PHOTOGRAPHY
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
You would find the most interesting graffiti art walking along the Belmont rocks. This was one of many. Several years ago, they rebuilt the shoreline between Fullerton and Addison due to erosion and a lot of the history faded away.
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
The rocks along the shore next to Belmont Harbor was a place where my friends and I would hang out at night. It was (and probably still is)  a “make out” spot and a place where you could get drunk or stoned. I have fond memories of this spot. The best thing was just looking out onto Lake Michigan into the darkness.
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
There was, of course, the official mascot of The Alley store–the hurse. They would park it out next to the Dunkin’ Donuts on Belmont and Clark or it would be here next to the entrance.
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
I used to go to The Alley back in 1989 as a teenager and still shopped there well into my twenties. You could buy anything from Doc Martens to biker jackets, to incense there. Anyone who was into the whole Punk/Goth/New Wave scene shopped there. Yes, the back entrance is in an alley. When this photo was taken, it had these great murals that featured many Rock icons such as Elvis, John Lennon, and Jim Morrison. Since then, they seemed to become more commercialized. It’s not the same as it was. Maybe its me being older, but, it used to have this great vibe that was reflected by the eclectic neighborhood. Don’t ever grow up!
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
Little Vietnam in the Northeast fringe of Uptown, is an Asian community spanning a few blocks centered on the Red Line Argyle stop. The area always seems busy due to the many businesses crammed into those few blocks.Â
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
The Willis (or Sears, as I prefer to call it)Tower peeks out from behind the older buildings of the Chicago skyline on a frigid, January day. Chicago has a pretty diverse skyline.
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
The Fireside Bowl that I remember from the Nineties was more of a venue to see live shows (Punk,mostly) than a place to actually bowl. It is now back to being a bowling alley again from what I hear. This area around Fullerton and California has seen a lot of growth in the last decade.
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
The Get Me High Jazz lounge in Bucktown. It’s still around, just renovated. This section, like all of the Bucktown/Wicker Park area in the 1990’s was going through a major shift as new condos and town homes were replacing older homes here. Today, this block is only vaguely reminiscent of this photo. To the right is the old railroad tracks which the city is currently turning into a 2.2 mile trail they dubbed The 606. Still haven’t gone inside.
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
Just an old furniture store sign on Milwaukee Ave. near Logan Square. These elaborate signs from Chicago’s glorious past may soon disappear as gentrification continues here. Growth is good, but erasing history is not.
©2013. Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
There’s no place like it. This mural greets me every time I’m about to board the bus to head home.
MICHAEL A. PRIORIE 