Woke up a little after 05:30 this morning and decided not to go back to sleep. I ate breakfast and headed out for a walk around the neighborhood while no one was out. I was born and raised in Bridgeport. Have I ever thought about living elsewhere in the country? Absolutely. However I am tied to Chicago because of work, but that is really another discussion. Like any other neighborhood Bridgeport has its bad sides, but it has some charms as well.

I wanted to get a little exercise and shoot a little bit. These images are not all that good, but there are some stories from the past associated with a few of them. The corner of 35th and Halsted Street has remained relatively unchanged over the years. The Ramova, a theater I never went to, was never torn down. It and the diner on the corner has been there as long as I can remember.

I do not remember if this building on the opposite corner to the diner has always housed a furniture store, but I love its architecture. The lamp posts on the corner are not the originals, but it adds a bit to the scene. There are still a lot of buildings in this style throughout the city.

The buildings in the two images above are right next to one another. The empty retail space used to house a record store. I have a feeling it may have been Let’s Boogie in a previous life. Perhaps they downsized to the space next door. The last time I stepped foot in the larger space was some time in the early 1990s. I did not own any music as a kid, as we were relatively poor so the only music I heard was through a clock radio. I would occasionally listen to my parents’ old hi-fi system. They had a receiver with AM-FM tuner, an 8-track player, a cassette deck, and a turntable. But aside from a handful of 8-track tapes and whatever cassettes they brought with them when they emigrated to the United States there was not anything for me to listen to besides the radio. It was free and it was on 24 hours a day. Being an only child I gravitated toward music to pass the time at an early age.

It has been a long time since I walked down this way. I completely forgot this place was here. Malelo and Company started back in 1950, and has been family owned and operated since. Google knows all!

I have never eaten at this restaurant. For most of my life up until The Internet killed video rental stores this was Bridgeport Video. My family did not have a membership, but I would occasionally walk in to “browse.” Like many adolescent boys I would try to sneak around to the adult section to look at the boobs on the boxes, lol. They also had a few arcade video game machines. A buddy and I would occasionally skip school and end up there playing games. One time a police officer came in to the store and questioned us as to why we were not in school. “We’re testing today…,” my friend answered. I do not think he was convinced, but he left us alone. We were relieved, and left shortly ourselves, not wanting to push our luck.

This was always a gas station, a quick-mart, and a diner, though they all had different names. In high school some friends and I started an adventure here. It was so cold that school was cancelled that day, but we were stupid and went outside. I do not remember if we were having lunch at the diner, or if we were just getting gas, but the one car we arrived in would not start because of the cold. We proceeded to push it to another friend’s house. He lived closest, less than a mile away. I still think that was the coldest I ever felt, and we were pushing a car! After getting the car squared we decided it was a good idea to play some football in the street. Again we were kids and we were stupid, but stupid makes for fond memories.

Maria’s Packaged Goods and Community Bar, Bridgeport Coffee House, and Pleasant House Pastries formed the “Hipster Triangle.” Pleasant House has since moved to a bigger space near Pilsen, but Maria’s and Bridgeport Coffee is still here. I do not imbibe so I have never been to Maria’s, but Bridgeport Coffee is one of my favorite cafes in Chicago. I frequent it before I go to work. For a long time there were no real coffee shops in Bridgeport. Then the hipsters came. People like to give hipsters a bad name, but they bring good stuff with them! Was that the real reason for the coffee shops arriving? Who knows? I am just glad they are here.

Last but not least is Jackalope, another of my fave coffee shops, also in Bridgeport. This one is uniquely decorated with art featuring its mythical beast namesake. And it was opened by one of my grammar school classmates!

Click images to view on black.