Tessera

Life update: just had the best weekend ever getting married to the love of my life. Wedding planning was exhausting and expensive but 100% worth it. Best party I'll ever go to! Now, time to enjoy a honeymoon road trip around Lake Michigan. Cheers!

Me and my WIFE walking down the aisle of a church after our wedding

Wide angle photo of church during wedding

Wide angle photo of me and my WIFE dancing in gazebo under greenhouse dome

Chicago 🏳️‍⚧️🌱@chicagotrans-plant.bsky.social · 2w ago

Highly recommend following @chicagotrans-plant.bsky.social - some of the best threads I’ve seen documenting the drama of public meetings regarding transportation/buildings/etc in Chicago

Alrighty I am at the ad hoc NITA meeting, a bit late. Public comment on safety - @itskylelucas.com is warning that standing up a new police force may be so expensive that the RTA cannot meet its mandate to get better service, and that NITA should try other, cheaper, approaches first

Steven Lucy @slucy.bsky.social · 2w ago

I’ve been issued zero traffic violations in 20 years of driving and this guy somehow got five before getting a license (??) and then got his license and immediately killed someone? Are we even trying here?

Streetsblog Chicago@chi.streetsblog.org · 3w ago

Court documents provide more details about the actions of the drunk driver who fatally struck attorney Sarah Milcarek, 25, Saturday around 9:30 PM on Irving Park Road near Southport Avenue in Lakeview. Warning, this WGN report is a very troubling read.

This week in Housing Theory of Everything news: People now leave those giant Home Depot skeletons out year-round. Mostly for fun, but there’s also another reason: “As home prices skyrocket, storage space becomes a luxury. Backyards hold ADUs. Large closets become bedrooms.”

Article: “giant skeletons stay out of storage closets”

Viktor Köves@viktorkoves.com · 2w ago

This reminds me of when I rented a Bolt for a work trip from the Enterprise in Lakeview, down the block from the L. I wasn’t the only customer who took the train there! Hot take but we could use more car rental services in dense, transit heavy neighborhoods. ZipCar should have more competitors!

Enterprise car rental near the train in Lakeview

I've seen a lot of Chevy Bolts in New York, but I'm very happy to start seeing them as city vehicles here in Chicago - small, electric, cheap, and cheerful!

A White Chevy Bolt EUV marked with the Chicago seal and department of transportation

Brandon @bedubble.bsky.social · 3w ago

Taking my corns on a pilgrimage to see their role models

A hand with corns on a boat to see marina city

Micheál Podgers @michealpodgers.bsky.social · 3w ago

“Glenview trustees approved a resolution to join a gas leaf blower restriction feasibility study at a cost of $15,550. The study is being undertaken by several municipalities part of the 11-member Regional Leaf Blower Working Group.” Hear me out: what if we just banned gas leaf blowers?

Quieter days coming? Glenview to study whether to join Northbrook, Evanston in curbing leaf blowers

Glenview will study whether to join Northbrook, Evanston and others in regulating gas-powered leaf blowers.

chicagotribune.com

Survey closes TODAY (08/11/2026). Take and share!

Micheál Podgers@michealpodgers.bsky.social · 3w ago

🚨 IDOT Survey 🚨 IDOT is conducting is regular survey of residents. This information is extremely useful for advocates who are pushing the state to prioritize transit, biking, walking, and other choices. It’s closes Tuesday 8/11. illinois-department-of-transportation.prezly.com/public-feedb...

Michael McLean @michaelmclean.me · 3w ago

Surface winds over 110mph in Tinley Park! app.weatherfront.com

Chicago 🏳️‍⚧️🌱@chicagotrans-plant.bsky.social · 3w ago

Good reminder of how deceptively democratic Chicago’s “neighborhood association” system is. South Lakeview is a neighborhood of ~9,000 people. But if you want to build a new apartment building, you can be stopped by around 2 dozen NIMBYs at the South Lakeview Neighbors meeting.

44th Ward 2026 *
Community Meetings
West Lake View Neighbors
WLVN.net - 3553 N Southport Ave
Neighborhood Associations
1/12, 3/9, 5/11, 7/13, 9/14, 11/9 - 7 PM
Southport Neighbors Association
southportneighbors.com - Various Locations
SNA
1/29, 4/27, 7/27, 10/19 - 7 PM
Central Lake View Neighbors
WLVN
CLVN
SELVN
SLN
East Lake View Neighbors
- Various Locations
19th District CPD Beat Meetings
Beat 1923
Beat
1922
Beat 1924
Beat 1925
Beat 1934
Beat 1933
South East Lakeview Neighbors
southeastlakeviewneighbors.wildapricot.org
615 W Wellington - 7PM 1/12, 2/9, 3/9, 4/13, 5/11, 6/8, 7/13, 8/10, 9/14, 10/12, 11/9, 12/14
Beat 1922 - 6:30PM 2452 W Belmont 1/21, 2/18, 3/18, 4/15, 5/20, 6/17, 7/15, 8/19, 9/16, 10/21
Beat 1923 & 1924 - 6:30PM 850 W Addison 1/7, 2/4, 3/4, 4/1, 5/6, 6/3, 7/1, 8/5, 9/2, 10/7
Beat 1925 - 6:30PM Gill Park 2/19, 3/19, 4/16, 5/21, 6/18, 7/16, 8/20, 9/17, 10/15, 11/19
Beat 1933 - 6:30PM 836 W Wellington 1/13, 2110, 3/10, 4/14, 5/12, 6/9, 7/14, 8/11, 9/8, 10/13
Beat 1934 - 6:30PM 615 W Wellington
2/11, 3/11, 4/22, 5/13, 6/10, 7/8, 8/12, 9/9, 10/14, 11/11
Alderman Bennett Lawson
(773) 525-6034 | Ward44@CityofChicago.org | 44thWard.org
44TH WARD

Ah, my favorite form of representative government - 40 self selected people in a room representing 50,000 odd people

Michael McLean@michaelmclean.me · 3w ago

I’m working on a breakdown of this story, but it was truly a wild ride… My neighborhood association voted 23-19 to recommend that the alderman approves this apartment proposal. If my roommates and I didn’t show up to vote, that construction site would have likely been an empty lot still!

