Issue #6: Turkey, Stuffing, and Pumpkin Pie

An iconic Thanksgiving movie, homes with exceptional dining rooms, and my first disc golf hole-in-one.

The Silvert Lining is a place where I talk about real estate, cool homes for sale, things I’m looking forward to, and how I’ve been spending my time. In addition to this newsletter, I also post regularly on Instagram. You can follow me at Dan Silvert Homes.

Two housekeeping items before we dive into this week’s issue:

1. Would you like to receive a holiday card from me? Every year I mail hundreds of holiday cards to friends, family, and clients. I am currently working on this year’s card and would like to include Silvert Lining readers. You can use this form to give me your mailing address.

2. I will be taking next week off from the newsletter as Thursday is Thanksgiving. I will be back with a holiday extravaganza issue on Tuesday, December 3.

The front of the Happy New Year card I sent in January 2024.

Thanksgiving is next week, and my only responsibility is to buy a few pies to bring to my mom’s home for my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. In full transparency, a traditional Thanksgiving meal is not my favorite. I like eating stuffing and pumpkin pie to a state of nausea, but could do without the turkey and cranberry sauce (crazy, I know)! Having a day off to lay around watching sports and movies is my favorite part of the holiday.

If you are looking for an iconic Thanksgiving movie, may I recommend the 1987 John Hughes movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. The plot revolves around Steve Martin’s marketing executive character attempting to travel home for Thanksgiving. Things do not go accordingly to plan, and Steve Martin’s character forms an unexpected partnership with another wayward traveler (John Candy playing an obnoxious but lovable shower curtain ring salesman) as the travel plans go increasingly awry. You will laugh!

230 Oxford Road, Kenilworth, Illinois; Steve Martin’s and John Candy’s characters arriving at the home at the end of the movie. Photo from Paramount Pictures via Hooked on Houses.

Writer and director John Hughes was a Chicago area native and filmed many of his classic movies there, including 16 Candles and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I want someone to organize a tour of homes from John Hughes movies around Chicago. On a recent rewatch of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, I noted Steve Martin’s character’s stately brick home. The classic Georgian house is located in Kenilworth, Illinois. The six-bedroom home has sold a few times over the years, and was listed for sale earlier this year at $2,645,000. I hope the current owners host an annual Thanksgiving dinner for wayward travelers.

Here is an article with lots of trivia about Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (it does include a few spoilers, but this movie is as old as Hilary Duff). Who knew that the filming of the movie and the need for locations with lots of snow mirrored the movie’s madcap plot?

Top row from left: 1195 Elmwood Drive, Walnut Creek; 2115 Damuth Street, Oakland; and 376 Cavour Steet, Oakland. Bottom row from left: 5528 Kales Avenue, Oakland; 2119 Woolsey Street, Berkeley; and 3131 Eton Avenue, Berkeley. Photos by Dan Silvert.

This week I wanted to feature homes with exceptional dining rooms that would be perfect for hosting a Thanksgiving dinner. After researching homes that are currently listed, I picked my six favorite dining rooms and toured each home:

• This 4 bedroom/3 bathroom home in Walnut Creek is listed at $1,549,000. The dining room has a beautiful wood beamed ceiling and brick fireplace. I love the idea of a roaring fire while eating Thanksgiving dinner.

• This 2 bedroom/1 bathroom 1920 home in Oakland has a spacious dining room with original woodwork. The home is listed at $799,000, and also has an outdoor area with a fireplace if you prefer an al fresco Thanksgiving meal.

• This 2 bedroom/1 bathroom 1918 home in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood is listed at $995,000. The home has beautiful historical details, including a built-in hutch with glass doors. If you relegate your younger guests to a “kids table” this home also a built-in banquette in the kitchen.

• This 2 bedroom/1 bathroom 1916 home in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood is listed at $1,075,000. The home’s dining room has a fireplace with stunning vintage tiles and a built-in hutch. The dining room is open to the living room, and I like the idea of setting up a buffet on the dining table and then having the guests find a comfortable spot to feast in the living room.

• This 3 bedroom/2 bathroom 1912 home in Berkeley is listed at $1,295,000. The dining room a gorgeous fireplace with a wood mantel and vintage green tile, and a built-in hutch with leaded glass doors to store your fancy dinnerware when you’re not hosting Thanksgiving dinner.

• This 3 bedroom/4 bathroom 1908 home in Berkeley is listed at $2,195,000. While the spacious home has a formal dining room, I found the breakfast nook off the kitchen charming. The nook has two walls of solid glass that open to the outdoor deck. I like the idea of keeping the doors open and hosting a Thanksgiving dinner wherein guests could move between the indoor dining nook and the outdoor deck.

Let me know if you are looking for a new home, and I can create a customized search based on your wants and needs that will email you homes that meet your search criteria. You can schedule time with me to discuss your search for a new home or selling your current home by emailing me at DanSilvertHomes@gmail.com. DRE #01963734

My first hole-in-one at the Chabot Park Disc Golf Course. Photos by Dan Silvert.

Since real estate is a profession in which I work hard but with some flexibility, I found the perfect sport: disc golf. Whenever I'm driving between appointments and have some time to spare, I can play a few holes or a full round using UDisc to find "new to me" courses nearby. It's a great way to get some exercise and catch up with old and new friends. Let me know if you ever want to play a round!

I was recently playing with friends at the Chabot Park Disc Golf Course, and something thrilling happened. My shot "hyzered" around a tree and we heard the chains rattle. My playing partners recognized what had happened before I did. I made my first hole-in-one!