“BUCKTOWN BOX IN”
September 29 – 4:00 P.M.
Last week, my boyfriend Mark and I went condo shopping in the “hip” Bucktown area, just west of our wonderful Village. After an hour’s debate, we decided that we were willing to stray slightly west in order to find less-expensive housing, and hoping that we could still live within a stone’s throw of the Dominck’s Fresh Store on Fullerton (all the girls in the west side of the village shop there). Mark and I hopped into my Jetta and zoomed off down Clybourn. Usually, when we’re both in the car, and driving my Jetta versus his Explorer, he drives. But today, he wanted to jump out and drop off some film at Ritz, so I drove. We stopped at Ritz, and then Mark jumped out at Starbucks (Clybourn & Webster) to get us some Lattes.
As we approached our first stop, a quaint row of newly-built condominiums along Diversey at Damen, we quickly jetted into a Gas Station parking lot to review the listing and the map. We decided to make our first stop a new construction duplex with Corian Countertops and a Jacuzzi bath on Diversey. As I powered up the Jetta and prepared to leave, I noticed this guy in a gigantic SUV has blocked us in. Apparently, I pulled the Jetta into a gas lane, and he was waiting to fill up. Well, that wasn’t my fault, he’d just have to move. I leaned out the window and gave him a quick glance, and yelled out that we wanted to back up and leave.
He yelled back that I should move forward, that this was a through lane. No way, not in my book. There was a station wagon right in front of me, and its driver was still inside the gas station store. I did not want to wait for him to come back. This guy was going to move…
I stuck my hand out the window and signaled that I was going to back up and yelled that he had better back up too. No Go. He sat there grinning at me. How dare he! I looked over at Mark, who was just sitting there. Good help he was in this time of dire need. I look back at the SUV driver, and—can you believe this???—he had pulled out a camera and started shooting pictures of me and my car through his window. Who knows what he might be planning to do with the pictures?? For all I know, he could be copying down my license plate with plans to vandalize our Lincoln Park home! I was outraged! I looked over at my other hand, and realized that I was gripping my Starbucks cup so hard that it was beginning to crush. I yanked my hand out the window, looked back at the driver, and gave him my meanest dirty glance coupled with the best finger I could muster. If he was going to take my picture, I was going to make sure he got me at my best!
After the finger and a few honks on the horn, the guy starts laughing uncontrollably and backs up. I raced the Jetta’s engine and screeched out of there. Needless to say, I decided at that moment to limit our condo search to the friendly confines of the Village.
—Jill Martin
