'So wholesome and so Chicago' — Lakeview couple comes to aid of porchless neighbor

 

Laurel Parks, left, and Stephanie Vasconcellos

     In an ideal world, homeowners with odd-numbered addresses would buy a lawnmower, while those with even numbers would buy a snowblower. They’d pair off and share, halving the cost. In an ideal world, kids from down the block would play in your yard, uninvited. You’d look out your window, see them, and smile.
     Alas, we do not live that world, but this one, with our dibs, our fences, our jealously-guarded possessions and valorized selfishness.
     But occasionally, a glimpse of that ideal world appears. Such as the story of how Laurel Parks ended up sitting on the front porch of Stephanie and Matt Vasconcellos.
     “I’ve honestly been thinking about it for a couple of years,” said Parks. “My plan last year was to put hand-written notes in the mailboxes of people whose porches I like. In West Lakeview there are a lot of nice porches.”
     But not on the “great apartment” where she has lived for 13 years.
     “I love it,” said Parks. “But there is no outdoor space. Just this window. I get home from work, and I’m not ready to cook dinner. I want to be outside, but don’t want to walk. I want to be able to sit comfortably and peruse the internet, maybe drink a beer.”
     Park, 39, an office manager at an investment firm and executive assistant, who moved to Chicago from California in 2009, decided to try something novel.
     “Dear porch-possessing neighbors:" Parks posted April 12 on the “What’s Happening in Lakeview” Facebook page. “May I occasionally borrow your porch? As the weather finally starts to turn, I am once again confronted with the harsh reality that I am porchless. I am humbly requesting the occasional use of a porch, somewhere in West Lakeview, for low stakes activities such as: • Reading fairy smut • Staring at my phone • People watching...”

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