Status Update: Block 37

Work continues on Block 37 / 108 North State / Daley Mills, or whatever it is you want to call the new mall in the very heart of the Loop.  Or does it?

The work must be going on inside because there' plenty of activity, but little change to those of us on the outside.  The sidewalks remain closed.  Lanes of traffic remain blocked.  And as far as the untrained eye can see things haven't changed much in months.

Again, that doesn't mean that progress isn't being made.  It just means there are few outward signs of it.

What's in a Name? An Obamanation.

Lots of people are trying to cash in on Barack Obama's ascendency to the White House.  We're happy the hype is over and the nation's first half-black president can finally get to work and do some good.  But while the balloons and confetti are done flying in Washington, Obama is still being celebrated here in Chicago.

Case in point:

Yes, that hair salon is called "Obama's Hair Design."  It's in the Manhattan Building (431 South Dearborn).  I guess if Walgreen's can cash in with six months of Obama merchandising, we can't begrudge a local entrepreneur from attempting the same.  Still, this seems more appropriate in Hyde Park than in the Loop.

Obama's Hair Design (actual address is 433 South Dearborn) is owned by Mahmoud M. Elsheikh.  He registered the name with the state on November 12, 2008, one week after the election.  The name had to be re-registered because of a typo on the 25th (it happened to us once, too).  

Changing the name to "Obama" was probably not such a bad idea.  The business' previous name was Ossama's Hair Design.  Talk about an opportunity landing in your lap.  

There are actually eight companies in Illinois with "Obama" in their names that are not campaign-related.  There's a barbecue joint, a tax company, the afore-mentioned hair salon, a souvenir web site, and even a trucking company.

Status Update: The Building That Ate AMA Park

Sure, AMA Park wasn't an official park, but it was a nice patch of green in an area of the city that desperately needs some breathing room.  But there's no point is crying over it any longer, since this is the future.

"This" is the Hotel Palomar Chicago (505 North State Street), brought to us by the Kimpton Group -- the same people doing (IMHO) a great job with the Hotel Monaco, Hotel Allegro, and the Hotel Burnham.  This is Kimpton's first hotel in Chicago that isn't built into an existing historic building.

As you can see, the new building just inches from the beloved AMA Building (the striped building with the big hole in the top at 515 North State Street) is moving along quickly.  There's already glazing on the lower floors so interior work can proceed in defiance of the winter winds.

When completed, the building designed by John Buck Company will be 380 feet tall, have 36 stories, and boast 259 rooms.  That means it will be about 60 feet taller than the AMA Building.  It also means that some of the rooms should have a view right through the hole in the AMA Building.  Now that's a postcard I can't wait to see.

Daley Plaza Isn't a Trailer Park

What's the difference between the Daley Center and a trailer park?  The Daley Center isn't waiting until April to take down its Christmas decorations.  The last of the trees that made up the massive city Christmas tree have finally been hauled away.  This picture was snapped on Friday, January 23rd as crews were removing the last bits of it.  Still, the fresh scent of pine hung in the air in a soothing way.  It was a nice contrast to the incessant blaring of taxi horns as the hacks honk at invisible leprechauns on their dashboards or whatever it is that causes their antisocial insolence.

New Barney's Building Open For Business, But Not Barney's

The first business has opened in the new Barney's New York building on the corner of Oak Street and State Street.  But it's not Barney's that's open -- it's Citibank.

The bank moved from its old digs next to the Esquire Theater on Oak Street on January 15th, and opened its doors in the new location on the 20th.  The lobby has that new bank smell, but the bank as a whole is much smaller than the old location.

It's nice to see an oft-overlooked segment of North State Street getting some attention, but to tell the truth we're worried about the future of Oak Street with festering cavity that is the Esquire becoming a polyp on the retail scene there.  But then again, we should just have faith that something will happen with the property eventually.  After all, a watched boil never pops.

Illuminating Loop Art

The good news is that we're not on crack.  A few weeks ago I published a blog entry about the renovation of the CTA State/Lake elevated station .  As part of the renovation, the facade is now illuminated by color-changing LEDs.  It's very cool, especially with the Chicago Theater and WLS Television marquees right next to it.

When I published that entry I thought that maybe I'd been seeing things.  Someone who worked on the station renovation even wrote that he knew nothing about it. While I haven't been able to get down there on foot at night lately to confirm what I saw, I did at least see it again.

