Bridgeport’s beloved native son, Joe Rochetto, returns today to his childhood Chicago neighborhood for a grand tour. He is shown here by the pond at Palmisano Park. He remembers when it was Stearns Quarry ..read more

Life with Charley: You Can Go Home Again by Charles McKelvy Getting into the swim at Rainbow Beach with Dad in 1951. Yes, you can go home again. Really! I base my claim on a recent realization I had while driving through the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago. I realized as I drove north along South Shore Drive that I was home, again. The past—specifically the first six years of my life from May 7, 1950 to May 7, 1956—was present. I was back in the formative neighborhood of my early childhood, and I was feelin’ it. Was I ever. No, I’m not getting all Twilight Zoney on you here, but I think a ..read more

(Chicago, IL) I had my Canon PowerShot SX50 HS digital camera at the ready Sunday as I motored home from the Monastery of the Holy Cross on what I call the scenic route along the south shore of Lake Michigan. So when I caught the red light at 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, I snapped off two shots: one of 57th Street Beach and the other of the Museum of Science and Industry. Behold: Surf’s up!I saw them bring the captured U-505 submarine to the Museum of Science and Industry when I was a kid. It’s actually in this picture, but you just don’t see it because it’s underground ..read more

Golfers were out in force Sunday morning at the South Shore Golf Course in Chicago.Golfers check in at the South Shore Cultural Center, operated by the Chicago Park District. This was once the South Shore Country Club. Now it’s everybody’s country club.A cool place on a hot morning, in Chicago.A golfer’s view of South Shore, my home from 1950 to 1956. Those were happy, first years of my life.After round of golf, why not head on down the road and hit the beach? But not just any beach.Why not Rainbow Beach, where my father taught me to swim ..read more

I’m heading to Chicago Saturday, and may get held up at the Ewing Avenue Bridge for a ship crossing ..read more

I returned Sunday to the Chicago neighborhood of my early childhood: South Shore. Specifically, I checked in at the South Shore Cultural Center for a brief trip to the “necessary room.” It was ready and waiting, and, after a wee winkle, I took a moment to admire the wonder of the place. I remembered many happy visits in the early 1950s when it was known as the South Shore Country Club. Now, it is under the good, orderly direction of the Chicago Park District, and the place was busy on a Sunday morning as serious golfers set out on a lovely little nine-hole course that stretches all the south s ..read more

Life with Charley: The Write Woman by Charles McKelvy Here we are on our honeymoon in the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior in August 1977. I left you in the lurch last time, didn’t I? Yes, I was about to meet the love of my life, the fair Natalie DeViney, in the editorial offices of Crain Communications, in Chicago, in November 1976. Remember? I certainly do, and now, as I continue this mini-series on my life as a writer, allow me to boldly state IN BOLD FACE JUST HOW MUCH MEETING NATALIE HAS MEANT TO ME, BOTH AS AN INDIVIDUAL, AND, AS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO SIMPLY MUST WRITE. I am not overstating ..read more

Natalie and I used to head here every Saturday for dinner. Joe Rochetto and I passed by last Saturday on our way home from the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Chicago ..read more

(Chicago, IL) Joe Rochetto made a triumphal return to his native Bridgeport on Saturday. He is shown here in he heart of Palmisano Park. He remembers when this was a quarry.Joe says the climb was worth it, considering the view from the hill.The view from the hill in Palmisano Park.The prairie was in full bloom ..read more

(Chicago, IL) As Joe Rochetto and I were cruising north on South Shore Drive on Saturday afternoon, I mentioned that we were directly east of the apartment building in which I spent the first six years of my life. Joe said, “Want to see it?” I said, “Sure.” And so he hung a left and before we knew it, I was staring at the stately, six-floor apartment building we referred to in the early 1950s as the Fairhaven. I was immediately taken back to the two apartments we occupied in that building on the corner, and I remembered taking my brother for elevator rides. Yes, those were the days of passenge ..read more