No Games Chicago today issued its own review of the Civic Federation’s review of the 2016 Committee’s finances. “What we’ve got here is the sheep paying the foxes to audit the wolves” said No Games organizer Tom Tresser. “There are so many conflicts of interest in the inception, staffing and execution of this report as to make it virtually toothless.” Nevertheless, despite the many flaws in the reporting process, the document still reveals many new reasons for Chicagoans to be concerned about the 2016 bid process and its authors.We just wanted to show you some of the places to look if you're questioning the legitimacy of the report.
Looking elsewhere, of course, the place to look for iconic subway entrances is Paris with its Hector Guimard designed metro entrances. They define the word classic in this space:So the mystery is solved! This out of place Metra stop was actually a replica gift given from Paris to Chicago.These work in Paris not just because they are excellent designs but because, in a very real way, the embody the essence of Paris. They capture its romance and history. To walk past one of these is to be transported back to the Belle Epoque. Sundered from its native setting, these could easily end up looking cheesy.
I really hate to admit this, but Chicago actually has a clone of this on its Metra system. Here's the entrance to an underpass at Van Buren St. Station:Paris gives out replicas of these to cities around the world, and I believe this was one such gift. Even so, this is the sort of thing that would, if done in say Cleveland, make a Chicagoan snicker.
According to Ald. Fioretti's recent email newsletter:I am happy to provide this update on the Printer's Row Park. The water retention system is near complete and this green space is progressing on schedule.Good news!
Look for the groundbreaking ceremony to take place in late October!
“We’re pretty much tapped out in Chicago,” chef/partner Scott Harrison says. “Maybe [we'll open in] the South Loop, maybe a small one in River North…besides that, we’ve covered the 100-mile radius.”We would love one of these restaurants to open in the South Loop...always a fan of solid Italian.
This contract makes the host city completely liable for any cost overruns associated with the Olympics and many residents and in turn aldermen were rightfully upset with this new development. As a result the City Council requested that the 2016 plan be audited by an independent group called the Civic Federation. The purpose of this audit was to see if the bid team came up with an accurate and feasible plan...if Chicago 2016 sticks to its plan to buy additional insurance, the extra coverage would create "an effective safety net" to protect taxpayers in the event of problems such as cancellation of the Games, natural disasters or "loss of development financing."This is a big win for the bid team as it's hard to imagine any alderman fighting the Olympic bid now. However, there are still some issue that the auditors warned about such as oversight from the aldermen:
The report also said it was critical for the City Council to use its oversight powers to monitor the city's Olympic plans. But that appears to miss the political reality of City Hall, where aldermen routinely have followed Daley's lead and rarely challenge his major plans.And probably the riskiest component in our opinion is the plan for the Olympic Village since there continues to be a lot of volatility within the current real estate market:
Among the greatest risks in the Olympic plan is the impact that a changing real estate market could have on the financing of the billion dollar Olympic Village, according to the report. To address that risk, the Olympic committee's plan calls for multiple developers to spread the financial burden in addition to the proposed insurance policies.
If you like the three things above, then chance are you will like the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance's pick for their 'meet me at the movies' series. This Friday (8/28), they will be screening the classic Breakfast at Tiffany's staring the adorable, young Audrey Hepburn. Tickets are $5 and the showing will be at the Sherwood Music School (1312 S. Michigan Avenue). Click here to RSVP.Passed appetisers and buffet style entres: 5 spiced ribs, Assortment of Satays (kung poa beef, Classic chicken Sayay, Golden shrimp) Shrimp Gyoza (Pot sticker) Singapore Noodles,Duch Chow Fun and Pork Fried Rice and non-alcoholic drinks included. Full bar available.If you're not familiar with the movie here is the classic trailer:
This is where the old boutique Laughing Iguana used to be until it closed last year.
“People are worried about their jobs,” says Greg Mutz, CEO of Amli Residential Partners LLC, a Chicago-based apartment owner. “When you’re in that kind of mind-set, you don’t want to be illiquid, and you want to have flexibility.”The apartment market is “not as bad as I thought it would be,” he says.
Amli completed construction last year on a 440-unit building at 900 S. Clark St. While the high-rise is more than 80% leased, it faces competition from other new buildings in the South Loop, where developers have been especially busy.
