This post is part of a Chicago home walk series.

LINCOLN PARK

2202 N. ORCHARD STREET, LINCOLN PARK

Backtrack a little on W. Dickens into the wonderful Oz Park. Walk north along the tennis courts and then stop for a moment to enjoy the dogs chasing each other and having a blast: watching them go nuts should bring a smile to your face. Past the dog area, take the diagonal path northwest, along the playground to W. Webster Street.

2202 N. Orchard Street lies on the opposite side of the street — it’s built in that same contemporary Lincoln Park style as the one on Orchard.

Continue west on W. Webster and you’ll reach its intersection with Halsted Street. If it was too early in the morning to get a slice of a pizza at Amato’s Pizza, then a decent breakfast can be had at Toast (look for the sign that looks like a giant piece of toast). Alternatively, if it’s not morning, then now’s your chance to grab a cocktail or two before forging on. Actually, who cares if it’s morning? Indulge in a bloody mary anyway. You’ve walked three miles — you’ve earned it! If you’re more in a lunch mood, The Athenian Room offers consistently good Greek food.

838 W. WEBSTER AVENUE, LINCOLN PARK

Just a block down you’ll find another boxy, modern home sure to appeal to minimalists. If your style is more traditional, then you’ll probably like the place across the street with the giant round window a little better.

Now it’s time for some home furnishing shopping. Stay on the south side of Webster to pass Stuff (955) for high-end vintage and classic furnishings and, just a block down, Classic Remix (1015) for old and new home furnishings. If you have a sweet tooth, go all the way to Sweet Mandy B’s (1208) for one (or two) of the city’s best cupcakes. Backtrack a tiny bit, then take Clifton two blocks back to Armitage, where you’ll cross the street and hang a left. Walking east again, you’ll pass Millionaire Rejects (1131), another used furnishing store (95% crap / 5% quality) that’s kind of fun.

1920 N. KENMORE AVENUE, LINCOLN PARK

Take a right onto N. Kenmore Avenue, and walk a little ways to 1920, your final — and probably my favorite — home on the tour. Set back — hidden even — on this quiet street, the owners seem to have nothing to prove. With its silo-like tower, bright colors and unconventional sprawl it’s got a sort of whimsicalness to it. It’s cozier than the others.

Continue down Kenmore to North Maud Avenue, one of the more charming, and less showy, streets in Lincoln Park. Hang left, walk less than two blocks and you’ll be back at Sheffield Street. One block to your right it crosses Willow Street, where you started this adventure.

This post is part of a Chicago home walk series.

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This post is part of a Chicago home walk series.

1875 N. ORCHARD STREET, LINCOLN PARK

You’re now at the corner of N. Burling Street and W. Armitage Avenue (the bold line marked 2000N on the map). Walk one block east to Orchard and turn right. 1875 is not far down on the opposite side of the street. It may look plain from a distance, but Chicago Magazine recently named it a modern masterpiece. If the gate is open you can see inside to what you know is some major art.

The owner, Penny Pritzker, is one of The Pritzkers, the super-rich family famous in Chicago for owning the Hyatt Corporation and their knock-down, drag-out fight over inheritance. She purchased four lots for $7 million on which to build it (annual taxes are a mere $87K).

1840 NORTH ORCHARD STREET, LINCOLN PARK

Look just across the street for 1840 North Orchard Street. This property is one of a handful of recently built contemporary homes in the area of a certain unique style incorporating horizontal panels, red wood, metal and lots of rectangles. I love the garden on the roof. Although it was built in the last year, it’s plagued with some serious rusting.

636 W. WILLOW STREET, LINCOLN PARK

When you reach W. Willow again, turn left and walk one block to 636. I’ve never seen anything like this place, which appears to be a series of long wings joined together around an open courtyard (with a big tree in the middle). I would give my left little toe to see inside it. Homes.com values the residence at $2,529,800 and displays an aerial view that helps to make sense of the property.

550 W. DICKENS AVENUE, LINCOLN PARK

Now turn left at Howe and walk back north back past Armitage Avenue — there are plenty of beautiful homes along the route, but no show-stoppers — all the way to W. Dickens Avenue (it’s actually just a sidewalk at this point). Turn right and continue down the sidewalk until it becomes a street again and proceed past N. Larrabee.

Voila! Your reward! 550 W. Dickens, which I’ve tied with 1970 N. Burling Street for most heinous display of wealth.

This post is part of a Chicago home walk series.

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This post is part of a Chicago home walk series.

1879 N. BURLING STREET, LINCOLN PARK

Continue north on N. Burling Street (from W. Willow Street) and 1879 is on your right. I have a special affinity for this house because I’m a sucker for tall ceilings, bright patches of color and concrete block. I love the simple, modern style and wood accents. A quick online search shows that it sold for only $657,000 in 1994 while Homes.com now values it at $2,757,400.

1917 N. BURLING STREET, LINCOLN PARK

Keep walking up a few houses. 1917 N. Burling Street is interesting because it didn’t look like this six months ago: it got a total makeover! That flashy exterior belies a much older interior. You can see the former infrastructure through the new if you look closely. Homes.com values it at $1,603,900.

1917 West Burling Street Lincoln Park

1932 N. BURLING STREET, LINCOLN PARK

Not even a block down, on your left, is this gaudy monstrosity. Where do you start with this place? What with the creepy Burger King and Ronald McDonald faces carved into the concrete and the magic gravel they imported from France because they liked the “crunch” of it. Seriously. Just for fun, see how many Lexus SUVs you can spot between the driveway and street (my record is 7). Every once-in-awhile you’ll spy the chauffeur-driven, extended black limo (with the satellite atop) that ferries The Missus around.

If you look across the street from 1932 you can see where the owners of that grandiosity tacked-on an addition (the red brick doesn’t quite match) the same time that 1932 was under construction. A case of keeping up with the Joneses? And nothing screams ostentatious narcicism as much as their having upgraded the plain, public concrete sidewalk to a red-brick pattern at God knows what cost.

1970 N. BURLING STREET, LINCOLN PARK

Not to be outdone in the vulgarity department by 1932 N. Burling Street, the guy who built his McMansion (which is admittedly kind of a cool) a few doors down at 1970 N. Burling Street obviously felt compelled to erect a blue windmill statue that dominates the intersection/street/block. As would be expected, the neighbors are up-in-arms about it. Less than two-years-old, it’s already showing signs of wear-and-tear: rusting, fading, etc.

This post is part of a Chicago home walk series.