Once again -- on the 151 bus heading north on State Street, just before the turn eastward on Washington there it was again in all its glowing glory -- the "light bridge."  I've circled it in orange in this crappy camera phone picture  (yeah, I know my lawyer will have a fit for publishing camera phone pix shot on a CTA bus).

I really am going to make an effort to get down there and shoot it properly.  It's silly since I live and work maybe a dozen blocks away.  But somehow something else always comes up.

De Crane! De Crane! Boss, it's De Crane!

A year after construction crews popped the top off of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower to add another 25 stories to the 32-story structure, things are starting to wrap up.

Over the weekend (Saturday, January 24, 2009) the eastern crane (on the left in this picture, obscured by Aqua) began to slowly come down off of the tower.  That means the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois building has reached its maximum height of 796 feet -- quite a change from 411 feet before.

Also of interest is the slice of building on the far left of the photograph.  This is 340 On The Park, a condo tower.  When most people bought their units there they could look down on BCBS.  Now it's right in the faces of people who used to have western views.  Ah, the hazards of real estate in the big city.

The Delight Is In The Details

The Chicago Tribune moved an article late last week about the newly revived Chicago Art Deco Society.  It's a group of people trying to preserve what little Art Deco installations still exist in the city.

Chicago is more of an Art Moderne metropolis, or at least it would have been if Maria Mies Ludwig Mies van der Rohe hadn't gotten in the way.  But there are still pockets of Deco delight here and there to behold.

And since the Tribune didn't see fit to include a link to the organization's web site, we will: The Chicago Art Deco Society .

Quickie: New restaurant for Block 37

The Chicago Tribune reports that a new Freshii will open in Block 37.  It's a Toronto-based company specializing in healthy foods.

Endgame: Talbot's Out at Chicago Place

After months of speculation and even a lawsuit, Talbot's has finally been forced out of Chicago Place.  That leaves the food court and Saks Fifth Avenue as the only operating concerns in the retail portion of what was once a vibrant vertical mall at the center of the Magnificent Mile.

Now, it's mostly abandoned.  The heat's turned off in the public areas.  The escalators have been turned off, too.  According to the Sun-Times, there's just one public elevator for accessing the food court.  The place is downright creepy.

But with the exit of Talbot's comes hope for something new.  In numerous published reports it was detailed that the owners of Chicago Place wanted to use the Talbot's space for a new Zara store.  That can happen now that the space is vacant.

But it seems strange to us that Zara would even want to be in Chicago Place.  The owner of Zara owns the block next door on Michigan Avenue -- the one with the Peninsula Hotel and the Pottery Barn that's becoming yet another Victoria's Secret.

So why would he want to pay rent to Chicago Place when there is tons of vacant retail space on the block that he owns?  Our hope is that he has a big deal in the works to fill the vacant space that was once American Girl Place and CompUSA.  We hope.

As an aside, the Zara guy took a $200 million mortgage on the Peninsula block just a couple of weeks ago, according to Crain's.  We don't know if that's significant or not.  We're not real estate "experts" and even those who claim to be don't seem to know what's going on in this economy.

Off Topic: HD Radio In Chicago

By now most people have heard an ad or two on the radio for something called HD radio.  If you've wondered what the difference is between regular radio and HD radio, it boils down to two things -- quality and content.

The quality of the sounds is better.  Even on AM.  In fact, I used to be an avid WGN Radio listener, but since it's not in HD, I simply can't stand the noise of regular AM in my ears anymore.  Sorry, WGN.  It's time to turn your HD transmission back on.

On the FM side, the sound is cleaner.  I won't say it's CD quality, but it's certainly better than regular FM.

The big thing is content -- people wonder what they will be able to hear with an HD radio that they can't with a regular radio.

We have an HD radio near the top of the John Hancock Center, so we put together a list of what we get on our radio.  Your mileage will vary based on your radio and your location.  But the radio does a great job of pulling in distant stations that weren't available before, even just regular FM ones.  So if you're in Chicago, you should be able to hear most of what we hear.