Compounding the supply problem, Chicago-based developer Centrum Properties Inc. recently decided to convert a new 342-unit condo project at Roosevelt Road and Clark Street into apartments.
The Stevens Hotel (now the Hilton), the largest in the world, containing three thousand hotel roomsOr maybe:
Among the other architectural masterpieces of the city are the Shedd Aquarium, the Chicago Museum of Natural History, formerly known as the Field Museum, and Soldier Field stadium built in the classic tradition of ancient Greek and Roman architecture.
Yesterday the Chicago Plan Commission endorsed the plan as well. Although this is a step in the right direction for supporters of the plan, it still is just a plan and doesn't provide funding:The commission's unanimous vote is the final action and makes the document official city policy. No City Council action is required because no law was made. While the document includes cost estimates and plans for raising the money, it offers no funding guarantee. Individual projects may have to be deferred for years or may never happen.Although we imagine that some of the projects will happen by 2020, it's almost 100% certain that all of them won't. Many people feel that the Olympics are the wild card. If Chicago gets the Olympics then some of the projects will likely get the green light quicker.
For a lot of Chicagoans the Near South Side's history is some what of an unknown. If you're a history buff or have lived in the neighborhood for awhile, you might realize that Chicago's South Side was once the premiere residential neighborhood in Chicago. According to the sign at the bottom of the page it was Chicago's 'Original Gold Coast'. Early city magnates such as Marshall Field, Philip Armour, and George Pullman built massive mansions on Prairie Avenue. Some of these grand estates are still on display throughout the neighborhood.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Mr. Guerra said. “They’re not taking our property. People are still making music here.”For those of you not familiar with the location or facility here is a youtube video:
Here is a shot from Roosevelt looking in the entrance to the complex:
It looks pretty nice in our opinion, however we're curious how they plan on promoting all the retail stores within the courtyard? Do you think they will put the logos on the side of the building next to the Roosevelt Collection logo (in the picture above)?
The reason this became an issue for the Chicago 2016 Olympic big is because any disagreement between the IOC and USOC could cause IOC voting members to vote against Chicago for the 2016 games (it's a very political process as we've stated before). Again, the relations between the two parties threatened to derail the Chicago big, but luckily for Chicago the issue has seemed to be defused.The U.S.O.C. chairman, Larry Probst, said Sunday that he had decided to delay development of the TV project until issues with the International Olympic Committee were resolved.
On Saturday, Probst met in Berlin with the I.O.C. president, Jacques Rogge, to discuss the U.S. Olympic Network.
“We want to try to get to the point where we’ve addressed all their issues and concerns as quickly as possible,” Probst said.
The I.O.C. criticized the U.S.O.C. last month for “unilaterally” announcing the start of the TV network on July 8, saying it raised complex legal questions and could jeopardize relations with NBC, the Olympic broadcaster.
It's no surprise that when thousands of people use a CTA stop the wear and tear start to show. That was definitely the case at the Roosevelt stop in our neighborhood. Although it's definitely not as tattered as some other CTA stops, it was starting to look (and smell) a little funky.SCREEN. The Bicycle Film Festival at Columbia College celebrates the two-wheeler in all kinds of movies. Check out "WHERE ARE YOU GO," a film about the Tour d'Afrique, one of the world's longest cycling races. Tour Director Shanny Hill will be available for a post-showing Q&A. Aug. 14, 7 p.m. Tickets are $10. 1104 S. Wabash Ave., 8th Floor, www.bicyclefilmfestival.com. Watch the trailer.
(Image from Crains)
Opens August 14th at 6:30 am at the 1720 S Michigan building (retail space furthest south)Interestingly enough there is also a recently opened convience store about a block north of this on the east side of Michigan Ave called Green Leaf Market. It will be interesting to see if there is enough demand for both of these stores.
Your local source for:Owned and operated by South Loop residents. When you come in ask about our upcoming grand opening celebration.
- freshly brewed coffee
- pastries baked daily
- convenience and grocery items
- a full line deli
- beer, wine, and spirits
- seating area with WiFi
- much more...
The project the GPC is lobbying for is updating the crossing at Queens Landing (which is the place where lake Michigan meets Buckingham Fountain). The image on the right is an illustration of what could be created (for about $25-$35+ million).
