Indian Hill is  a posh Winnetka golf course community bounded by Ridge Rd. on the east, Locust Rd. on the west and Hill Rd. on the north. It was developed in the 1920’s and named Indian Hill because the club stands on the site of an old Potawatomi Village. In fact, the tenth tee is the high point on the grounds and once used as the look-out point. 87 acres of land for the club was acquired in 1916 from the Alles family, who were early settlers to the area from Germany. (The family sold their remaining land in 1936 for the building of Saints Faith, Hope and Charity Church on the other side of Hill Rd). The Club was designed by architect Donald Ross and built in 1920. The Indian Hill Club anchors the community and many of the homes front the golf course, though residence in the community ... 11/12/2010

Turkeys are Here! Hibbard Road Gardens, Winnetka No - not the ones you eat - you still have to go to the grocery store for those! Hibbard Road Gardens in Winnetka has 3 beautiful Narragansett turkeys on display during the Thanksgiving holiday period.  These birds are native to the east coast and are a seriously endangered historic variety of turkey. The Narragansett turkey is an American original, the parent of all other American turkeys. These birds are much larger (up to 40 lbs) than today's selectively bred commercial turkeys.  They have been rare for decades - just 100 breeding pairs 12 years ago, although the numbers have risen slightly.   These turkeys are guests from Garfield Farm Museum, a farm and inn in LaFox, Illinois that has been in continuous operation since 1841.  They st... 11/11/2010

October 2010 Market Statistics Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, Northfield Sales in October vary just slightly from September 2010, some villages up a few sales, and some are down.  But the difference is negligible and I expect November sales to be similar.  Sold price ratio to list price is also about the same for the 2 month period.   Total # Sales Avg List Price Avg Sold Price List/Sell Ratio Market Time             Winnetka 13 $1,700,308 $1,447,308 85% 342 days             Wilmette 15 $760,993 683,000 90% 170 days             Northfield 6 $761,000 $657,166 86% 79 days             Glencoe 9 $1,059,556 $910,444 86% 138 days             Kenilworth 1 $2,695,000 $2,050,000 76% 669 days Current  market statistics for the five villages:   For Sale Avg List Price Avg.Days on Market... 11/02/2010

Ready Set Go:  Winnetka Annual Holiday Sale Yes - time flies and it's that time again!  Mark your calendars and plan to shop locally for all your holiday giving with this year's annual Winnetka sale.  It's a three-day event with many family oriented activities in the works. Friday, December 3 -  (from 6-7pm)   Tree Lighting                      Kick off the holiday season at the northeast corner of Elm and Chestnut.  Bring friends and family! Saturday, December 4 -  (from  8am to 4 pm) Holiday Festivities Participate in lots of different Holiday activities in the three main shopping areas: Hubbard Woods, East Elm, and West Elm.  There will be horse drawn carriage rides, caroling and a visit with Santa Claus.   Sunday, December 5 - (most stores open from 12-5 pm) - Discount Shopping Day ... 10/31/2010

Nigella Lawson Comes to the Book Stall   Award winning cookbook author Nigella Lawson is signing her newest cookbook "Nigella's Kitchen:  Recipes from the Heart of the Home" at two events sponsored by Winnetka's Book Stall. That seems to be a pretty tame title for an author whose flirtatious style of cooking has some calling her the "Queen of Food Porn!" Nigella's first cookbook "How to Eat" was published in 1998 and became a best seller.  She followed up that success with in 2000 with "How to be a Domestic Goddess," which garnered her the National Book Award for author of the year in Britain.  She went on to host her own show, Nigella Bites, and several other shows after that. Not bad for someone who majored in Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford!   On Wednesday, ... 10/30/2010

Winnetka Hosts an Intergovernmental Forum This is a great idea and really makes sense - the various governmental taxing bodies in Winnetka are planning to come together to explore "ways to control operational costs by sharing common resources or acting jointly."  In other words, let's see where we can share ideas and save some money. The Winnetka Village groups involved are the library, park, schools and Township.  This first meeting will be public and will be held on Monday, November 1 at 7:30 pm at the Winnetka Village Hall at 510 Green Bay Road. Village officials will be present - the administrators of the other districts have been invited to participate.   And of course, input will be welcome from Winnetka residents.  This is a great opportunity to voice concerns and propose ideas o... 10/28/2010