1215 W Belmont - approved by city council Epic organizing by @jmisci.bsky.social to get the local neighborhood association to vote in favor of it, overriding their potemkin zoning committee chicagoyimby.com/2026/05/40-u...

Steven Lucy @slucy.bsky.social · 3w ago

Big L for the CTA on a white sox game day Simply unacceptable (and unsafe) that riders must wait 20 minutes for a train that will inevitably be too full to fit everyone

95TH/DAN RYAN-BOUND

→ 95th/Dan Ryan
<11 min
→ 95th/Dan Ryan
r29 min
→ 95th/Dan Ryan
38 min
→ 95th/Dan Ryan
45 min
→ 95th/Dan Ryan
53 min
HOWARD-BOUND

→ Howard
<19 min
→ Howard
24 min
→ Howard
31 min
→ Howard
39 min
→ Howard
46 min

Many people waiting for train on red line platform

"Low density manufacturing to be replaced by almost 100 homes in popular lakefront neighborhood, reducing housing pressure and decreasing housing prices for everyone"

Chicago Sun-Times@chicago.suntimes.com · 3w ago

A pair of Chicago real estate companies will transform the former manufacturing site into 99 luxury apartments.

PSA: avoid new Divvy fines on the lakefront! Park your bike at a station, otherwise you’ll get fined for leaving it stranded (Thankfully they also opened new stations and boosted staffing 🙌🏻)

How the New Parking
Zone Works:
From the North Avenue
Beach Pedestrian Bridge to Navy Pier, riders must end their trip in an approved location.

Map showing grayed out area on lakefront

Greater Greater Washington@ggwash.org · 4w ago

This is a thought-provoking read. When designing home retrofit initiatives, there are so many factors to consider: Should you target multifamily buildings (higher energy savings per project) or SFHs (higher overall potential energy savings)? And should we lean on carrots or sticks?

The project cost the co-op's members almost $5 million, or about $11,000 per unit. It's expected to cut the building's energy use by more than a third and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1,000 metric tons each year.
"We were kind of lucky," says Corinne Irvin, the co-op board's vice president. The old boilers would have needed replacing eventually; BEPS just accelerated the process. The co-op had also just retired a mortgage, which freed up money and lightened the financial load.
The Cairo, however, was not so lucky. The building is saddled with quirky hardware - air conditioning units in each condo that also contain old-fashioned electric heaters.

As BEPS evolves, single-family homeowners escape scrutiny
While condo and co-op owners scramble to satisfy
BEPS, many are also angry that the owners of single-family homes don't have the same requirements.
"We have so many people in our neighborhood, just two people in a 4,000-square-foot house," says Brian Anderson, vice president of The Garfield Condominiums on Connecticut Avenue NW. Those homes use much more energy per person than typical condo units do. "We should be encouraging people to live in and build and maintain these (multi-family) structures rather than penalizing them."

Existing buildings are responsible for nearly 70% of DC’s greenhouse emissions. Cutting their energy use often isn't easy.

Abundant Housing Illinois @abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 4w ago

Illinois is first in the nation for year-over-year rent increases.

July 2026 Rent Growth per Apartments.com

Illinois had the greatest year-over-year increase at 3.3%, and Arizona had the largest decrease at -2.2%.

Abundant Housing Illinois@abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 4w ago

Well that’s not good. www.chicagobusiness.com/real-estate/...

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE headline:
Illinois ranks second to last in U.S. on building new housing

Reminder that your IL state senator would rather hand-deliver an electoral vote to Idaho than legalize starter homes in Peoria. I hope they’re proud of themselves in 2032 when 86 year old Donald J. Trump is elected to his fourth term as president!

2030 apportionment estimate from the NDRC

IL loses 2 electoral votes, CA loses 3 and NY loses 1

Texas gains 3, other red states like Idaho and Florida also gain

“Texas built 620 homes per 100,000 people, four times the rate in Illinois. The Carolinas were even higher: 773 in North Carolina and 829 in South Carolina.” www.chicagobusiness.com/real-estate/...

Crain's Chicago Business
Illinois ranks second to last in U.S. on building new housing
11 hours ago
The Real Deal
Illinois Ranks Near Bottom in new
Home Builds
2 hours ago

Abundant Housing Illinois @abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 4w ago

"Agents said they don’t see the bidding wars ending soon, as the lack of new inventory remains an issue." www.wbez.org/housing/2026...

A graphic for "Bidding Wars: All-Cash Offers" in the style of Star Wars.

Abundant Housing Illinois@abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 4w ago

"Some agents are even encouraging clients to shop for homes in a lower price range so they can bid significantly more than than its list price. Buyers will also offer to pay in cash, waive inspections or cover the property’s appraisal gap, if applicable, according to McKenna."

Governor JB Pritzker@govpritzker.illinois.gov · 4w ago

Gotta call it like it is here: big L for Pritzker. Science class always gets the green folder!

What color, what subject? Math is yellow. English is blue. Science is red. History is green. Languages are purple.