Naperville Utilities

Service Company Phone

Electricity ComEd 1-800-334-7661

Gas NICOR 1-888-642-6748

Electricity/Gas
City of Naperville(630) 420-6059

Water City of Naperville (630) 420-6059

Garbage Public Works (630) 420-4190

TV/Cable Comcast (866) 594-1234

Long Distance AT&T 1-800-222-0300

Long Distance SBC 1-800-244-4444

Police Police Department (630) 420-6666

Save with an I-Pass

If you live in the Chicago Metro area then you'll want an I-pass! Why? Because it saves you both time and money.

When you have an I-pass attached to your front car or truck window, your toll costs are discounted and you get to use the 'open road' tolling system. If a regular toll costs .80 cents without an I-pass, with an I-pass the toll is only .40 cents. And, heck, you don't even have to cut out a coupon to use it!

You can purchase your I-pass at any local Jewel Food store, but be prepared to pay a $2.90 one-time convenience charge. And, that's per the Board of Directors at the Tollway system. Up till now, the contract that Jewel had specified no additional charges. However, Jewel has sold over a million transponders in the past three years and I'm guessing that they believe that they're entitled to that fee. You can purchase the transponder at the tollway office in Downers Grove or at the O'Hare Oasis without that charge. Your choice.

Here are some interesting stats:

77 percent of tollway drivers use their I-pass daily

2.1 million toll transactions daily

1.3 million collected from drivers who use the system daily

And, now, if you happen to go thru a toll without paying you can go on-line and pay. Otherwise, those cameras will be recording your car's license number and you'll receive a bill in the mail. And, I'm guessing there will be a penalty attached to it.

C 2007 Move UP to Naperville Blog, Eileen Landau

Transportation Information

Transportation Websites and information. Here are some important websites if you're in the Chicago Metro Area.

Traffic Information

http://www.traffic.com/Chicago-Traffic/Chicago-Traffic-Reports.html

Traffic.com has traffic imformation for most U.S. Cities. Really helpful.

Metropolitan Rail (Metra) (http://www.metrarail.com/)

Check the schedules of numerous Chicago suburbs to plan your next trip.

Pace Suburban Bus Service (http://www.pacebus.com/A6)

Easily obtain schedules for any suburb in northern Illinois.

Chicago Transit Authority (http://www.yourcta.com//)

Getting around Chicago is easy with information and maps for each train and bus. But, no guarantee that the buses will be on-time.

Regional Transportation Authority (http://www.rtachicago.com/)

Get information on an transportation you need on the Regional Transportation Authority web site.

Yellow Cab (http://www.yellowcabchicago.com/)

Either look up general information or reserve a cab for a trip to the airport, an important business meeting, a sold-out concert, etc.

An Inspection Hint

We had an inspection yesterday...or, at least, we tried to.

The temperature outside was maybe 10 degrees and inside the property, it was 48 degrees. Seems like the furnace went out since we last saw the place.

And, the Radon lady said..."can't do a radon test unless the heat's on."

Never knew that. And, don't know why heat makes a difference in a radon test. But, this is her area of expertise. So, we'll do our radon test next week when the furnace is working.

In the meantime, we (buyer, inspector and me) kept our coats and hats on. Man, it was really cold.

And, here's another hint. Did you know that your kitchen sponge has more germs than anything else in the kitchen? Well, I kinda guessed. How do you keep the sponge germ free? Nuke it. Yup...soak the sponge(s) in water, the put them in the microwave for 2 minutes on high. Do this every other day and your sponges will be almost germ free.

C2007 Move UP to Naperville Blog, Eileen Landau

When is a doorknob more than a doorknob?

Answer? When you can display an entire collection of doorknobs!

Naper Settlement has an exhibit called: Doorknobs: A Handle on History. The doorknobs are from a collection by the Nemecs of Naperville. Over 500 doorknobs from their collection of 2000! The display will be available until April 15, 2007.

There are doorknobs from the McCormick Building, Hotel Burnham and the Lexington Hotel in Chicago. There are ornate, embossed, glass, wood, leather and most interesting...hemacite, a material made from animal blood and sawdust.

And, to think that I just converted all my doorknobs into levers. Maybe somebody will start a lever collection?

C2007 Move UP to Naperville Blog, Eileen Landau

Name Change

I've belonged to The DuPage Board of REALTORS for years. Oh wait, that's not their name. No, in fact, their name has changed every few years.

In the beginning, it was "a Board of REALTORS." Then it was decided that we're really an "Association of REALTORS." So our name changed to reflect that we were an association. The REALTOR Association of the Western Suburbs. RAWS, for those in the know. That lasted for a while...and I always had a picture in my mind of a REALTOR in a cowboy outfit with a rawhide whip in hand.

Then, we added the Association adjacent to us...the Southern region, and became the REALTOR Association of the South and Southwestern Suburbs. A mouthful to say and print out.

So now, today, the email says: The rumors you have heard are correct! We will be changing our name to Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS®. Officially approved by NAR yesterday, we will launch a new tagline and logo next month.

And, what I ask does 'Mainstreet' have to do with our business or our location? Nothing. In fact, I can remember when there was a department store called Mainstreet. And yesterday I saw a commercial sign on 75th street announcing a new development, named...can you guess? MAINSTREET.

And, apparently we graduated from 'an association' to an 'organization'. What does that mean? Anything? Or are we just bigger?

The best thing is that this too will change. I can't wait for them to go back to DuPage Board of REALTORS.

C 2007 Move UP to Naperville Blog, Eileen Landau

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...It's cold outside!

The longer I live the more weather records I get to experience!

Yesterday, we had high temperatures of 10 degrees...and snow! Now, usually, we will have snow when the temperature is higher. But, this snow was light...skiers call it "powder snow." Beautiful to look at...horrible to drive in. In fact, several of the tollways were closed due to multi-car accidents as drivers skidded out-of-control.

And, worst? Showing homes in this weather! But, like the pioneers of old, we trudged out yesterday thru unshoveled sidewalks and driveways, and unplowed streets to look at properties. And, yes, these were serious, motivated, relocating buyers. We managed seven properties between 10am and 2pm. And, our feet were wet and cold.

So, we called it a day and ended up with steaming bowls of soup hoping that the heat would reach down to our toes. But, no.

If you're coming to Naperville to look at property in winter, come prepared! Bring your artic survival gear, as you may need it!

C 2007 Move Up to Naperville Blog, Eileen Landau

How Times Have Changed

Super Bowl I (1967) vs. Super Bowl XLI (2007)

Only a hermit wouldn't know that this Sunday is a BIG day for us BEARs Fans! Of course, the census bureau knows! And, here are some interesting factoids. So, now, at least, you know what some of your tax dollars are doing.


Nation’s Population
1967: Reached 200 million in November
2007 (Jan. 1): 300.9 million
Source for 2007 data:
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/007996.html


World Population
1967: 3.5 billion
2007: 6.6 billion
Source for 2007 data: www.census.gov

Our Aging Nation
Number of people 65 or older.
1967: 19.1 million
2005: 36.8 million

Education
Percentage of the population 25 or older who had at least a high school diploma.
1967: 51%
2005: 85%
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/007660.html

Earnings
Median wage and salary income for male and female wage and salary workers, respectively.
1967: $5,974 and $2,295 ($29,589 and $11,367 in 2005 dollars)
2005: $34,926 and $23,546

Names
The most popular baby names for boys and girls, respectively.
1967: Michael and Lisa
2005: Jacob and Emily
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_ editions/007276.html