send tips into divisionliving@gmail.com. 

Do Division Streetfest Adds to Musical Line-Up

In case you missed it, yesterday Do Division announced part of the line-up for the 2011 festival, which takes place June 4-5. More announcements are forthcoming, but for now the Damen stage will include:

• Bonobo (A British DJ with a sample-heavy, down-tempo electronica style. Check out a YouTube clip here)

• Big Freedia (A transgendered ass-shaking rapper taking riffs from New Orleans' "Sissy bounce" musical tradition. YouTube clip here)

• Omar Souleyma: A high-octane Dabke (Syrian dance music) performer who's heavy on the synth-keyboard (YouTube clip here)

The Leavitt stage will include:

• Led Zeppelin 2 (Chicago-based cover band eerily similar to the original. YouTube clip here)

• This Must Be the Band (Playing music exclusively from the Talking Heads catalog, this group is fairly popular in the festival circuit - YouTube clip here)

What do you think of the line-up so far? Does the music make or break the Do Division experience for you or is it just background noise? Is there anyone else you'd like to see performing that weekend?