Dining out in Roseland came under two headings. There was actually eating out in a restaurant, which was something generally done with the family, as in after mass on Sunday or on Dad’s payday or in celebration of a family event. The other type of dining out was the more casual “hanging out” with friends in a favorite local snack shop or restaurant. Local fine dining in Kensington centered around two restaurants: Pesavento’s on 115th and Parise’s on Kensington. These places had tablecloths and that qualified them as “fine dining” in young Roseland eyes. Of course, after mass on Sunday …
Read More »Enough with the May flowers!
April showers bring May flowers, right? We hear that every year. In fact, I’m sure I’ve written about May flowers a couple of times in the dozen years I’ve been writing this column. Well, I’ve had enough of writing about flowers and I’m switching things up. Spring also marks the start of vegetable gardening season, which brings to mind the many such gardens in Roseland, Pullman and Kensington. Personally, I’ve never had a green thumb, but the array of colorful and abundant vegetable gardens has stayed with me since childhood. Growing up in Roseland, I ran across gardens big and …
Read More »A neighborhood store …
Walking my dog, Antonio Michelangelo Martello, has proven to be an enlightening experience. As we casually stroll through beautifully preserved Pullman. I not only have the opportunity to visit with any Pullmanites we see. I also get to take note of the changes made to Pullman’s original architecture. Since 1907, all of the residences in Pullman have been privately owned. In 1897, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the company could not own homes as that was outside of its corporate charter. As the residents purchased their homes, they were able to make changes to their properties as they liked. …
Read More »Who’s in that picture?
I find it interesting that everyone has a cellphone that can take pictures these days, but we haven’t solved a problem that has been around since the days of Brownie cameras. Many of us have photo albums that show us and our family members and friends at different stages of growing up and at various celebrations and events. The photos show the good times, the bad times and our lives from day to day. We love looking at and reminiscing over these photos because of they remind us of shared experiences with people we care about. Each photo is a …
Read More »What we love about Roseland
February brings with it Valentine’s Day and conversations about love. Not being one to color outside the lines, that’s exactly where this column is going to go! That isn’t a challenging premise when we’re talking about our beloved Roseland. Anytime people get together and talk turns to Roseland the stories start to flow from the heart. All Roseland stories involve our love for the great memories we have. Given how much time we spent on “The Ave,” talking about Michigan Avenue brings up 100s of stories. If you’re reminiscing about going to a movie or seeing a show on The …
Read More »Remembering today’s ‘good old days’
We always talk with great fondness about the Roseland of decades past while we embrace the last vestiges of those glory days. Unfortunately, the pandemic has cast a dark shadow over these living reminders of our cherished past. In many ways, last year has been one of loss as we look forward to 2021 with hope for better times. Many of the places, events and organizations we’ve clung to in recent years have either gone temporarily or permanently dark. I think it is fitting to recall some of the great memories each of them has brought into our lives. …
Read More »Christmas through Italian-tinted lenses
Christmas is a time for celebration, but how we celebrate has changed over the centuries. How do you celebrate Christmas? Do you embrace the more secular version embodied by Santa Claus with his big bag of presents, or the more religious one in which gifts are given in recognition of God’s gift to us of His Son Jesus Christ? One tradition I embrace is the Christmas story told by Mario Avignone, the founder of this column. Fr. Pierini asked him decades ago to start writing Petals as a way of keeping Roseland alive in our hearts. In my 12 years …
Read More »Many vets, one story
November is dedicated to the men and women of the armed services who have played a role in protecting our nation and safeguarding its future. On Memorial Day, we remember all of those service members who gave their lives for our country. On Veterans Day, we honor all those who served in any capacity. All veterans have stories about their time in service. I invited the readers to share those stories and I got numerous responses. This column is the perfect opportunity for me to present some of them. As you read these stories, I encourage you to think with …
Read More »Roseland traditions, from the house tours to ciope
The beauty of life in Roseland is that, as varied as it was, it had happenings that were so dependable as to be practically traditional. That memory endures even in a pandemic world where everyone’s events have been curtailed, cancelled, downplayed, postponed, simplified and placed in a downward spiral. Roseland’s traditions make reminiscing easy. Since this is my October column, we have plenty of events to recall. The Pullman House Tour, which has take place every year on Columbus Day weekend for the past 46 years, has been cancelled for the first time ever. I recall when I first bought …
Read More »St. Anthony’s is as diverse as . . .
As I’ve sat with a number of people over the years, discussions have often turned to who the people of Kensington, Pullman and Roseland are. As a child in St. Anthony’s Parish, the answer was clear: We’re all Italian. Of course, then I became more aware of the world around me. I came to realize that some of the last names called for attendance at school weren’t Italian: Knudson, Ramirez, Mrozowski, Clark, Timmerman, Vanderwahl, and a few more. Hitting the playground gave further proof of how diverse the entire community of Roseland was. The playgrounds of summer gave us ample …
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