Have you ever lived in an apartment and noticed the big gaps between joints in the crown molding?  Or how about annoying little spaces next to the registers where the dry wall was cut out too much?  These little imperfections have always bothered me at my past homes.  At Rivers Edge, the first thing I noticed was how Walsh Development took pride in their craftmanship.  From the tiles in the bathrooms to the crown molding in the foyer to the edges of my hardwood flooring… it is obvious extra time has been spent to make certain my unit was built with high quality and craftmanship.

Be sure to stop by during open house hours to check out the model unit.  When you do, pay attention to the quality craftmanship. 

One of the truly great amenities of Rivers Edge is the skyline views available from the units facing Diversey.  Across Diversey from the Condominiums are single family housing units.  They are no more than two stories high.  That said, there are beautiful, unobstructed views available of the Chicago Skyline beginning with the second floor units at Rivers Edge.  In fact, residents can clearly see the entire skyline ranging from the Hancock to the Sears Tower!

In addition to the great skyline views, the patios at Rivers Edge are large and spacious.  There is plenty of room for both your grill and a table so you may enjoy breakfast or dinner outside your unit while taking in the sights.  And may I add, the view was great for watching fireworks this summer.

Take a tour around Rivers Edge Condominiums with Google Street View.  Travel East to view the proximity to the Chicago River and of course, Diversey Bowl.  Navigate West to see how conveniently close Rivers Edge is to CVS Pharmacy.

After nearly 70 years in operation, the Chicago Housing Authority’s Julia C. Lathrop Homes public housing complex, located across the river from Rivers Edge, is slated for demolition and redevelopment as part of the agency’s $1.6 billion “Plan for Transformation”

This CHA housing project located at Damen and Diversey will be significantly changed in the near future and will help the resale value of properties at The Homes of Rivers Edge.  Plans for the Homes.

In the rare case the guest lot is full, I have found street parking to be a pleasant surprise as well.  Next to Rivers Edge is a side road, Wolfram, which runs into yet another side road, Oakley.  Both streets regularly have parking to offer…  and you do not need a city of Chicago sticker.  If I had to pick one amenity of living at Rivers Edge which I found to be the most pleasant surprise of all, I have to give serious consideration to ease of parking for those who do not have a reserved spot in the garage.

I love working out on the weekends and going for a run in the city.  I have found that The Homes of Rivers Edge is a great place for residents who like to exercise.  If you are a Bally’s member, Rivers Edge is an easy commute to either their Webster Place facility (1455 West Webster Avenue) or Ballys at Century City (2828 North Clark).  And coming in the Spring of 2008 is X Sport Fitness at the corner of Elston and Logan.  This is just a block away!  I can’t wait for this gym to open as it promises to be a state of the art exercise complex open 24 hours.

If you like to run outside, Rivers Edge is located off Diversey just 2.5 miles from Lake Michigan.  That may make for a long round trip run to the lake and back, but the time flies by on this straight shot to the lake as you run through the heart of Lakeview and pass by terrific neighborhoods and corner bars.  During the summer, I enjoyed riding my bike to the Diversey harbor and easily hopping on the bike path running alongside the lake.  I could either head left and pedal to Montrose beach or turn right and enjoy North Avenue beach.  By the way, if you do like to bike, Rivers Edge has convenient storage for you bike on the basement level so you don’t have to store it in your residence!

For those just looking to go for a nice walk with your child in a stroller, I can recommend the river walk just behind Rivers Edge.  This nicely shaded and paved sidewalk stretches to Western Avenue.  Once the single family homes are completed, the river walk will be expanded even further.

The Homes of Rivers Edge has many features and amenities.  Among the advantages of living at Rivers Edge is its location.  The residents at The Homes of Rivers Edge enjoy their proximity to nearby stores, restaurants and parks.  In addition, there is a CTA bus station nearby, convenient for commuting to work downtown.  And the immediate area surrounding this semi-private riverfront community continues to grow in residential and commercial development.

The Homes of Rivers Edge is a short distance from Super Target.  Other large retail stores near this West Lakeview development include Home Depot, Staples, Wickes Furniture, Dominicks, Jewel, Toys R Us, CostCo, CVS and Golfsmith.  Residents may walk to get breakfast or lunch at Panera, Starbucks, Golden Nugget or my favorite Nikos Gyros.  If you are up for seeing a movie over the weekend, The Homes of Rivers Edge is only a short walk to one of Chicago’s largest movie theatres, Kerasotes Theatres (City North 14). 

Recently, I visited a website, www.WalkScore.com, to calculate the Walk Score of The Homes of Rivers Edge.  Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby points of interest, assigning weights to these locations, and deriving the proximity to these addresses.  All factors are plugged into an algorithm to yield one easy to read Walk Score.  The Homes of Rivers Edge scored a ‘Very Walkable’ 78 out of 100.  This is a great score which speaks to the fact that this West Lakeview location is not only an up and coming area great for resale, but a convenient place to live now!