LINCOLN SQUARE — It's going to take some PhD-level thrifting skills to survive the weekend, what with neighborhoods from Roscoe Village to Ravenswood Manor scheduling community-wide garage sales within the same 48-hour period.
Whether you're hunting for baby clothes or hoping some naive homeowner tosses out a previously undiscovered Picasso, opportunities for sifting through other people's cast-offs abound.
Be sure to get a good night's rest on Friday, because the folks of Roscoe Village Neighbors and West Walker Civic Association both kick off their sales promptly at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 18.
Roscoe Village Neighbors promises more than 30 participating households, with a map posted online. The boundaries for the sale, which runs until 2 p.m., are Addison Street to Belmont Avenue, Ravenswood Avenue to Western Avenue.
West Walker raises the bar, boasting 91 garages in 2012, and gives shoppers until 4 p.m. to hoof it to all those yards and alleys. No maps are available online but signage is posted on main perimeter streets. The boundaries for West Walker stretch from Montrose Avenue to Irving Park Road, Pulaski Road to Central Park Avenue.
Then get ready to do it all over again on Sunday.
Ravenswood Manor Improvement Association's annual garage sale is one of the most hotly anticipated of the year. Approximately 60 households are participating in the event, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on May 19, with a detailed map posted online to help shoppers plot their plan of attack. The neighborhood's boundaries are Lawrence and Montrose avenues, the Chicago River and Sacramento Avenue.
Hoping to catch some of the overflow from Ravenswood Manor, should bargain hunters drift to the northwest, The Residents of Irving Park have also scheduled their garage sale for May 19. The hours are undefined, but a map is available online. Boundaries are Montrose Avenue to Irving Park Road, and Monticello Avenue to Sacramento Avenue.
Book yourself a foot massage for Sunday night — those dogs are going to be barking.
