A Home on Oak Avenue

A month ago I moved back to Southport Corridor. It’s been nearly 4 years since I first left this little sub-neighborhood west of Wrigley and it is wonderful to be back.

Between my time in Virginia and my return to Chicago I spent the past two years living in Evanston. There was a lot about living there that I loved including morning tennis ball sessions with Essie at the park across the street, the short walk to the lake, being able to walk to work, the ease of getting to my family a few towns north and, of course, the apartment itself.

Full of creaky floors and plenty of charm, my one bedroom on Oak Avenue felt like home instantly. I loved the big windows and the hardwood floor, the enormous trees that surrounded it, how I was able to convert the closet off of the living room into a small office and the convenient backdoor in the kitchen. But this apartment was huge, too big for just Essie and me, and I never felt that we truly filled it. It also turned out that my building was somewhat of a blackhole for AT&T and I quickly discovered that my phone only worked when standing in a single corner of the kitchen or sitting on a one side of the couch.

But, despite all that, Oak Avenue was home, albeit temporarily, and I wanted to document it before it was all packed up.