Looks like Michael Kardas made a few friends during his trip to the South Side last month. He came across this pack of Chicago Park District day-campers at the Oakwood Shores mixed-income development in Bronzeville. In the August issue of New Homes, we'll take a closer look at the market-rate homes still available at Oakwood Shores and other similar developments on the South, West and Southwest sides of the city.

Flip through our Flickr photostream to see more photos from Michael Kardas and the YoChicago staff.

The strands of the American dream, homeownership among them, are inextricably intertwined with one another. Set aside a few minutes to watch Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas, et al, perform the Declaration of Independence, then ponder the gap between its timeless ideals and Chicago's realities. Happy 4th of July.

Monroe Harbor will light up this evening under the "Independence Eve" fireworks show, and with the Taste of Chicago going on in Grant Park, the Loop figures to be pretty crowded this evening. It looks like this man in the photo has it all figured out then. Camped out at a safe distance from the crowds in the Loop, he'll be able to catch the fireworks in relative peace, right?

Actually, no. The photo was taken a couple of weeks ago by Michael Kardas, and the man with the soprano sax is named Ernest. I'd be willing to bet that the lawn of Burnham Park will also be pretty packed this evening, but it still looks like a nice place to play the saxophone.

I'm still trying to puzzle out what motivated the Berwynites to place this billboard on Orleans Street, around the corner from Yo's River North office. Can anyone aid my understanding?

If you're down on the South Side for the games this weekend, make sure to pick up a dog and some fries at 35th Street Red Hots, just like Michael Kardas did on his latest assignment for New Homes. And tell them Yo sent ya.

Now that's a plan that's tailor-made for co-eds on summer break.

We occasionally come across developments like this on our drives through Chicago neighborhoods: new-construction condos that made it all the way to completion but may never, ever see a sale. (That's not to say that it hasn't, but it looks awfully empty, and that "For Lease" sign suggests that these homes are no longer on the market.)

Joe Zekas came across these red-brick three-bedrooms at the corner of Lawrence and Lawler avenues in Jefferson Park yesterday and was struck by the project's odd lease offer. I tried calling the property owners yesterday to learn more about their three-month rental plans, but haven't heard back from them yet.

So shed a tear or pour one out on the curb for this former for-sale project, another casualty of…what? Bad timing? Poor location? Overly optimistic price points? The world may never know.

Anyone who doubts Chicago's dynamism should ponder this question: how many buildings in this scene would have been visible 40 years ago?

The July issue of New Homes will feature a story on North Shore living, so we sent Michael Kardas up past the Chicago border to get some shots of suburban life. One of the places he visited was the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club at Wilmette Harbor, just north of the Baha'i Temple. Thankfully, sailing didn't take him away - we'd really be in a bind if he disappeared.

Those of you who frequent the 2400 block of Lincoln Avenue or the Web's various movie spoiler sites probably got a glimpse of the Public Enemies set in late May. Michael Kardas accidentally included a few of his photographs from his visit on his disc of Rogers Park and North Shore pictures (some of which you'll see in the July issue of New Homes). They seemed too neat to ignore, so in case you're wondering what Lincoln Park was like in 1934 (or what Michael Mann wanted it to be like, at least), click on the pics above and below.

One sign of a booming real-estate market is sections of old neighborhoods being given new names to emphasize the changes they’re undergoing: think West Roscoe Village, South Andersonville and West Bucktown.

We thought that new neighborhood formation had slowed along with the market, but then we heard from the newly-formed North Bronzeville Organization, also known as NoBro.

Jeff Davis, the president of the group, called to give us some background.

“Bronzeville is a sprawling area,” said Davis. “Some people consider everything from Cermak south to 63rd Street to be part of Bronzeville. We formed our group to focus on the concerns of the people in the area north of 31st Street.”

Davis went on to say that “the name Bronzeville has unfortunate, exclusionary connotations. It doesn’t communicate the diversity in our neighborhood. And, looking at historical patterns in Chicago the name tends to depress property values.”

Playing on the cachet associated with similar neighborhoods in Manhattan, the new group calls itself NoBro for short. “We think that sends the right message,” said Davis. NoBro, he contended, spans the area from 31st Street north to Cermak Road, and from King Drive west to the Dan Ryan Expressway.

Note: This post was originally scheduled for April 1 but did not appear due to a technical glitch.