Spinderella of Chi-Town's Finest Breakers spins at Pint/ Photo by Philin Phlash

Happy New Year!

Though we'd planned for 'A Year in Pictures,' and imagined ourselves putting an in-depth retrospective together, in the same way one envisions herself scrubbing the spaces between bathroom tiles while energizing music plays, none of the above occurred.

Erica

Instead, we got back to the grind and read other people's year-end reviews,  like this one for Chopin Theatre. Phlash descended upon 'Pipeline HQ'
pumped for 2011, with no less than 458 new photos. And that's not including the hundred or so that we shot during the break, like when we popped into the new Trillium Boutique, 1744 W. Division. Trillium's owner, Erica, right, might look familiar--we featured her in this enewsletter when she worked at Tangerine, 1719 N. Damen. Trillium is named for the flower which grows in Erica's native Michigan.

Elizabeth

We also attempted to add audio files to today's coverage, with attempt being the operative word. We conducted an audio interview with Elizabeth, left, of Eskell, 1509 N. Milw., who reported that she and her business partner, Kelly, will now be repping their own fashion line, also called Eskell, at trade shows. This will enable the designers to save money by not having to pay a commission to a sales rep. "Nobody knows Eskell better than we do, so we'll be selling the line ourselves," Elizabeth said.

Isabella, left, and Simone

At the North Avenue bus stop, Simone and her friend, Isabella, right, were headed to lunch. If Simone looks familiar, it's because she is the daughter of Bernard Runo, owner of Sweet Thang, which closed a few years ago. Simone reported that her father is now a concierge at the Suissotel and teaches baking classes at Kendall College. Simone, who grew up in Wicker Park, said that she hopes the new year will be a good one for independent business owners. We agreed.

Noel

At Harold's Chicken Shack, 1361 N. Milw., we met Noel, an electrician who lives in nearby Logan Square. Noel reported that he's expecting "same old, same old, except for a couple of vacation days" for 2011. Noel already knows where he will be headed on those precious days off.... Find him on the beaches of Key West, Florida.

Assisting with the audio interviews was 'Wolverang,' who has contributed pieces to NPR, and now and then writes stories like Manila Envelopes.

In 2011 we may include creative pieces here on occasion, so send us your stories.

New owners of Yuca Cafe, fresh out of Miami. The man in the middle is Alex.

Prior to taking to the streets to find out what's on people's minds for the New Year, we popped by Yuca Cafe, 2257 W. North Ave. The food was delicious, particularly the freshly squeezed OJ. The space, which formerly housed Pannenkoeken Cafe, is under new  ownership (got a Groupon?). Per the cafe owners, above, whom I'd met earlier in the week, Yuca means 'Young Urban Cuban American." Check out the Yuca lunch menu here.

A Bloody Mary at Tweet, which us a bit out of the neighborhood, but with a Bucktown connection: there's a dish at the Uptown restaurant named after Bucktown artist Tony Fitzpatrick.

Joining Yuca Cafe are new or newish local ventures such as Green Corner Cafe, which we featured in our year-end double issue. Other notable newcomers include Red Hot Ranch, J. Wellington's, Bake, Birchwood Kitchen, Buzz Killer Espresso, Forte, Filter, and Pipeline sponsors Jackson Junge Gallery and Framing, REarrange, The Wormhole, and Miko's Flipside.

I saw the sign, it said...

We wish success to all of the new businesses in town, with apologies to any we've missed. We also wish continued prosperity to longtime locals like Melissa of Bucktown Wicker Park Dental Associates, above.
Dr. Melissa

Masada

installed a sign for her practice just this past Sunday. Masada of Sultan's Market, 2057 W. North, right, shared her hopes for the new year over a glass of champagne. "I hope the economy gets better for everyone, that the whole world lives in peace. We don't have time to get mad at each other. Life is short. Enjoy every moment, not minute."

We'd be remiss not to acknowledge that 2010 was a difficult year. It is our hope that everyone will band together in 2011 to strengthen the local economy. The tougher years make the better ones stand out by contrast. We plan to make 2011 one of those better years. Join us in getting better together. We can't do it without you.

Cheers,
Alisa, Phlash, Pat, Dika