Here's the list.  HD-only channels are highlighted:



 88.1 WCRX Chicago Columbia College
 88.3 WDGC-FM Downers Grove Downers Grove High School
 88.5 WHPK-FM Chicago University of Chicago
 88.7 WLUW Chicago Loyola University
 89.1 WONC Naperville North Central College
 89.3 WNUR-FM Evanston Northwestern University
 89.5 WBEW Chesterton, IN Chicago Public Radio
 89.7 WONU Kankakee Olivet Nazarine University
 90.1.1 WMBI-HD Chicago Moody Bible Institute
 90.1.2 WMBI-HD2 Chicago Moody Bible Institute
 90.1.3 WMBI-HD3 Chicago Moody Bible Institute
 90.5 WRTE Chicago Spanish
 90.9.1 WDCB-HD1 Glen Ellyn Jazz
 91.5 WBEZ Chicago Chicago Public Radio
 92.3.1 WPWX-HD Hammond, IN Urban
 92.7 WCPT-FM Arlington Heights Talk
 93.1.1 WXRT-FM-HD Chicago Rock
 93.1.2 WXRT-FM-HD2 Chicago Rock
 93.5 WVIX Joliet Spanish
 93.9.1 WLIT-FM-HD Chicago Adult Contemporary
 93.9.2 WLIT-FM-HD2 Chicago 70's/80's
 94.3 WZOC Plymouth, IN Oldies
 94.7.1 WLS-FM-HD Chicago Oldies
 94.7.2 WLS-FM-HD2 Chicago Talk (WLS relay)
 95.1 WIIL Kenosha, WI Rock
 95.5.1 WNUA-HD Chicago Smooth Jazz
 95.5.2 WNUA-HD2 Chicago Jazz
 95.9 WEFM Michigan City, IN Variety
 96.3.1 WBBM-FM-HD1 Chicago Top 40
 96.3.2 WBBM-FM-HD2 Chicago Dance
 96.7 WSSR Joliet Adult Contemporary
 97.1.1 WDRV-HD Chicago Rock
 97.1.2 WDRV-HD2 Chicago Rock
 97.9.1 WLUP-FM-HD Chicago Hard Rock
 97.9.2 WLUP-FM-HD2 Chicago Heavy Metal
 97.9.3 WLUP-FM-HD3 Chicago Indian
 98.3 WCCQ Crest Hill Country
 98.7 WFMT Chicago Classical
 99.1 WMYX-FM Milwaukee, WI Adult Contemporary
 99.5.1 WUSN-HD Chicago Country
 99.5.2 WUSN-HD2 Chicago Country
 99.5.3 WUSN-HD3 Chicago Sports
 99.9 WCPQ Park Forest Talk
100.3.1 WILV-HD Chicago Adult Contemporary
100.3.2 WILV-HD2 Chicago Love Songs
100.7 WRXQ Coal City Rock
101.1.1 WKQX-HD Chicago Alternative
101.1.2 WKQX-HD2 Chicago Punk
101.5 WNSN South Bend, IN Adult Contemporary
101.9.1 WTMX-HD Skokie Adult Contemporary
101.9.2 WTMX-HD2 Skokie 80's
102.7.1 WVAZ-HD Oak Park Urban
102.7.2 WVAZ-HD2 Oak Park Gospel
103.1 WVIV-FM Highland Park Spanish
103.5.1 WKSC-FM-HD Chicago Rhythmic CHR
103.5.2 WKSC-FM-HD2 Chicago Dance
103.9 WXRD Crown Point, IN Rock
104.3.1 WJMK-HD1 Chicago Rock
104.3.2 WJMK-HD2 Chicago Oldies
104.7 WCFL Morris Religious
105.1.1 WOJO-HD Evanston Spanish
105.1.2 WOJO-HD2 Evanston Spanish
105.1.3 WOJO-HD3 Evanston Spanish
105.5 WLJE Valparaiso, IN Country
105.9.1 WCFS-FM-HD Elmwood Park Adult Contemporary
105.9.2 WCFS-FM-HD2 Elmwood Park News (WBBM-AM relay)
106.3 WSRB Lansing R&B
106.7.1 WPPN-HD Des Plaines Spanish
106.7.2 WPPN-HD2 Des Plaines Spanish
107.1 WZVN Lowell, IN Adult Contemporary
107.5.1 WGCI-FM-HD Chicago Urban
107.5.2 WGCI-FM-HD2 Chicago Hip Hop
107.9 WLEY-FM Aurora Spanish




