CHICAGO CARLESS

(Photo: Cincinnati Jamie on the prowl.)

When Cincinnati Jamie pulled up in front of the Hilton one evening in October with a spent Austrian airline pilot in the passenger seat, I tried to be demure. As he got out of the car, I told him, “When I blog about this, I promise only to refer to you as number three.”

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(Photo: A lack of compassion is never all it’s cracked up to be.)

The following is cross-posted on my Huffington Post Chicago byline.

Clout Gate. I’m coining the term here and now. I can’t think of any better reason than clout to explain why an Illinois governor elected on an anti-corruption platform and ending up under long-term federal investigation would think he could get away with disgraceful deeds the likes of which got Rod Blagojevich arrested in his jogging suit by the F.B.I. on Tuesday morning.

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(Photo: Next time, I’ll take a taxi.)

[For previous updates on this story, please see my Homeless archive.]

Ten days ago when I first blogged in these pages and on Huffington Post Chicago about what looked like a crackdown on homeless riders by the Chicago Transit Authority, I could not have hoped for the citywide surge of interest in the welfare of the transit agency’s least fortunate riders that continues to coalesce.

Yesterday, I was invited to discuss the issue on two of Chicago’s most important radio programs: WBEZ 91.5 Chicago Public Radio’s Eight Forty-Eight morning show with Richard Steele; and WVON 1690-AM’s late-afternoon Cliff Kelley Show. (How I managed to run between WBEZ’s Navy Pier studio and WVON’s digs at 87th and Cottage Grove in little more than an hour while taking a number 87 bus the wrong way across the South Side is another story in itself.)

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There once was a dentist named Gary,
Whose teeth were so white it was scary,
But he had a Secret,
And he couldn’t keep it,
So now he has need to be wary.

So Gary Kimmel was sentenced to prison today and Marina City’s just fine without him. Since January 2006, there’s been neither rhyme nor reason to explain the actions of the former Marina City condo board member. After his arrest and indictment that month on charges of money laundering in connection with a national prostitution ring operated out of several of his Marina City condo units, stupefied corncob residents took to the age-honored task of trying to render reason through rime on the then-newly debuted Marina City Watchdog blog.

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(Photo: Just keep walking. Just keep walking…)
After three years and more than 300 posts, CHICAGO CARLESS has attracted a faithful audience–and one that I much appreciate.  That readership has grown larger since I relaunched the overhauled blog a few weeks ago, so I’d like to welcome you all back to my humble Internet abode [...]

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(Graphic: Not the ‘L’: the paths of my daily urban hikes from downtown Chicago.)

I walk a lot. Not just to get from A to B, but also for the pleasure of it. Some people get in their cars and drive to clear their minds and think. Me, I put on my shoes, pick a direction, and start walking.

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(Photo: Remain seated, with your arms, hands, and legs on top of the cushion at all times. Enjoy your ride.)

This entry marks the (belated) third anniversary of CHICAGO CARLESS. As is obvious, year four is getting started with a lot of changes. The most obvious are the totally re-designed layout and features of the blog.

But they’re only reflections of the most important change of all: my renewed outlook on my life and the world around me. Something had to give. After 37 years, what ultimately gave was me.

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