Snow shovelers got off easy this year–until January 30. Our correspondent headed to Western Avenue, between 3200 and 3600 North, to report on the state of the sidewalks (surveyed Thursday, January 31, 2002):
Bridgestone tire. Fair. They forgot to do the corners.
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Party City and Kinko’s. Good. The sidewalk in front of Kinko’s is nicely done but as you go south the walk hasn’t been touched. A guy plowing the lot says he was called away earlier in the day after several company trucks broke down. “The snow’s just too heavy,” he explains. He promises he’ll get to the sidewalk soon and, a minute later, while I’m taking notes in front of the party store, I hear a noise and look up. The plow’s coming straight at me. Excellent.
Jasmin Jahal School of Dance. Good. An island of cement.
3243 N. Western. Fair. Another cop bar. But why is it closed? A nice modern look, if that’s what you want in a saloon.
Riverview Plaza. Poor. Named after the legendary amusement park that once occupied the site. They’re still offering cheap thrills here. Call it Dodge the Traffic. The place is packed with some of the biggest names in retailing: Dominick’s, Walgreens, Toys “R” Us, Blockbuster, Radio Shack, GNC, and Payless Shoes. But not one inch of the sidewalk on Western or on Roscoe has been touched. Pedestrians can take their chances with the cars in the parking lot or those in the narrow lane on Western. One of these winters somebody’s going to get killed. Worse than poor. An embarrassment.
