These kind of stories used to give me a chuckle, now, exciled in the suburbs, I see them as a good option for the people.... These kind of stories used to give me a chuckle, now, exciled in the suburbs, I see them as a good option for the people who must live here. I picked up the Grapevine Courier, paper thrown onto my lawn in a plastic bag at no cost, and read about a taste of old Chicago available in nearby Flower Mound. "The District," a short, urban-sounding abbreviation for The District at Highland Village, the article reads, "captures the quaint feel of old Chicago." Hmm, I bet Chicago can't capture old Chicago this well! "The architectural styling captures the Brownstone look (umm, perhaps they are thinking of Brooklyn) in the retail shops and professional office buildings." "The townhomes are separated (thanks be) from the commercial buildings by a decorative four-foot wrought iron fence and a pedestrian-friendly 'Main Street America' with a cast iron clock, fountain and gazebo." Old Chicago had a Gazebo, you know it must have!

I hope to head out this weekend to take a look at The District. I'm expecting I will find it won't have much in the way of transit, and often the number of residnces can't support much in the way of retail. Here I still see the idea that commercial and residential must be separate--not anything like old Chicago or Brooklyn. Still these attempts are a vast improvement over what was being built 20 years ago and at least an option for those of us in subrurban exile. Stay tuned for photos.