The View

Isn’t The View awesome? No, no I am kidding, it lost all of its caché when Rosie O’Donnell left. And that Elizabeth is just silly.

Actually, I’m referring to the view out of our condo windows. It’s quite grand – if by “grand” you mean “directly facing Burger King and Lawrence Avenue.” When we moved into our place we wondered how this view would impact our life. Some of our friends had fancy views: sweeping panoramas of Lake Michigan and the downtown skyline; we instead have constant visual confirmation of the latest promotions being offered at the nearby mecca of flame broiling. We knew we wouldn’t get the satisfaction of seeing the 4th of July fireworks from the comfort of our home. However, our little view provides us with so much more.

On a more kid-friendly note, this week has been full of excitement. Ryder is crazy for the goings on outside the window and sits on his stool for long stretches, observing and commenting on the happenings. Noteworthy events range from a simple firetruck speeding by to someone getting pulled over by the police. For a kid who is crazy for cars, trucks, buses, and the like, it’s pretty snazzy. This week, it was off the hook. The city of Chicago got its best people out to fix a giant pothole just off the exit of the BK parking lot.

Backhoe

There were backhoes, cement trucks, and lots of uniformed workers. Ryder practically leaped out the window with excitement when the backhoe sidled up to our building. Phrases like “holy tamoli” and “oh my GOSH” came out of his mouth. The view provides him with lots of entertainment and consequently allows us a little time to regroup, cook dinner, or tend to sweet Maisy. It may not provide us with increased property value or the ever-important visual confirmation of fireworks, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything.