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Good afternoon, Block Clubbers,
Comedian and TV star Bob Newhart died today. He was 94.
Originally from Oak Park, Newhart's eponymous show in the '70s was set in Chicago, with main character Bob Hartley living in Edgewater.
Eagle-eye Chicagoans also will know Hartley's route home in the show's opening sequence was ... circuitous at best.
Hartley walked across multiple Downtown bridges in opposite directions before ultimately heading to Evanston. He then got off the “L” and walked 6.5 miles back to his Sheridan Road condo building.
Newhart told Conan O'Brien that fans still routinely asked him about his fictional commute decades later:
“I get on what in Chicago was the Ravenswood ‘L,’ and I’m taking that, I’m going home from the office. And I get off, the little station I get off at, that’s on the ground. The ‘L’ at some point goes on the ground, which is about 55 blocks from our apartment. I do this every day. I miss my stop and walk back 55 blocks to our apartment. Now, would you want a therapist who missed his stop every day?”
The trip helped put Edgewater on the map. You can check out our 2016 story to reminisce. The neighborhood's historical society commemorated that part of TV history with a plaque in 2022.
Do you have any favorite memories of Newhart or his show? Hit "reply" to share them with us.
Here's more from today's news.
Texas governor vows to bus more migrants to Chicago before DNC.
Gov. Greg Abbott began sending busloads of migrants from Texas to Chicago and other Democrat-led cities in August 2022 in protest of federal policies. Almost 45,000 migrants and 950 buses have been sent to Chicago.
Abbott told Republican National Convention crowds the controversial practice will “continue to roll until we finally secure our border." Read more here.
Grand Avenue protected bike lanes unveiled. The completed project In West Town and Ukrainian Village includes the concrete-protected lanes plus pedestrian bump outs, bus boarding islands and raised crosswalks along many residential streets. The city has also widened the sidewalks, planted new trees and added upgraded traffic signals along the corridor. Read more here.
It's almost the weekend! Make your plans here.
Thanks for reading,
Dawn Rhodes
Senior Editor |
