The Glen

The Glen’s Annual Art Fair…a big success once again

by

The annual Glen Art Fair was held last weekend, and it was a great success again this year.  Artists from throughout the United States displayed their beautiful works of art; in fact I met artists from California to New York.  As always, this fun event took place on Tower Drive, Glen Town Center’s main drag; and it seemed to me that we had more visitors than in any previous year.

The Glen is the North Shore’s premier lifestyle community, meaning it has stunning homes, 17 restaurants, upscale shopping, jogging trails, golf courses, tennis courts, and a picturesque lake.  It is located on the site of the former Glenview Naval Air Station in Glenview, Illinois, approximately 18 miles north of downtown Chicago.

Visitors to the fair were treated to art of many genres including paintings, photography, sculpture, glass works, folk art, crafts, cartooning, and digital art. I live only one block from Glen Town Center in The Glen’s Tower Crossing neighborhood, so it was easy for me to come and go several times over the weekend.  I purchased several items related to “home” that I’ll give to my real estate clients.

All of this will happen again next August, and I’m already looking forward to it.  You should check it out, too.  You’ll enjoy it as much as those of us who are fortunate homeowners and residents of The Glen. And if you might be interested in living in the Glen, please give me a call. I am a local Realtor who specializes in Glen properties – single family homes, row homes, town homes, two flats, duplexes and condos.

Margaret Ludemann

@properties Realtor   847-401-1802   margaretludemann@gmail.com

Summer Concerts in The Glen and Greater Glenview

by

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

by

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

by

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

There are signs of spring. And there is THE sign of spring in Glenview.

by

When I moved to The Glen many years ago, I discovered the Glenview Dairy Bar nearby. I remember driving by it the first time.  It looked so sweet and quaint in a 1950s kind of way. The hand painted sign tipped me off that it’s a local business…a family business. But really, it’s more than a business. It’s a Glenview institution, and it’s part of all of us…all of us who live here and love it here.

The Glenview Dairy Bar holds a special place in the hearts of those of us who are so fortunate to live in Glenview. On our first visit each spring we all look for the picture…the picture of the year’s first customers, having camped out all night.  It’s like seeing the first robin in the spring. It means the long winter is over!

Sure we go there to enjoy the ice cream, but also to remember summers past. Of being a kid. Of lazy summer evenings with family and friends.  We also go there to create new memories that we can call up on a cold winter day.  So here’s to the Glenview Dairy Bar!  It’s open seven days a week at 1015 Harlem Ave.  Maybe I’ll see you there.

Margaret Ludemann

Realtor, The Glen Realty Group, @properties

847-401-1802   margaretludemann@gmail.com