However, our opinion was actually swayed in favor of the current memorial plan to place it in the Museum Campus. The best reason we heard was that one of the main goals of the 'Museum Campus' was to have educational components (ie - the Field, Adler and Shedd etc.). By placing this memorial in the Museum Campus it provides an additional educational resource. In our opinion it's important for people to realize that the beauty of Chicago was a vision and a plan...it didn't happen accidentally.
We have seen some major wrecks with hardcore bikers flying around the museum campus and nailing tourists, bikers and leisurely bike cruisers. According to this recent Sun-Times article this underpass is one of the cities most dangerous:11th Street underpass to the Museum CampusThis underpass helps create a five-way intersection that can be hazardous because southbound cyclists on the trail are heading downhill. “People are coming down here and gathering speed, and people crossing the path aren’t expecting that traffic,” Warren says.
The Grant Park Conservancy will hear from architect David Woodhouse, designer of the winning competition entry for the Burnham Memorial at the Museum Campus. The meeting is Tuesday, August 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the Daley Bicentennial Plaza Fieldhouse, 337 E. Randolph ( just east of Columbus Drive).For more background on this topic check out some of our previous posts.
Lollapalooza is something to witness and depending on who you talk to it's either the best of Chicago or the worst. It still baffles the mind that thousands of people can cram into beautiful Grant Park for three long and tumultuous days of music, partying, good times and more partying. We've been monitoring some of the recaps from the festival and particularly like this one by Jim DeRogatas at the Chicago Sun-Times. He essentially says that the festival has morphed into more of a party instead of solely being about the music:During the long days, hanging out, drinking and seeing and being seen all seemed to take priority over the music, though certainly the sounds remained the nominal reason for the giant party. But the order of priorities, which seem skewed to the hardcore music lover, explained why the casual Lollapalooza-goer was so willing to embrace even mediocre acts and this year’s generally lackluster roster of headlining stars.To be honest, that's fine by us. Don't get us wrong, it's an amazing thing to see so many great bands so close to our neighborhood but the star of Lollapalooza really is Grant Park. It's an amazing space that provides a truly unique experience. Although bands are known to disingenuously flatter the city they're performing in it seemed like most of them were sincerely in awe of the beautiful park and skyline that makes Downtown Chicago so special (at least half of the shows we saw referenced this).
We realize that many people hate the festival (as shown by our informal poll), but to us that's the beauty of a dynamic city. The greater Grant Park area really does cater to everybody. Whether it's Lollapalooza, Blues Fest, Obama's Election Night Speech, The Chicago Marathon, Taste of Chicago, Movies in the Park, the numerous charity walks throughout the park, Dancing in the Park it's an amazing and versatile place (and that's probably just the tip of the iceberg).The Shrine's big week: No other club is pulling in big name hip-hop artists like The Shrine. In its first three months, the South Loop venue has brought in Slick Rick, Rakim, Ne-Yo and Talib Kweli. This past week, Ludacris and Sean Paul stopped by.If you're like us and have never been, maybe this video will help you get a sense of what a live concert at The Shrine is like:
I'm a fan of Ludacris' song "Undisputed," so I asked him why he had boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. make a cameo on the track
"Rap is real competitive just the same way boxing is," said Ludacris. "We always talk about taking other rappers out. That being said, I feel like I'm the best rapper. I wanted to get the best boxer in the game [for the song]."
Chicagobusiness is reporting that a new restaurant will open at 1212 S. Michigan Avenue. Lou Canellis, a local and national sportscaster, is behind the venture.
If you've wandered around the prairie district or used the 18th street footbridge to go to Soldier field you probably have noticed a small, innocent looking park at the corner of 18th and Calumet. It's not very impressive, but seems to serve its purpose by providing some green space for the local high rise and town house community.Please join us on Saturday, August 15, 2009 from 10-11am for this important event that is almost 200 years in the making. Native Americans, battle descendants, War of 1812 reenactors, historians, National Guardsmen, Park District representatives, residents of the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance and 2nd Ward Alderman Robert W. Fioretti will assemble to dedicate and name the park, "Battle of Fort Dearborn Park," and to place an historic marker which will commemorate the site for its significance in Chicago's early history.Should be interesting and somewhat educational. For more background check out the Chicago Journal's recent piece on the renaming.
