[NameThatMama]

We're moving to Rogers Park from out of state. We'll be within a short walk of the Metra station and the el. Can anyone recommend:
* good stores for produce, bread, and dairy?
* good parks/hangouts for toddlers and moms?
* yummy takeout/delivery places for the first couple of nights before the kitchen is functional?

Are there any email lists where I can ask about childcare options? I have a vegetarian toddler who nurses, and we might need to place her in childcare lickety-split, depending when I get a new job there. I'm thinking maybe a crunchy Chicago moms list or something?

 

[doulatara]

Hey there, I'm not far from Rogers Park, and used to live there. If you wnat to get together with some other mamas I'm game!

For grocery try: http://www.newleafnatural.net/

Bread, just North of you in Evanston: http://www.greatharvest.com/

Take out or restaurants:

http://www.lake-side-cafe.com/index.html

http://www.heartlandcafe.com/hc_index.htm (has delivery too)

http://www.leonas.com/locations.html (The Sheridan St. location is in RP.)

Just south of you in Edgewater: http://chicago.citysearch.com/profil...rian_cafe.html

Also, just a bit further South of you, In my neighborhood, Andersonville. (We walk from RP in under thirty minutes, give or take your exact location, bike or drive in just a few):

http://www.mhenry.net/ (one of my favorite restaurants ever!)

Parks:

Indian Boundary Park http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/i...7161271B8A.cfm

The lakefront! I can't think of the name of the exact park we used to play at, but if you go to the lake a few blocks North of Lunt, there is a playground that is pretty fun. There are also all sorts of playgrounds and playlots all over the place, the Prak District site above can direct you to them if you type in your zipcode.
__________________________________________________ __________
I'm not sure about a crunchy moms list, but there i something called Northside Parents Network, http://www.npnparents.org/donAnnualFund.asp. A bit mainstream, but useful. Also try the some meetups over at Be By Baby (an attachment parenting store) for some connections. I used to belong to a crunchy moms (it was actually a HipMama Yahoo group for Chicagoans) but went offline for a few years and "lost" it. Not sure if it still exists.
__________________________________________________ _____________
There is so much around there. You are so close to Evanston, Edgewater and Andersonville which are all great neighborhoods to check out too. If you need help with anything or want more suggestions, please feel free to PM me.

Goodluck on your move.

Tara

 

[NameThatMama]

Thanks, Tara! This is all such great information. When we were looking at apartments, we found Heartland Cafe and enjoyed it very much. I hadn't noticed that they deliver, though. That'll be wonderful when we're still settling in.

We're also familiar with Be By Baby, at least superficially. My partner went to undergrad with one of the owners, and she visited the store on her last trip out there. That might be a good resource for getting connected in order to find decent childcare.

 

[mommy2naomi]

I live in Ravenswood/Andersonville and everything below is pretty much 10-15 minute driving distance.
The grocery stores that we go to are Trader Joe's (Lakeview), Wild Oats (Evaston) and Harvestime Foods (Lincoln Square).
For park information, go the Chicago Park District website. There is a fantastic park along the lake with a playground.
Our favorite thai restaurant is in Edgewater, Indie Cafe. 5900 block of Broadway, I highly recommend it.
As far as connecting to other folks: Bloom Yoga is a very crunchy place with monthly mom meet ups. Northside Parents Network - npnparents.org. Women & Children First is Andersonville is a great bookstore with readings and bookclubs.

Finding good childcare in Chicago is pretty difficult, I would start the search immediately since most great places have huge waiting lists.

 

[doulatara]

If you are ok with a mom babysitter who would also have her baby in her care, I know of a crunchy mom with a 9.5 month old looking to nanny.

 

[NameThatMama]

Tara, I would definitely consider it. Find out from her how she'd like to get in touch with me.

I found what became of the old Hipmama group and got on that email list. Turns out that a friend of mine is on it, too! NPN is having some kind of free access thing from tonight until tomorrow night, so I'm going to access the childcare database. I've heard from a couple of the Hipmama moms that NPN isn't very crunchy and that they felt really out of place with them. It's worth a shot, though.

Thanks for all of this! Any other input would be very appreciated.

 

[doulatara]

I'll talk with the mom to get her permission, and then I will pm you her contact info if it's ok with her. Otherwise, because I have a lot of contact with all sorts of moms and families, I will keep my ears open.

Will you pm me some info on how to get reacquainted with the group that was the hipmama group? I was one of the initial 8 moms in it, and since then all of the originals have moved elsewhere, but I was involved with it for several years, so I am sure I will see some familiar names. (I think it had almost 100 members when I lost touch!)

I agree that NPN isn't at all crunchy, but it is still handy with contacts for childcare and random information.

 

[NameThatMama]

Sounds great, Tara.

The NPN childcare database doesn't seem to have a lot of information in it about specific experiences and recommendations, so that's disappointing. I like to know what different families think about it and why they like or don't like a place. It makes the snapshot of a facility a lot less two dimensional that way.

 

[Mizelenius]

Cafe Ennui is always fun for a snack!

http://centerstage.net/restaurants/cafeennui.html

In Evanston, there is the Blind Faith Cafe. I bet you could do take-out . . .most places let ya do that.

http://www.blindfaithcafe.com/

 

[bechappywillow]

Hey,
I live in Rogers Park

If you are ever in need of a coffee date let me know!
Best Wishes,
Rebecca

 

[bechappywillow]

New Leaf is a cool little co-op grocery in Rogers Park... other than that it is pretty void of groceries....
We tend to go to Trader Joe's in the city or head up to Evanston to the Whole Foods and Wild Oats.
HTH,
Rebecca