Glenview

Summer Concerts in The Glen and Greater Glenview

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Think of them as mini-Ravinias…without the crowds and parking hassles.  Let me explain.

Glenview has a lot to do and see any time of year, but in summer it really comes alive.  My daughter-in-law Jenny and her two kids are coming to town in a few days.  Naturally, we’ll go into the city to ride the Ferris Wheel, take pictures at The Bean and visit the Field Museum.  But after exhausting ourselves in Chicago and visits locally to Wagner Farm and The Grove, I’m looking forward to spending a family night at one of our town’s weekly outdoor concerts.

On Tuesday’s it’s hard to beat the Summer Sounds Series on the green space along Navy Boulevard in The Glen.  Kids will get their faces painted and will treasure balloon animals created just for them. And a band will play music that all can enjoy. Attendees can pick up some food at any one of the 17 Glen restaurants, and after the show go shopping in the various boutiques and stores in Glen Town Center.  These concerts attract homeowners from the roughly 2,000 homes in The Glen and from throughout Glenview.

And if it’s Wednesday, it’s Jackman Park for the park district’s Summer Concert Series, always a fun evening. Blankets will be spread on the ground for kids while moms and dads relax on lawn chairs.

These are not what you would call huge events.  In fact, calling them “concerts” is even a bit of an exaggeration.  Basically, they are down home get-togethers of friends and family…or you can think of them as community picnics with live music.  Whatever you call them, call them fun.

Margaret Ludemann, Realtor, The Glen Realty Group, @properties

847-401-1802   margaretludemann@gmail.com

How The Glen Came to Be

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The Glen is a wonderful place to live, shop and dine. It’s located on the grounds of the former Naval Air Station Glenview which operated here for a long time. We have over 2000 luxury homes, over 20 shops and boutiques, 17 restaurants and much more. But how did it come about? Well, here is the timeline:

1993:   The Navy announces that the air base will close.

1995:   A Consensus reuse plan is approved.

1996:   The Navy Department approves the transfer of the property to the Village of Glenview.

1997:   A Master Plan is completed including luxury housing, retail and commercial development along with a school, a lake, parks, and other open spaces.

1999:   The first parcel of land is sold. Shortly thereafter, residential construction begins on detached single family homes, townhomes, row homes, duplexes, two-flats and condos.

2003:   Glen Town Center (our “downtown”) opens.

2014:   The last parcel of land is sold.

2017:   The last “new construction” neighborhood is completed.

The end result is more than 2500 residential and senior units, 1 million square feet of retail, 1 million square feet of office and light industrial, and 400 acres of open space including two golf courses…The Glen Club and Glenview Prairie Club.

If you’re interested in urban living in the suburbs, please contact me about The Glen. I am a Glen homeowner and an award winning Realtor focusing on Glen home sales.

Margaret Ludemann, The Glen Group, @properties

847-401-3325   margaretludemann@gmail.com

Summer in Glenview means outdoor dining in The Glen

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A couple of months ago I wrote a blog about the unofficial – but very real – sign of spring in Glenview, the opening of the Glenview Dairy Bar. Well, there’s also a sign of summer, and its right here in The Glen…outdoor dining in Glen Town Center.

We have 17 restaurants in The Glen, popular with locals and with people from throughout Chicagoland‘s North Shore. My sister and two nieces visited from out of town last weekend. We walked through Glen Town Center from our Tower Crossing townhome, barely a block away. We passed outdoor diners at Your Pie (a great little pizza place), State and Main, Flight Wine Bar, Ra Sushi Bar & Restaurant, Uno Mas, Bravo Cucina Italiana, Yardhouse, and several more wonderful restaurants. We decided on Curragh Irish Pub. The food was terrific, but the ambiance of dining outdoors on a lovely summer evening was even more so.

One of the great things about living in The Glen is our proximity to restaurants, shops, Arclight Cinema, and so much more. In fact, you can walk to Glen Town Center from any of the homes in The Glen whether they be single family homes, row homes, duplexes or condos. In many ways it’s like living in the city, though with less traffic and noise. In fact, we refer to The Glen lifestyle as “urban living in the suburbs”. The best of both worlds! And if we want to actually go to the city, our local Metra can get to the loop in 30 to 45 minutes.

So, stop by for dinner sometime. You’ll enjoy the food and fall in love with our community. And if you do, give me a call. I am an award winning Realtor who lives in and focuses on Glen homes.

Margaret Ludemann    Realtor, The Glen Realty Group

847-401-1802   margaretludemann@gmail.com

Now’s the best time to buy or sell a home in The Glen

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OK, I know you’ve heard it before, but here it is again. If you want to sell your home, now is the best time of the year to get it listed on the MLS. It’s March folks. Spring is in the air. Home buyers come out of hibernation and start looking around.

There is logic in this timing. Buyers with kids want to make their purchase so that they can close on it before the start of the next school year. So if you are a buyer, get going. You’ll get into your new Glen digs in time for the kids to make friends around the neighborhood, and be ready to start school in August.

Last year in The Glen, greater Glenview, and neighboring North Shore communities it took about two months for a listed home to come under contract with a buyer. The time between “under contract” and closing is typically four to six weeks. While I wasn’t a math major in college, I’m pretty sure that gets us to late June or July.

So, if this is the year to move to a larger home or to downsize, now’s the best time to sell or purchase. I am an award winning Realtor affiliated with The Glen Realty Group, and I would be delighted to work with you. I can be reached at 847-401-1802 or margaretludemann@gmail.com.

Margaret Ludemann, Realtor, @properties

17 restaurants in Glen Town Center

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He couldn’t believe it.  Really, he couldn’t.

My family is hosting a Japanese exchange student for the next eight days.  He will be attending Glenbrook South, the incredible high school serving Glenview.  We picked him up yesterday and drove him to our home in The Glen, the North Shore’s premier lifestyle community.

After getting him settled in my husband, son and I took him out to dinner.  Of course he doesn’t know the restaurants in the area so we walked him down Tower Drive which is the main restaurant and shopping area in Glen Town Center.  There are 17 restaurants in this two block area, so he had quite a selection to choose from.  I’m not making that up.  It’s a half block from my front door to Tower Drive, and by walking for 5 minutes he had a choice of restaurants serving Italian, Greek, Irish, Thai, Japanese, Mexican and traditional American fare.  He couldn’t believe the number of restaurants and the variety of food all within a brief stroll.  I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but I could tell that he was amazed.

“Sato” chose Yardhouse, a great place with a large menu.  We thought he might choose Ra Sushi Bar & Restaurant, but he was in the mood for an American hamburger.  When his meal was served his eyes got really big because of the size of his burger.  He even took a picture of it to send back home.

After dinner we drove him around The Glen, and he got to see our many luxury homes…single family homes, townhomes, row homes, duplexes, two-flats.  These wonderful homes along with the upscale shopping and terrific Glen restaurants are what set The Glen apart.

If you may be interested in living in The Glen, give me a call.  I am an award winning Realtor and a long-time resident.

Margaret Ludemann, The Glen Realty Group

@properties Residential Brokerage