Grocery Store - Alfa Foods - Moving Into Long Vacant Retail Spot on South Wabash

Looks like a new shop is coming to a long vacated store front on Wabash:

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For those interested, this location was a Subway for a long time but closed their doors back in 2018.

Celebrate Chanukah with Chabad South Loop at Roosevelt Collection on Dec 5th

For the Chanukah celebrators, head on over on Dec 5th to Roosevelt Collection as Chabad South Loop celebrates:

Sun-Times: Two Sloop Locations Frontrunners for Downtown Chicago Casino

More chatter on the casino and the money looks to be on two Sloop sights (via Sun-Times):

some insiders believe the casino competition boils down to Neil Bluhm versus Neil Bluhm.

The head of Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming and owner of the lucrative Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Bluhm is behind two proposals, either of which could benefit from few complications and a quick start. With the firm Related Midwest, Bluhm wants a casino on vacant acreage in the development site known as The 78, running southwest from Roosevelt and Clark.

It’s close to downtown, and the land is shovel-ready. But Bluhm has hedged his bets, offering on his own a casino plan for the existing Lakeside Center at McCormick Place, the oldest building at the convention complex and the one least utilized. It’s got parking already there and vast floors ready for slots and table games.

We're pretty cold on the 78 location as it would dramatically change the profile of the Sloop as this land is poised to become a critical, central component of the neighborhood.  

That said, the renderings of the 78 casino does look pretty striking and it has a crazy high tower:

For anyone looking for architectural flourishes, the biggest offering is at The 78. The plan includes a 1,000-foot observation tower—its rendering makes it look like a giant circular staircase. It’s almost as tall as 875 North Michigan, the former John Hancock Center.

As part of its entertainment component, the plan promises to re-create Mister Kelly’s, the storied Rush Street nightclub that was a stopover for musicians and comedians traveling from coast to coast. It closed in 1975.

 

Xpot at Roosevelt Collection Simply Looks Amazing and Out of this World

Xpot in Roosevelt Collection has been open for a couple weeks now and the yelp reviews and pictures seem spectacular.  We haven't been yet, but just take a look at some of these instagram posts:

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Wow - just wow!  Can't wait to try this place out...has anyone been yet?

4 out of the 5 Casino Location Proposals In or Close to the Sloop

Last week we posted about 5 casino sites that were proposed for the city and numerous ones in the Sloop. Well it ends up that 4 of the 5 are in the neighborhood!  We're not huge bettors, but those seem like pretty good odds that there is going to be a casino in the neighborhood.  The question now is where?

The four locations in (or very close) to the Sloop are:

• Bally’s Chicago — McCormick Place Truck Marshaling Yard
• Hard Rock at the One Central Development (west of Solder Field)
• Rivers Chicago at McCormick
• Rivers 78 Gaming

Each of these proposals have many pros/cons.  First off, the Bally's proposal is south of what we would consider the Sloop, but it's still pretty close.  Out of these 4 proposals, we would imagine our neighborhood would be most supportive of this one since it's just outside our boundaries.  According to the Tribune, the alderman representing this ward has been pretty adamant that she doesn't support this location - so we will see if that's a deal breaker.

While One Central is the development that won't go away and a casino at this location probably gives it a shot in the arm...we still think it's a long shot (and years away from ever potentially happening).  

Rivers Chicago at McCormick

So that leaves us with the Rivers proposals.  In our opinion, the Rivers Chicago at McCormick is very interesting on many fronts.  The Tribune explains it as:

The proposal to redevelop Lakeside Center — formerly the East Building — at McCormick Place would have a number of built-in advantages, according to Scott Goodman, founding principal of Chicago-based Farpoint Development.

“We think this is a perfect adjunct to what’s already there,” Goodman said. “Things are already in place, not least of which is the structure, but also other infrastructure, such as parking and access, and ways for people to get there.”

