VIEW FROM THE FRONT PORCH

Northern View from my Front Porch

Southern View from my Front Porch

In a dense urban area like Chicago your neighbor is very close, just a sidewalk length away, in most cases. I am fortunate to have wonderful views from both sides of my front porch, as shown above. I'm also lucky to live on a wonderful street with neighbors who know each other and share a common interest in preserving our historic neighborhood.

I especially love the view of the second photo where I can see almost to the end of the block because everyone has an open front porch and they're usually adorned with flower boxes , wicker furniture and houseplants spending summer outdoors.

Porches are so American , aren't they ? I can just image that in the old days people in the city actually used their front porches to sit and enjoy summer evenings, watching the world go by. Fences were almost non-existent then as well, open lawns being the rule. Now, however, they abound and the front porch is but a passageway .

Maybe its time to bring the front porch back ? Should I have a front porch party and invite the neighbors to sip ice tea and mint juleps in the summer eve ? Am I dreaming ?