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Grocery shopping in Naperville

Monday, December 12th, 2011

Grocery shopping is not just a quick trip to one store anymore.

Growing up in Chicago, my mom would “let” me do the grocery shopping. Depending on where we were living…  this was a trip to the local Jewel, A&P or Potash Brothers. I loved shopping then, and I still love grocery shopping now.

Angelo Caputo Fresh Market - NapervilleHowever, the shopping has gotten more complicated because none of the stores are good at everything.

I regularly shop at Caputo’s, Casey’s, Costco, Dominicks, Jewel, Michaels Fresh Market, Sam’s Club, Trader Joe’s, World Market and Whole Foods.

Michaels and Caputo’s have great produce sections. Large open areas and bins piled high with fresh produce at great prices. These two stores also have great, reasonably priced deli counters. A pound of meat might cost 1/2 what it costs at the big name supermarkets. But Caputo’s (111th and rt59) is special.. the deli looms large, premade dishes and an extensive selection are just the tip of the iceberg at this place. As Grocery Shopping in Naperville IL - Michael's Fresh Marketmuch as I love Michaels (next to Sam’s at rt 59 and Ogden) I would have to rate Caputo’s as a Naperville business that you need to know… also the best fresh bread department in town… Yum!

For your staples: cereal, milk, soda etc… Jewel, Dominicks and Meijer are the places to go and while they are pleasant places to shop, they are missing the boat in produce, meat and deli. Dominick’s has a very good web site where you attach coupons to your phone number (or card) so that you don’t have to worry about forgetting them.

Grocery Shopping in Naperville - Casey'sIf you like meat or quality prepared foods try Casey’s Food Market at Gartner and Washington (right by Trader Joe’s.. yum!) Casey’s always has a staff of butchers working, these guy’s know what they are doing… it’s pricey, so I save it for special occasions (love their heart of rib eye steaks – like Filet Mignon except with texture, flavor and richness)

Grocery Shopping in Naperville IL - Trader Joes and Whole FoodsWhole Foods is conveniently located in the same mall as World Market (the BEST place to buy coffee) just across the street from Costco, this is like the one-two-three punch of greatness… the only problem is deciding where to go first….

Posted in Best places to live, Just for fun, Naperville, Observations, quality of life | No Responses »

Walk Friendly Homes in Naperville?

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

 Lisa and I love to walk. One of the things that we love about Naperville is that there are many places and neighborhoods that are walkable. Here are the homes available in Naperville, ranked by their “walkability” score starting with the highest (best) score as ranked by walkscore.com:

Showing properties 1 - 5 of 500+. See more city of Naperville real estate.
(all data current as of 2/22/2012)

  1. 2 beds, 2 full, 2 part baths
    Home size: 2,300 sq ft
    Lot size: 1,900 sq ft
    Year built: 2002
    Parking spots: 2
    Days on market: 50
    Walk Score®: 92
    Broker reciprocity icon
  2. 2 beds, 2 full, 2 part baths
    Home size: 2,110 sq ft
    Year built: 2003
    Parking spots: 2
    Days on market: 446
    Walk Score®: 92
    Broker reciprocity icon
  3. 2 beds, 2 full baths
    Home size: 1,192 sq ft
    Year built: 1986
    Parking spots: 1
    Days on market: 26
    Walk Score®: 91
    Broker reciprocity icon
  4. 2 beds, 2 full baths
    Home size: 1,192 sq ft
    Year built: 1986
    Parking spots: 2
    Days on market: 84
    Walk Score®: 91
    Broker reciprocity icon
  5. 4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths
    Home size: 4,000 sq ft
    Lot size: 8,400 sq ft
    Year built: 2011
    Parking spots: 3
    Days on market: 443
    Walk Score®: 88
    Broker reciprocity icon

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Posted in Best places to live, Downtown Naperville, Historic Naperville, Naperville, quality of life, Walking | No Responses »

I’ve got books about Naperville

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

I have several copies of the book “A View of Historic Naperville from the Sky-Lines” By Genevieve Towsley. I purchased them with good intentions of giving them out, but I haven’t.

These are nice hardcover books that are “A collection of articles of historic significance” the collection is from the old Naperville Sun (before it was ruined). They make a nice coffee table book and I would be happy to pass off my extra copies (free!) to any locals that might be interested. Call, e-mail me or use a contact form and I’ll drop one off. Comments are welcome, but you may want to keep your personal information… personal.

I will comment below if I run out

Posted in Best places to live, Downtown Naperville, Historic Naperville, Naperville | No Responses »

Naperville Library takes first place again!

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

Green Eggs and Ham at the Naperville Library on 95th streetThe Naperville Public Library is tops again!

