This morning, Yo was searching for some photographs of the Avondale neighborhood, and decided to check out the Web site for Shoemaker Lofts, one of two major developments underway in the otherwise sleepy, industrial northwestern community. We noticed a link to what purported to be a neighborhood video.
Intrigued, we took a look. Well, silly old us for not knowing that Avondale had a Starbucks, had annexed Cafe Bolero, which is located at 2252 N. Western Ave., had all kinds of Loop-looking high-rises, and was situated on a stretch of the Chicago River that looks for all the world like downtown. Dubin Residential uses all kinds of padding, sleight of hand and smoke and mirrors in its “neighborhood video” of Avondale.
The developer does preface some of the misleading footage with a video sequence of an el train, indicating that the viewer has perhaps walked that mile or so to the el stop and jumped on a train to somewhere else.
But the whole “invest in life” marketing slogan is a little disingenuous when you realize that the area you are choosing to live in doesn’t offer any of the amenities you are being asked to buy into and there are plenty of other neighborhoods that are located closer to the aforementioned attractions.
What the video didn’t show were the vacant industrial lots and the non-yuppified retail of Avondale.
In fairness, the video alerted me to to the Latin eatery, Cafe Mambo, which actually is in Avondale, at 3336 N. Milwaukee Ave., and looks interesting.