The seldom-used, 50-year-old Lakeside Center has 583,000 square feet of exhibit space, but is dwarfed by the newer McCormick Place West Building, which opened in 2007. It is adjacent to an abundance of hotel rooms, has lakefront vistas, is designed for high-traffic events and in a post-COVID-19 world, could help draw conventions and conventioneers to roll the dice on Chicago, Goodman said.

The plan would create casino floor up to 300,000 square feet, with the rest of the exhibit floor filled with food and beverage options, as well as entertainment spaces, Goodman said. The redevelopment would also address maintenance issues and capital improvement needs that have been “compiling” at the building, he said.

The adaptive reuse of an existing convention hall may have one significant advantage over competing proposals with new buildings — an expedited timeline.

It's a pretty iconic location right on the lake, it's a re-use of an underutilized building and it's connected to McCormick Place (which some say is a problem).  Those are pretty big assets from our vantage point.

Rivers 78

The 78 certainly has the space and nice river location for a casino, but in our opinion this spot would be a tough pill to swallow for the Sloop.  This is in the heart of the Sloop and would change they dynamics of the neighborhood in a major way.  Sure the 78 was going to do that regardless, but add a casino and we just don't know...seems like a bad move.

Details are pretty limited on this proposal, but the developer Related Midwest did say:

Related Midwest President Curt Bailey offered few details but plenty of enthusiasm about the plan, saying it “would work extremely well and probably produce the highest-income casino in the city of Chicago because of the location.”

Of course that's what he was going to stay, but might have some truth.  It is a good location.

This will be interesting to monitor.  Certainly the site at the Chicago Tribune Publishing Center is a good location, but in our opinion not as good as some of the Sloop spots.  

 

Spanglish Has Eviction Sign on Door and Looks to be Closed as Retail Space is For Lease

 It looks like Spanglish (555 S. State) might be closed and not reopening:

There’s an eviction notice on the window of Spanglish Mexican Kitchen (State St. between Congress and Harrison).

Regarding the reopening, Mr. South Loop posted that the retail space is up for lease, so all sign point to the being the end of Spanglish (at least at this location).

We liked Spanglish, but it was never a go-to taco spot for us.  For those who are curious, Spanglish opened back in 2013, so has had a nice 8 year run.

(Hat tip:  AB!)

New Brunch Spot - The Southern Chicago - Signs Lease at 2000 S. Wabash

 Looks like the southern part of the Sloop is getting a new brunch spot:

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The stretch of Wabash south of 18th has been pretty barren for awhile.  For long time Sloopers you may remember Cuatro and Room 21 brought some energy, but those both closed over 10 years ago - wow!  

Who remembers The Shrine on Wabash?  That hosted some big names and provided a trendy hip-hope vibe to Wabash.  That also closed about 5 years ago.

Anyway - interested to try out The Southern and welcome to the Sloop.

5 Sites Proposed for Casino in Chicago, Including Numerous Locations Close to the Sloop

It looks like a Casino in (or very close) to the Sloop is a good bet (via Chicago Tribune):

Developers submitted five proposals to operate casinos in Chicago, bringing the city one step closer to a potential big revenue boost and achieving a goal that has eluded local mayors for decades.

Still, the project will have to clear major hurdles in the coming months as Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration sorts through the proposals and picks a winner. It’s not clear where all of the proposed gambling venues would go but experts generally believe a new casino should be in or near downtown.

• Bally’s Corporation submitted proposals for two sites and would self-manage the facility, according to the city.
• HR Chicago submitted a proposal for a single site that would be managed by Hard Rock International, according to the city.
• Rivers Chicago at McCormick submitted a proposal for a single site that would be managed by Rush Street Gaming,
• Rivers 78 Gaming submitted a proposal for a single site that would also be managed by Rush Street Gaming.

There has been a lot of drama and uncertainty about a Chicago Casino, but we are only mildly surprised that many of the submission include spots in the Sloop.  That said, a Casino in the 78 development is one that would drastically change the dynamics of the neighborhood and one that we're pretty lukewarm on.  There are a ton of residential units in and around that area and just feels off in our opinion.    

Will be interesting to see how the city plays this hand.