UPDATED 2022 The Chimneys in Winnetka -  Courtyard Condos The Chimneys in Winnetka were originally built as apartments in 1929 and were considered an "experiment" for their time.  In a town of single-family residences, The Chimneys offered a different kind of living style.  They remained as rental apartments until they were converted to condos in 1989.The architect, Howard Bowen, traveled to England for inspiration and came back to design the building as an English Tudor.  Brick, stone, and half-timbers are used to delineate roofs and gables, and each entryway feels like a different building.  And of course, topping it all off, are a dozen chimneys.There are 28 units total in The Chimneys and all have fireplaces and lovely architectural details.  Some have porches and most have views of... 10/27/2010

Make A Difference Day - Winnetka Do you have stuff you need to get rid of?  Stuff that maybe missed the Veterans or Cancer Federation pickups?  Well, gather up your unused or unneeded things - this is the weekend for you.  All  you have to do is take the items to the Indian Hill Train Station parking lot in Winnetka, at the corner of Green Bay Road and Winnetka Avenue.   This Saturday, October, 23, you can drop off items such as: prom dresses bicycles sports equipment canned food eyeglasses paper products laundry detergent gently worn shoes winter coats hats and gloves accessories What's really great is that the charities have already been chosen and MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY is like a clearinghouse to collect the donations.  Some of the charities receiving your things are:  Hadley School f... 10/21/2010

Winnetka Market Stats - Absorption Rate - Year to Date To get a snapshot of where Winnetka currently stands in terms of closed sales for the year-to-date of October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010 here are the numbers: Total Inventory as of today (10/18/2010):   207 Closed in past year:                                 191 Sales per month:                                      16 Absorption Rate:                                      13 months The absorption rate is the number of months it would take for all 207 homes that are currently on the market to sell if no other inventory were introduced.   If you are planning to sell your Winnetka home it's important information to have.  Along with comps of sold and actively listed homes, knowing the absorption rate will help you with correctl... 10/18/2010

10/15/2010

UPDATED 2019  Pagoda Red has moved to Chicago at 1740 W. Webster. The Scholar's Garden in Winnetka has closed.  Have You Ever Seen a Scholar's Garden?  There's One Right Here in Winnetka!When I entered Pagoda Red in Hubbard Woods (Winnetka) a few weeks ago I thought they would just have some really cool Asian antiques for sale. Well, they did, lots of them.  But after I toured the store the manager, Laurene Sutko, told me not to miss the Scholar's Garden in back.  The what?  The back of where?  She led me out the back door into a magical and peaceful oasis that used to be a parking lot, but has been transformed into a Scholar's Garden.  A Scholar's Garden is defined as a place for the the contemplation of nature and it was where Chinese scholars looked to for inspiration.  They have be... 10/13/2010

September 2010 Market Report - Home Sales for Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth and Glencoe Winnetka - 11 home sales                                  Average List Price:  $1,513,636 Average Sale Price: $1,293,636 List Price to Sell Price Ratio:  85% Average Market Time:  144 days Wilmette - 12 home sales Average List Price:  $993,325 Average Sale Price:  $872,688 List Price to Sell Price Ratio:  88% Average Market Time:  139 days Kenilworth - 1 home sale List Price:  $2,695,000 Sale Price:  $2,165,000 List Price to Sell Price Ratio:  80% Market Time:  122 days Glencoe - 5 home sales Average List Price:  $1,357,958 Average Sale Price:  $1,036,800 List Price to Sell Price Ratio:  76% Average Market Time:  252 days Northfield - 4 home sales Average List Price:  $797,125 Average Sale Price:  $... 10/04/2010

Winnetka & North Shore Number of Days in School - Compared to State Ranking An article in the Chicago Tribune (9/22/10) stated the traditional number of school days in American schools is 180 - Illinois has an average that is  below that number.  The requirement is 176 days which is already fewer than most states and is being cut back particularly hard in Chicago where the average is just 170 days and the state average is 171.  What's more, a school day can be less than a full day, even a half-day.  The daily minimum is set at 300 minutes for a full day and 180 minutes for a half day. These shortened number of days are done for the benefit of teachers, who need planning time to coordinate lesson plans and work on student achievement.  Sometimes it's for meetings with parents or to get t... 09/23/2010

