BEN: What do you do on a gray, drippy November afternoon? You take the kids to learn Python at the West Lawn library!
SAM: We had an opportunity to speak with Mina, the branch manager, who has worked at CPL for 35 years. She is currently the only branch manager in CPL that holds a PhD in Library Science! She said that she really enjoys developing relationships with patrons and watching kids grow in their love of reading. What inspired me the most about what she said during the interview is, “when you are passionate about something, it doesn’t feel like work!”
BEN: Mina has an awesome story – she started as a geology major, ended up with a degree in criminal justice, and dabbled in studying American Sign Language before getting her Master’s and PhD in Library Science. Her initial stint with CPL was only supposed to last 6 months, but she’s still here! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – CPL is full of passionate people who care deeply about the humans they serve, and Mina is a fantastic example.
Mina has forged some fantastic partnerships in the city, and is hosting programming from the Field Museum and a concert series presented by Chicago Artopia. Awesome stuff.
The kids also got to vote – for improvements they want to see in their city and country. Nathan voted for more life vests around bodies of water (a prudent suggestion) and Daniel for…you guessed it…high-speed rail!
Coding Club!
SAM: The Kids Coding Club happens every Saturday from 1-2pm and was established this past summer. Nathan will tell you about his experience!
NATHAN: OMG, what is coding?! You know when you go on the computer and have some fun, when you are typing, you are giving the computer directions of what to do. And that’s called coding! Today, I was at a coding event at the West Lawn library branch. The person who was running the event was Ronin. He was awesome! He taught us how to receive pictures from google into the program (Scratch) and dragged all the instructions I wanted to move the cat. Here is a picture of Daniel and me and our finished products.
What’s West Lawn Like?
BEN: Like a lot of the southwest side, West Lawn was initially largely populated by Eastern European immigrants, and is the home of the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture (on our list for future exploration). Also like many neighborhoods in this area, West Lawn has a painful history of racism – most notably, the 1946 Airport Homes race riots that prevented Black veterans from settling in CHA housing in the neighborhood.
Also on our list for future exploration: the Ford City Mall just to the south, built on the former site of a Ford aircraft manufacturing facility – I had no idea this existed!
DANIEL: Have you ever wondered why the CTA Orange Line does not go to the Ford City Mall? Well, most are suprised to hear that it was originally going to go to the Mall.
The Orange Line was built due to the fact that Chicago did not use all of the Interstate Highway Transfer money. The project cost $500 million. The line would have went to Ford City Mall, but they ran out of money, and just made it to go to Midway Airport.
Time to eat!
SAM: Following Mina’s recommendation, we visited a nearby restaurant called La Haciendita Taqueria on 59th and Pulaski. We ordered the guacamole and chips as an appetizer and shared three tacos – al pastor, carne asada and camaron a la plancha. They were all delicious!
BEN: Seriously, this was the best Mexican food I’ve had in Chicago. Fantastic.
What about transit?
DANIEL: West Lawn is located near the corner of Pulaski Road and 63rd Street, so it is served directly by CTA Bus Routes 63 and 53A. The 59 is also 0.6 miles away. The Pulaski “L” Station is 1.5 miles away, or a straight shot south on the 53A. At Pulaski Stantion is access to the 62.
For Metra, you don’t have much luck if you are walking. The nearest stop is Wrightwood Station, on the SouthWest Service.
Anyway, here is my new rating scale:
CTA Bus: ✅
CTA Train ✅
Metra: ❎
Parking: ✅
Bike Racks: ✅
Overall: 4.0
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