The Fox 32 story set several telephones ringing before it was over. Mothers recognized daughters, husbands recognized shopping habits, and Members who had missed the broadcast began asking who had recorded it.
Jill asked around for the reactions people remembered. The answers arrived with corrections about who had watched it first.
The telephone calls
Claire Hensley heard from her mother, who was watching at home. Claire had not yet turned on the television.
“She said they were doing a story about me. I explained that there were other women in Lincoln Park. She said yes, but I should still watch it.”
— Claire Hensley, Burling Street“A cab driver looked at me in the mirror when the radio mentioned it. Neither of us said anything. I wondered for the rest of the ride whether I should have taken off my baseball cap.”
— Beth Alden, Lincoln Park WestThe words that stayed
Mark Saxenmeyer called the website an “elaborate, exhaustive internet extravaganza.” Jill liked that. She had spent enough evenings sorting out material for the site to appreciate someone noticing how much there was.
“I thought the neighborhood looked lovely. I wanted to know where they had been standing for one of the street shots.”
— Sarah Bell, Cleveland Avenue“My husband picked up ‘geographically prestigious village’ immediately. Then he started using it whenever we discussed the kitchen. I had been trying to discuss the kitchen before the broadcast.”
— Caroline, Orchard Street“I recognized the apartment arrangements. The woman describing how she wanted to look when she went out sounded familiar too. I have certainly crossed the street and noticed somebody's jacket.”
— Nina Foster, Wrightwood Avenue
Watching it again
The Members enjoyed Saxenmeyer's search for someone who would agree to be interviewed. Ashley's email reply was warm; finding a convenient time proved more difficult.
“I liked the phone message. You wait for someone to pick up, and then there is still nobody there. I have had that experience calling Ashley myself.”
— Mark, watching with Jill“We watched it again because one of us thought she recognized a person in the background. We still disagree.”
— Whitney and ErinBack in the studio
After Saxenmeyer's report, anchor Robin Robinson described the website's proposal for reserved CTA seats within Lincoln Park. This was part of the studio discussion after the report, and it prompted another round of calls among the Members.
“My husband asked whether I had already chosen my seat. I said the window, naturally. He seemed to think that was the wrong part of the proposal to discuss.”
— Margot, Geneva TerraceThe next morning
At coffee, the Members compared what their mothers had said. Some wanted a copy for friends outside Chicago. Others wanted to see the apartments and clothes again without a phone ringing through the commentary.
“People asked whether it made me self-conscious. I was already checking my reflection in the shop windows. I do not think television changed that.”
— Dana, Dayton Street
A copy for the archive
Jill is keeping the segment with the Society's press material. Members still send it to friends, usually with a note about a particular scene. Claire's mother needs no reminder where to find it.
“A young lady's Lincoln Park lifestyle must be preserved.”
— Mark Saxenmeyer, reading the website's premise in the Fox 32 report