Dream Land

Yesterday I taught my first little kids art class. It went OK for a first day...but that's another story.... Right now I want to write about my drive to and from the class.  

Even though I was in a mad rush (in voting day traffic) driving to and from the class yesterday, I couldn't help but be in awe of the amazing surroundings I was driving through. The Village of Winnetka is where the class is held. It's a small suburb only a few miles north of the city, but yet it is this whole separate amazing world that I never really knew existed. I have heard about the beautiful homes and picturesque streets of Chicago's North Shore, and I have driven on the expressway that Joe takes to work up north in another suburb, but haven't seen anything like this before. The route I took yesterday had me driving through the winding roads right through Winnetka on a perfect sunny Fall day. It was enough to make anyone swoon. Hey, I finally found a suburb I could live in! Ha-ha...only if someone has a cool 3 million to loan me! :-) 

The homes in Winnetka are huge, unique, some old, some new, beautiful mansions with huge lots and beautifully landscaped properties. I was in complete awe of the wide range of architectural styles, from traditional to modern, they all had their own unique character. They were nothing like the McMansions of most American suburbs, each home was one of a kind, but they all worked together beautifully to create this perfect looking little place. I couldn't believe the beautiful tree lined streets, flanked by the gorgeous homes...many of which back up right to Lake Michigan and have their own private beaches (pretty much looks like ocean front property). It reminded me of the main neighborhood streets of Beverly Hills, but without the palm trees. I cannot get over it, it was SO amazing!! I don't think I have ever seen a more perfect, picturesque little town. By doing a little Googling I found out that Winnetka was named number 4 on the list of America's 25 top-earning towns and one of the best places to live by CNN Money in 2009.  I can totally see why. How perfect to live there, in what feels like another world, and still have the city of Chicago just a stones throw away. The median home value is 1.5 million! Holy crap, these are some rich people!

Home Alone House

Another great and interesting factoid... this is also the place where they filmed Home Alone, only my all time favorite childhood Holiday movie. My next big mission is to take a scenic drive through Winnetka to take it all in when I am not rushing through. I also plan to find the Home Alone house and take a picture of me in front of it. The Home Alone house doesn't even compare to the homes I saw driving through. Its pretty generic, but still neat. I will go see it and report back.

Seriously, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. *Sigh*