Wednesday, November 29, 2006

The corner of West 63rd Street and South Cicero Avenue. Chicago Illinois USA. June 1988.

Hi everyone!
Welcome to Eddie's Railfan Page.
In todays edition, I will be sharing with You a
selection of railroad photographs I had taken around Chicago during the 1980's.
We will start our journey at the corner of west 63rd Street and South Cicero Avenue by Chicago's Midway Airport. A southwest Airlines jet plane has just passed over the White Castle Restaurant on the northeast corner. My family used to take Me and My older sister to eat here and watch airplanes when we were just kids.
This is located on Chicago's southwest side, and for many generations, has been a source of cheap entertainment for many Chicago parents.
I wonder just how many of those children actually wound up working for the airlines as adults.

4 comments:

Tom Gill said...

Nice capture!

I used to ride my bike up to Midway and lay on the grass hill on the Central Ave. side before they put up the sound barriers. It was the perfect angle to recline and watch the airplanes (the sidewalk was at our heads and the fence was about 20 feet below our feet).

tlee169 said...

Before the White Castle there was the Acme Grill on this site. The airport belongs to the Chicago Public schools (one section in each township). The first Nathan Hale School (1925) was at 61st and Linder. It closed in 1952 and a new one was built at 6140 S Melvina. Several years passed before the airport was expanded into the school space.

Eddie said...

I had heard, that during the 1920's when the airport opened...
it was originally known as Chicago Municipal Airport.
Me and My Family used to shop at nearby Bargaintown on South Cicero Avenue. We would later eat at the original White Castle building that stood on this corner during the 1960's and watch the planes.

Oh, to be a 1960's and 70's era Chicago kid again.

Thank You.
Eddie.

tlee169 said...

On the northwest corner there was a bill board that said "Welcome to the Chicago Municipal Airport - Richard J Daley Mayor" It had a wooden frame so I could climb up high and just about touch the planes as they came in. One of my lifelong friends had his first job at the Bargaintown. Do you remember the Johnson & Johnson orange sign at 65th?