 560 WIND Chicago
 650 WSM Nashville, TN
 670 WSCR-HD Chicago
 700 WLW-HD Cincinnati, OH
 720 WGN Chicago
 740 CFZM Toronto, ON
 750 WSM Atlanta, GA
 760 WJR-HD Detroit, MI
 780 WBBM-AM-HD Chicago
 810 WGY Albany, NY
 820 WCPT Crystal Lake
 830 WCCO Minneapolis, MN
 840 WHAS Louisville
 890 WLS Chicago
 950 WNTD Chicago
1000 WMVP Chicago
1020 KDKA Pittsburgh
1030 WBZ-HD Boston, MA
1040 WHO-HD Des Moines, IA
1080 WNWI Oak Lawn
1100 WTAM Cleveland, OH
1120 KMOX Saint Louis, MO
1160 WYLL Chicago
1180 WRTO-HD Chicago
1270 WWCA Gary, IN
1390 WGRB-HD Chicago
1430 WEEF Highland Park
1450 WCEV Cicero
1450 WRLL Cicero
1490 WPNA Oak Park
1510 WWHN Joliet
1530 WJJG Elmhurst
1590 WONX Evanston
1600 WCGO Chicago Heights
1690 WVON Berwyn

Quickie: Manager Named for Elysian Chicago

I don't know if this is new or not, but it's at least news to me.

The Elysian Chicago has a general manager  Kevin Robinson will head up the hotel inside the new tower on Walton Street.


His last job was with the Four Seasons Alexandria (Egypt, not Virginia).  Before that he worked for the same chain in Dallas.


Source

Signs of Life at Chicago Place

I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it, but we have photographic proof that something is actually happening at Chicago Place.

For those of you who don't know, the once not-all-that-bad vertical mall in a prime spot in the heart of the Michigan Avenue shopping district (heck, the food court is within wifi sniffing range of the Apple Store!) is just a husk of its former self.

Chicago's main Saks Fifth Avenue store still functions, as does Talbot's, but that's it aside from the food court way up at the top.  The ground floor is unheated.  The escalators have been turned off.  According to a Sun-Times report, there's just one working elevator to take people up to the delights of Panda Express and what may be the only McDonald's in the developed world that doesn't take credit cards.

For a  years we've heard talk about converting the dead stores into hotel space, or a big box store, but nothing has come to fruition.  Then this happened:

This is a cameraphone snap e-mailed to us by a reader.  It's clearly the former Customer Service desk from back when Chicago Place had customers.  Those appear to be blueprints spread out across the desk.  Judging from the jeans and boots, the men are architects or engineers, not real estate or developer types.

It's not much, but it's the first hint we've gotten in a long time that anything positive might come to Chicago Place.

Review: The Loop's Most Overlooked Internet Café

While Chicago has more options than most cities for public internet access, it's not exactly the ubiquitous presence we were promised in the late 90's.

I'm a huge fan of Starbucks, its girly coffee-flavored drinks, and especially its very reliable internet access.  Back when it was T-Mobile only, it was more than worth the $39.99/month I spent on it to be able to pop into a 'Bucks from Chicago to Atlanta to Los Angeles to get some work done while on the road.  A single invoice I was able to squeak out from London Heathrow airport just ahead of a deadline was more than enough to justify the expense.

But free is good, too.  And there are more and more free, and semi-free (buy a coffee first) options.  One of the more overlooked is called Jazzman's Café.

The lone Chicago outlet of this French-owned chain that we're aware of is deep in the bowels of the Thompson Center in the Loop.  It opened a year ago and is tucked in behind the escalators that lead down to the food court and if not for the neon glow of the "Free Wifi" sign, it might be missed.

Of course, nothing is free in this world, so here's the skinny -- buy something to eat or drink and you can use one of their computers for 15 minutes.  Bring your own laptop and buy something and you get to use the wifi for what appears to be an unlimited amount of time.

The speed is good, though the reliability is not.  Many internet addresses simply won't resolve, or do so sporadically.  Google Maps and YouTube are particularly glaring examples.  But if you just need mail and a little basic web surfing, it's a good option.

The decor is straight out of a Don Johnson nightmare, but security is good which means the chances of being accosted by a beggar or having to smell a vagrant sleeping at the next table is near zero, especially compared with the average Starbucks.

Prices are average, and an array of sandwiches supplements the modest bakery offerings.

So if you're killing time in The Loop and can't fathom why Lavazza still hasn't gotten on board with the whole internet thing, then this is probably a place to keep on your radar.