The Lakeview Loop

I woke surprisingly refreshed this morning and, rather than running to the lakeshore as I have been more recently, I decided to run my favorite route. It's a 2.5 to 3 mile loop throughout Lakeview and Wrigleyville, and I ran it twice, as I've done many times before.

The route offers a scenic view of my neighborhood past some of my favorite sites, restaurants and bars.

It starts out running through the streets of Lakeview that -- for the most part -- look like this:
It continues through the neighborhood, past my church, St. Alphonsus:

(isn't it gorg?)

... as well as my FAVORITE take-out restaurant, Pockets. Then, I run north through the Southport Corridor. It's a cute area filled with restaurants, bars and boutiques.

Then it's west on Addison to Wrigley Field...
... and of course, south on Clark Street through the infamous Wrigleyville bar scene. I always wave to Ian's Pizza, where they have my favorite late-night eat, mac & cheese pizza:


Honestly, one of the most delicious morsels I've ever tasted. Don't hate if you haven't tried. The pizza crust is thin but not crispy and the perfect salty/sweet combo, and the pasta and cheese create a smooth and creamy treat. MMMMMM.

After daydreaming about Ian's, I continue south on Clark Street, past a number of boutiques, countless restaurants, including Bolat, a sketchy-looking African restaurant that recently burned:


...at least two Starbucks, a DSW, hot dog stand and a soon-to-be-open kefir shop.

Overall, it's not a bad run. I've probably run it 50 times, and I'm not sick of it tired. Perhaps its because I love the sights, sounds and smells of my neighborhood; the pictures here don't do it justice. Plus, there's always people out walking their pooches, running or entertaining their children at playgrounds, so I always run across something new and interesting.

Do you know of any fun running routes through Chicago's northside? I fear the Lakeview Loop and Lakeshore routes getting "old" within the next few hudred miles... I'd love some fresh ideas!