For those unfamiliar with the exact location it's right next to The Chicago Firehouse restaurant.Robert Vanecko and his company have a contract to buy what's now the South Loop headquarters of the National Association of Letter Carriers at 1411 S. Michigan, which they plan to knock down and replace with a 220-unit apartment building.
The Lofts at Roosevelt Collection, a 342-unit development originally slated as condos, will be converted into rental apartments, the developer said Friday.The good news is that the theater is still set to open in the November time frame.
Centrum Properties Inc., bowing to continued pressure in the condo market and particularly in the South Loop, said apartments in the building at Clark Street and Roosevelt Road would be available Sept. 1.
Lollapalooza is officially here and we're getting ready to head out (regardless of the rain). Before we leave, here is the Tribune's and Sun-Times must sees for the weekend. We don't really agree with all of this, but to each his own.Success has come in a torrent for Rudresh Mahanthappa since he released "Kinsmen" almost a year ago. The album was declared one of the best of 2008 by folks from the New York Times, NPR, the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, the Village Voice, the Boston Globe...well, you get the idea.Here is a clip of him and a band:
We agree! Gioco and Zapatista are our favorites as well.Chairlift: Originally formed in Boulder, CO, this now Brooklyn-based trio was originally formed to create music for haunted houses. When the band members discovered that they had more to offer than spooky tunes, the band began crafting its avant-pop sound and booking NYC gigs with the likes of then fellow up-and-comers MGMT.Out of these 5, Santigold and Hey Champ sound promising to us. However, Santigold is pretty big already so not sure we would classify her as 'under the radar'...this one sound familiar? Think Bud Light Lime:
Joe Pug: This folk singer may be new on the scene, but he tops the local must-see list. At a mere 24 years old, Pug's lyrics convey wisdom well beyond his years, as he fashions lyrics that tug at your heart strings with forceful conviction. With palpable influences like Bob Dylan and John Prine, Pug's writing suggests both heartache and elation, nostalgia and prospect. His lyrics speak to the masses, as all good Folk music should. Pug's distinctive voice, poetic lyrics and loyal harmonica create the perfect Folk trifecta.
Blind Pilot: This Portland duo offers well-crafted, folksy Americana tunes with lulling melodies. Their debut album, 2008's Rounds and a Sound, led to a world tour supporting the likes of vets such as the Counting Crows and Decemberists. Blind Pilot proves that a band can craft beautiful music despite having only two members.
Hey Champ: These local boys (Rockford, IL) will introduce their electronic-pop sound at this year's festival. The trio lucked out last year when Lupe Fiasco asked them to join him on his national tour. Catchy electro-rock songs like "Cold Dust Girl" are sure to get you moving.Santigold: This Wesleyan-educated Philadelphian songwriter has compiled an impressive musical resume as of late. Not only has she collaborated with N.E.R.D., The Strokes, and Kanye West, earned co-writing credits for Ashlee Simpson and served as tour support for M.I.A., Bjork, Jay-Z, and Coldplay, but the singer has also created a well-respected musical persona. Most often compared to M.I.A. or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Santigold delivers an energetic live performances, backed by catchy pop beats.
"Due to the slower than anticipated development of the South Loop area, we were forced to cease operations at that location,"Not sure we believe that, but that's besides the point. Sam's has been having some issues from a corporate standpoint and from what we've recently read the family who created the business sold out. Regardless, this is probably good news for some of the local wine stores like Wine Styles and South Loop Wine Cellar.
According to Chicago Business, the Blackstone Hotel and their workers are having some issues hammering out a new contract:Labor tensions are flaring at the Blackstone Hotel just as union leaders and local hotel owners prepare to negotiate a new contract for about 6,500 workers at 30 Chicago-area hotels where the current pact expires at the end of this month.Most people are familiar with the long standing strike at the Congress hotel, but this is the first we've heard about issues at Blackstone. Regardless, this strike might not lead to a picket line but it's still could be a PR issue for the Olympic bid:
Both sides, however, may feel pressure to avoid a high-profile, protracted fight that could send convention business to other cities. A hotel labor brawl also would be a public-relations setback for Mayor Richard M. Daley's 2016 Olympics bid, with the final decision on a host city coming in early October. Union picketers have been marching in front of another Michigan Avenue hotel, the Congress Plaza, since 2003.(photo from chicagobusiness.com)
