We fiddled with “the kind of place where body shop doesn’t mean Gold’s Gym” and other phrases to sum up West Walker, then decided we couldn’t do better than the Draft Vision Statement from the West Walker Civic Association (WWCA).
After being around for nearly 100 years, you’d think the folks at the WWCA would have come to accept Elston Avenue, the community’s main artery, for what it is and is likely to remain: a hair and nail salon and auto repair strip mall that’s an alternate route when the Kennedy backs up. The WWCA envisions its transformation into “a bustling ‘Main Street’ drawing the West Walker community together.”
West Walker’s a pleasant, low-density area bounded by Irving Park Rd (4000 N), Montrose Ave (4400 N), Central Park (3600 W) and Pulaski Rd (4000 W). It has residents who, if you’ve read the Vision Statement, can slip the surly bonds of Elston Avenue and engage in flights of fancy.
Come back to earth at YoChicago’s West Walker photo set at Flickr.