With over 8,000 Libraries being ranked… for the 10nth year in a row… Naperville been ranked the #1 library in it’s class (population between 100,000 and 249,999)

Personally, I love the library. It’s easy to find anything you need online, you can reserve books and manage your account with ease. E-mail reminders are a blessing and the terminals in the library make check out a breeze.

If you want personal help; the staff is friendly, dedicated and knowledgeable.

The library features three branches to serve the spread-out town, the main branch in Downtown Naperville (Nichols), the Naper Blvd branch and my favorite; (pictured) the 95th street branch. The Nichols library’s parking lot can get qet full at times but there is ample parking at the other two.

The fact the they feature some Dr Seuss statues makes them that much cooler.

Posted in Best places to live, Just for fun, Naperville, quality of life | 2 Responses »

The Naper Settlement – History in the heart of Naperville

Wednesday, January 17th, 2007

The Naper Settlement - Naperville IL

Central Naperville offers a little of the unexpected… history in the form of a piece of land preserved as it might have been in the 1800′s. A cultural museum called the Naper Settlement

Located on Aurora Avenue, just steps from Naperville’s thriving downtown and renowned riverwalk… the Naper Settlement preserves a long and rich history to the benefit of the community. A 13 acre 19th century village complete with costumed villagers.

Enter the Settlement at the Pre-Emption house, a hotel and tavern where Grover Cleveland and Abraham Lincoln would stop for a pint or two. Abraham Lincoln once gave a speech from the Pre-emption house roof. This building is a recreation of the original which was located just a couple of blocks away.

The Pre-Emption House - The Naper Settlement - Naperville IL

 

The expansive grounds are home to many historical buildings… one of the most notable being the Martin Mitchell Mansion a beautifully restored mansion and carriage home from 1883. A three year renovation at a cost of 2.8 million dollars has returned this magnificient building to it’s former grandeur. The Martin Mitchell Mansion is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 

 Martin Mitchell Mansion - The Naper Settlement - Naperville IL

In addition to it’s many magnificient structures, the settlement is home to many of the more modest dwellings of Naperville’s early settlers, including a log house, blacksmith shop, chapel (available for weddings) and firehouse.

Not only does the Naper Settlement offer a delightful return to yesteryear but it reaches out as a vital member of the community, hosting numerous events for the town (Civil War Days, Classic Cars and Art shows etc…) and hosting many outings for the local schools. Truly one of Naperville’s hidden gems and a beacon of community spirit!

Visit my site for more information about Naperville or Naperville Real Estate call Angus at 630-717-7386

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Posted in Best places to live, Downtown Naperville, Historic Naperville, Just for fun | 8 Responses »

Best Place to live? You Bet!

Wednesday, July 19th, 2006

What many of us already know…. others are determined to share.

Once again, Money Magazine has ranked Naperville as one of the best places to live in the U.S. This year coming in 2nd to Fort Collins, Colorado.

Last year we were #3 and going back to 2003 we were named the best place to live in the midwest.

Not bad, but Naperville has so much going for it, that I’m not surprised.

Friendly people, safe neighborhoods, outstanding schools, park district amenities, library system (ranked #1 in the nation), Edward Hospital and the fine transportation choices are just a few of the standards… But the Riverwalk, charming downtown with it’s multitude of fine restaurants and shops, the Naper Settlement, Childrens Museum, millennium Carillon, scattered artwork (murals and sculpture!) and our excellent town parties (like Ribfest & Last Fling) are the icing on the cake!

Posted in Best places to live, Downtown Naperville, Historic Naperville, Naperville, quality of life, Schools | 1 Response »

Best Festival in the Midwest

Friday, January 20th, 2006

The dates for Naperville Ribfest have been set!

Four days of fun starting July 1, 2006 and culminating in some spectacular fireworks on the 4th. So far, Matt Kaley has done a great job of lining up the Doobie Brothers and the Charlie Daniels band… I can’t wait to see who else he gets.

We’ve been attending Ribfest for over 15 years, I’ve been a sponsor for the past few and have to say that the Exchange Club does a magnificent job of having fun raising money (more than $5,000,000 to date) for the prevention of child abuse. The folks in the Exchange Club work tirelessly (all volunteers) to make this happen, my hat is off to them.

In addition to the entertainment, we will certainly over-eat. Not only do I have a weakness for good ribs, but all the deep fried stuff (Curly Fries, Elephant Ears, Funnel Cakes, Blooming Onions) too. Hopefully, Lisa will be training for the Susan G Komen Three Day and we will work some of the calories off with several very long walks through town.

Posted in Best places to live, Downtown Naperville, Just for fun, Naperville, quality of life | 5 Responses »

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The broker providing these data believes them to be correct, but advises interested parties to confirm them before relying on them in a purchase decision.

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