Woo-hoo! Who says the fun has to stop when you turn 55?! Not at Grace Park! It’s a new seniors condo project where there is more action! and exclamation marks!! than you youngsters could ever handle!!!
You’ll probably recall that Yo has expressed irritation with developers and realtors who use the term “Active Adult” as a marketing tool. Well, Building Solutions Chicago’s new Grace Park condo project at 9355 Irving Park Road, takes the AA thing to the next level – and then some. To quote the press release: “Grace Park is the new name for near-urban active adult excitement.”
Yes, we thought it sounded like something you’d find in the Active Adult Movies section of your seedy local video store, too. It’s Cocoon all over again. We scanned the press release for more breathlessly patronizing descriptions of life at Grace! Park! We did so with the sort of reluctance you’d feel if you were asked to investigate a strange noise coming from your parents’ bedroom.
What would we find? Hot sexagenarians gone wild? Entertainers performing lounge routines of Nine Inch Nails’ Closer to God? (kids, no clicking please) Viagra dispensers? (Ok, now we’re being patronizing too, but really.)
The amenities at Grace Park are as follows: health club, roof deck, games area and pet exercise area. Then there is nearby Rosemont Walk, a collection of shops and restaurants that should be pretty cool once it’s constructed.
But wait, what’s this? “The clubroom is the center of much of the action.” We read on: “Every day, residents use this place to read, play cards, watch the big screen television and relax.” So, kinda like a nursing home, then?
My point being, that these developers of so-called Active Adult communities wouldn’t know the first thing about what it’s like to be a vital, energetic, fun-loving senior.
But what’s this little snippet thrown in way down the bottom of the press release? “A guest apartment has been popular with overnight visitors. ”
Now you’re talking.