Please Stop for Pedestrians - the Signs Are Out in Winnetka This past summer, Illinois passed a little-noticed law requiring that cars stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.  If  you are from California like I am, that's nothing new.  California drivers slam on the brakes before you've even stepped on pavement - happily waving you across to safety.  I've always thought those drivers were extreme and it felt like a rear-ender was sure to happen. But when I moved to the North Shore in 1986 I discovered a completely different mindset.  I remember trying to cross a 2-lane street in a crosswalk with a baby stroller and almost being mowed over.  I'm not exaggerating - pedestrians are like target practice.  And if you manage to get halfway across the street to a median, pack a lunch, you could be... 09/20/2010

Emerald Ash Borer Scourge in Winnetka          Long before I moved to the North Shore, I heard stories about towering elm trees whose crowns met in the middle of streets to form canopies, like driving through a green tunnel.  Those days are long gone along with the majestic American Elms that were felled by Dutch Elm disease.  Now it's the Emerald Ash Borer, first sighted in Michigan in 2002 and now ravaging Illinois and our own North Shore since 2006.  It's native to Asia and, like some other invasive pests, it probably made its way here in packing materials aboard ships or airplanes.  The adult beetle is actually harmless, it's the larvae that feeds on the inner bark of trees, destroying the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients.  After hatching, the larvae chew through the ... 09/16/2010

Real Estate Transactions for Winnetka August 2010 Winnetka - 31 closed sales 120 Woodland - list price $339,000, sold price $323,000  10 days on market, 95% of list price 1096 Ash - list price $474,900, sold price $325,000, 299 days on market, 68% of list price 882 Pine - $530,000, sold price $482,500, 11 days on market, 91% of list price 481 Hill - list price $917,000, sold price $720,000, 58 days on market, 78.5% of list price (quick price reduction keep market time low) 44 Brier - list price $949,000, sold price $744,000, 500 days on market, 78% of list price 1175 Hamptondale - list price $1,049,500, sold price 760,000, 329 days on market, 72% of list price 196 Sheridan - list price $1,225,000, sold price $800,000, 532 days on market, 65% of list price 182 Myrtle - list price $869,00... 09/11/2010

First Annual "Skip In the Park" Event in Winnetka   In April I wrote a post about Chloe Sawma, a 9 year-old Winnetka girl who died of brain cancer (In Winnetka, a Village Prays and a Child Inspires.)  Her story was both heartrending and inspirational - her capacity for goodness at such a young age was stunning in its simplicity.  After her death, her parents formed a non-profit in her honor named "Chloe's Crew" with the purpose of raising money for school supplies, clothes and food for those in need, as well as for pediatric brain tumor research. The organization will be hosting their first event called "Skip in the Park" on Saturday, September 11 from  4:00 - 9:00 pm at Hubbard Woods Park in Winnetka.  There will be live music, food and beverages, and games and entertainment for childr... 09/10/2010

Adopt a Kitten - Noah's Ark in Winnetka, IL Look at those adorable faces - 2 little kittens and their mother are up for adoption at Noah's Ark in Winnetka.  They will be there through next week (September 17) or until they're adopted - so hurry in. This little girl is the rambunctious one - constantly on the move in the cage and playing with my fingers.  She has an interesting abnormality - 6 toes on each of her front paws (notice they look larger than normal.)  She's been named Hemingway in honor of Ernest Hemingway who had a 6-toed cat.  In fact, there are about 60 cats that are protected by his will living at the Earnest Hemingway Museum and Home in Key West, Florida.  Of these 60 cats, half are 6-toed cats (which are technically known as polydactyls, Latin for "many digits".) At the... 09/09/2010

 Lake Michigan View in Winnetka ILUpdated 2022While viewing a lakefront property in Winnetka, I snuck out on the rooftop balcony and took this beautiful photo. My clients joined me after a few minutes and we stood there just absorbing it all. Late summer in this area is ideal - mild temperatures and clear blue skies with occasional puffy clouds. Just perfect for reading or napping in one of these nice chairs.   While you're here, please see:All Winnetka homes for sale 09/08/2010

  Do It Without Watering - Xeriscaping The Art of Landscaping with Native Plants I made a huge mistake this summer - I decided not to turn on the in-ground sprinklers to save a few hundred bucks.  After whiplashing several hoses all over the yard for the past three months I realized I just couldn't get it all watered evenly.  I have to ask myself why am I trying so hard to keep that miserable patch of grass green, and why I plant plants that were ordained by nature to be grown in environs totally different from mine. So now I have the yellowest grass on the block.  As in  really dead looking.   And the perennials, ornamentals, and shrubs have withered and languished too.  I won't make that mistake twice. But there is another option - one that many people have taken on with great success... 09/07/2010