A vision for real estate development in St. Charles
Genevans who didn't want the proposed Marquette apartment complex on State and Richards streets appear to be in the clear for now, as the developers have bailed on the project.
Geneva can come up with something more suitable for that site, but just to show there are no hard feelings, I took it upon myself to find the perfect place for Marquette to consider.
Raze the empty eyesore on the west side of St. Charles formerly known as the Valley Shopping Center and build the Marquette apartments at that location as an appealing new project fronting Main Street.
Of course, this means I have entered a dream stage again. If I were a wealthy developer (I've been saying that a lot lately), I would turn that old shopping strip into an apartment or townhouse complex with an "Old St. Charles" theme, with cobblestone driveways, 1880s era facades and other historic features. And call it Main Street Faire or Main Street Way.
A few pieces of art or other structures symbolic of a St. Charles from yesteryear might dot the property.
Of course, zoning issues and neighborhood concerns always come into play. So, yes, I will take an aspirin and go rest, so this sort of delusional dreaming can pass.
The lure of burritos:
When the urge to have a burrito or taco hits me, it's easy to feed that need. I live only a few somersaults away from Chipotle.
But it's on my radar to take a longer drive to the east side of St. Charles now that El Rayo Burritos Guacamole is open. Burritos can do that to me.
Owner Francisco Lopez is operating his new burritos joint at 818 E. Main St. in what was an empty Tastee Freez site.
Lopez said business has been brisk since opening a couple of weeks ago, and he has plans to open another location on the west side of St. Charles.
It's good to see a busy lunch spot again in a place that years ago featured one of my favorites in "Pop's Place."
But Pop's has been gone several years now, and a hot dog joint and "Main Street Tastee Freez" gave it a whirl at that spot as well.
Let's hope the burritos are the way to go here. There's enough parking behind the building, and even though turning left onto Main Street when leaving the restaurant remains a tricky venture, it is easier than it used to be because of a turning bay in the middle of the street.
Loyal to owls:
It seems that standing in a forest preserve for long periods of time and gazing at baby owls tucked away in the hole of a tree would be a warm weather sport.
Not so in the early weeks of April for folks monitoring the owls' progress at Fabyan Forest Preserve. Some of these admirers have been out there for hours on the west side of the Fox River, taking pictures or just hoping to catch a glimpse of the owls - even in cold and wet weather. And the first two weeks of April had plenty of both.
Right now, things are much better for bird watchers in terms of temperatures.
For country themes:
Those who give their homes "a little bit of country" might want to head over to the Country Sampler building by 10 a.m. Saturday.
The magazine, which is leaving its St. Charles office to consolidate operations in Indiana, is going to auction off the props and furniture used in their magazines for more than 30 years.
Sampler is at 707 Kautz Road.
It's a festival:
Though it looks like Windy City Amusements just decides to plop down a few rides in the Gander Mountain parking lot on Randall Road for the heck of it at this time of year, there is actually a name behind this mini carnival.
It's called the Cabin Fever Festival, and it is in operation from tomorrow through Sunday, the second and final weekend of its stay.
I've always looked at it as a fairly risky gamble that the weather would cooperate at this time of year. But, hey, a mother at wits end from enduring the kids' long wait for warmer weather might find it quite nice to send Dad and kids off to cure the cabin fever.
dheun@sbcglobal.net