Before Sally Schwartz ever set foot inside The Clare, – offering luxury senior living in Chicago – she already had a life most people spend decades building – a rich network of friends, a front-row seat to Chicago’s cultural scene, and a purpose that stretched well beyond any title or address. A former corporate attorney at Ford Motor Company, Sally had spent years shaping institutions from the inside. At the Raven Theatre, one of Chicago’s most celebrated storefront stages, she served on the board for more than a decade. She wasn’t retiring from anything. She was, and remains, very much in the middle of it.
That is, in many ways, the point of The Clare.
“The Clare helps you get more of it”
– Sally Schwartz, The Clare Resident
The Gold Coast Chicago Lifestyle Choice
Sally and her husband came to Chicago from Detroit, not out of necessity, but because the city simply made life better. With two sets of children here, they bought a small apartment, intending to make occasional visits. What they found instead was a city that invited them to stay – and then to live more fully than they had in years.
They walked everywhere. They discovered a building full of warm, engaging neighbors – a floor book club, impromptu champagne tastings, and the kind of social ease that suburbia rarely offers. “We realized that life was much easier in downtown Chicago,” Sally says. “We were having more fun playing in Chicago.”
It was also during this chapter that Sally deepened her connection to the Raven Theatre. She and her husband attended a production of William Inge’s Bus Stop, became subscribers, and one evening in the lobby, her husband made a facetious introduction to the theater’s executive director: “You should put my wife on your board. She needs something to do.”
The Raven had no lawyers on its board. Sally had been a corporate attorney. The match was obvious. She joined and stayed for years.
Finding The Clare – Before They Were Ready
Accompanying neighbors to a prospective resident lunch, they heard that a waitlist was forming. They didn’t want to be caught waiting. They deposited on an apartment in 2017.
What surprised her wasn’t the quality of the care, or the amenities, or even the location – she had anticipated all of that. What she hadn’t anticipated was the community. “We didn’t realize that what we would get would be fantastic neighbors and a social life that is tremendously supportive,” she says. “We rarely have a dinner that we’re not eating with friends.”
Building a Bridge Between The Clare and The Raven
Once settled at The Clare, Sally looked around and saw something that felt like an obvious opportunity. She had been a Raven board member for years. She lived among curious, culturally engaged people. The synergies, as she put it, were undeniable.
She began building a relationship between the two institutions – and it has grown into something remarkable. Over the past nine years, four residents of The Clare have served on the Raven’s board, including one who served as board president. The Clare has been a sponsor of the Raven’s annual gala. The Clare’s own Chef Hagop Hagopian has provided the dessert.
Now, before some of the Raven’s seasonal productions, the theater brings its director or cast members directly to The Clare – performing a scene, discussing the play, and offering subscriptions to any residents who want them. The Clare, in turn, provides transportation to the theater for those who attend.
The most recent production, Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls, was sponsored entirely by Clare residents. “You could call it a favorite,” Sally says, with characteristic understatement.
The Infrastructure of a Cultural Lifestyle
One of the quieter ways The Clare distinguishes itself as a Life Plan Community Chicago residents actually choose – rather than settle for – is in how seamlessly it eliminates the friction of city life. For Sally, that comes into sharp focus every time she attends a performance.
The Clare maintains a house car, available by reservation, as well as a policy of covering rideshare costs within a three-mile radius – which, as Sally notes, is “an awful lot of Chicago.” When she and her husband attend Music of the Baroque as subscribers, a dozen or more Clare neighbors might be on the same bus. When the opera ends, the bus is waiting. No hunting for a car. No standing in the cold while the crowd thins.
“It makes life a lot easier,” she says. “And the older I get, the more I appreciate that.”
She also writes restaurant reviews for The Clare’s monthly resident magazine, which means she and her husband are regulars at Chicago’s dining scene, transportation handled, table waiting. It is, she notes with some pleasure, how she imagined city life could work in the Gold Coast Chicago lifestyle.
The Case for Moving Sooner
When Sally shared the news of her move, people told her she was too healthy, too active – that she didn’t need to be there yet. She disagrees, firmly. “I’ve been watching the people who wait,” she says. “They come in too late, and they’re not able to enjoy the good things about The Clare.” She and her husband, at the time of this conversation, were leaving the following Monday for Japan.
As a downtown Chicago retirement living option, The Clare functions best when residents arrive with their lives already in full motion – and the building simply amplifies everything. The LifeCare model provides peace of mind. The location provides access. The staff and services eliminate the logistics that erode time and energy. What remains is the life itself.
More Than an Address
Sally Schwartz is not a resident who moved to The Clare and found something to do. She arrived already doing. The Clare made it easier, richer, and more connected than it might have been anywhere else. The Raven Theatre. The restaurant column. Japan on Monday. This how Sally has always shaped her life and continues to do so today.
For those considering a cultural lifestyle retirement in the heart of one of the world’s great cities, The Clare offers the assurance that who you are doesn’t stop at the door. The city is still yours. Your passions still have a stage. And the community around you is one worth knowing.
“Annoyingly,” Sally says, with a laugh, “there are lots of times when there are two or three things I would want to do in a particular day and I can’t. And that’s Chicago, too. But at least The Clare helps you get to more of it.”
