Now Open: Protein Bar

What happens when a fat kid gets thin?  He take the secret of his weight loss success and turns it into a restaurant.  Protein Bar is now open across the street from the Sears Tower at 235 South Franklin for all your noshing needs.

The Nichols Bridgeway: More Than a Massive Downspout

Over the weekend, two of the city's newest tourist attractions opened: The Art Institute of Chicago's Modern Wing , which we talked about Thursday, and the attached Nichols Bridgeway.  "Bridgeway," by the way, is not a word.

The "bridgeway," for lack of a better description, looks essentially an overgrown PVC drainage pipe drawing human runoff from the Art Institute and depositing it across Monroe Street in Millennium Park.  Or at least it would seem that way, if gravity was in charge.  In reality, traffic moves best from the park side to the museum side.  That's because once a crowd of tourists arrives at the museum side, there is a series of escalators to smoothly move them from the third floor bridge lobby down to the main lobby of the museum where they can purchase tickets or visit the gift shop.

Going the other way is an exercise in futility. You cannot get to the third floor bridge lobby from the third floor of the Art Institute.  Or the second.  It is only accessible from the first floor.  And then, only from outside the museum area, and only by a single elevator which is woefully inadequate for the hoards of tourists and their baby buggies trying to go the other way.

The Nichols Bridgeway was touted, in part, as a safe solution for moving tourists back and forth across Monroe between the Art Institute and the are near the Lurie Garden.  But it only works one way.  This is because anyone can use the bridge for free.  You can wander from Millennium Park up the bridge and end up in the Modern Wing of the Art Institute -- but the newly arrived masses must be kept behind the ticketing and security barrier to prevent free access to the treasures inside.  It's like the difference between the land side and the air side of an airport terminal.  Except in this case, arriving at the airport puts you as far as you can possibly get from the ticketing and check-in counters that you need to proceed into the rest of the facility.

It was all designed to be clean, and elegant, and very Buck Rogers.  It was not designed for mobility or to effectively transport 20 thousand shuffling tourists.  During Saturday's grand opening, the most common question posed to the weary workers at the museum's third floor terrace bar wasn't, "Can I get a double latte?"  It was, "Where the heck is the stupid bridge?"

Every directional sign in the Modern Wing clearly states that access to the bridge on the third floor is from the first floor, but it's so counterintuitive that the average tourist can be forgiven for thinking it's a mistake.  And even when one is on the first floor, the bridge access area is ensconced down a side hallway around the back of the gift shop.  

The other thing that puzzles is the notion of drainage.  Will the bridge be open when it rains?  Sure, Chicago isn't Seattle.  But we do get an average of three feet of rain each year, and the Nichols Bridgeway looks designed to capture and move moisture rapidly into Millennium Park.

Toward the bottom of the bridge, pedestrians exit to the east through a little gangway, while water continues flowing to the end of the bridge.  In the photo above it looks like the bridge actually misses dumping its load into an existing drain by about two feet.  That's something of an optical illusion, as the visible drain is well beyond the reach of the bridge.

What does exist is a tiny circular drain embedded deep in the grass right below the apex of the lip of the bridge.  Is it enough to handle the flow from a thunderstorm?  The surrounding grass will let us know over the next few months.  My uneducated guess is that we'll see some gravel at the end of the bridge before the end of the year.

Clearly, the Art Institute is worried about water, too.  Security guards posted near and on the bridge are warning tourists to keep their water bottles closed when walking on the bridge.  They're worried about people slipping and falling on the shiny new metal deck.  Maybe once the bridge is worn in that might not be a concern anymore.  But for now the bridge could face trouble whether the skies are wet, or the tourists are dry.

Inside the Michigan Avenue Best Buy Before it Opens

Much to the delight of some, and the horror of others, a new Best Buy store is going to open inside the John Hancock Center just hours from now.

The intrusion of yet another mall-class store into the formerly posh Magnificent Mile isn't being taken lightly by nearby residents, but they have to admit -- it's better than a massive vacant space at the base of one of the city's iconic skyscrapers.

We've been following the Best Buy saga since it was announced about a year ago, and followed it from concept drawings to the reality is is today:

Wednesday night there was an invitation-only VIP party held in the store.  People who live in the John Hancock Center, along with representatives of local NIMBY group "SOAR," and pretty much anyone else who might make trouble for the project were invited to an evening of booze and live music to help start neighborly relations off on a good foot.

This photograph is more representative of the store than the crowd.  It was taken from the staircase that unifies the two-story store.  It looks like only a few people were there, but that's just bad timing.  In reality I'd say at least a thousand people passed through the store in the two hours the party was on.

Remember when the Best Buy was first proposed, we were told that it would be a "boutique" store carrying a limited number of high-end items to match the milieu of North Michigan Avenue?  Forget about it.  This is a standard Best Buy store with all of the same stuff as a Best Buy from Appleton, Wisconsin to Middletown, New York.  Remember when the base of the Hancock Center had a Cartier?  Well, Kay Jewelers just moved in.

The ground floor of the store is given over to cell phones, iPods, GPS units, and the high-profit accessories that go with them.  Those aren't all that useful to people who live in the neighborhood.

Arriving upstairs, the shopper is surrounded by mid-range and low-end video cameras.  Prowling further, there is a section of laptop computers.  Various flavors of bulbous, sticker-covered Wintels on the right, and sleek, silver Apple MacBooks on the other side of the aisle.

It should also be noted, that there is a small section of some pretty high-end cameras.  No 1DS Mark III's, but a Canon 50D, several Nikon equivalents, and many professional-level accessories are available.  Even the Extreme III 30 MB edition SD cards are available.

Then there is a respectably large DVD section, then video games (XBox, PS3, PSP, Wii, DS), and then a home theater section with half the TVs brightness levels jacked up and the other half turned down, seemingly at random.

All in all, the store is remarkably large.  Sure, it's no North Avenue, but this isn't a store to sneeze at.  It appears to carry the full range of Best Buy gear.  And that includes washers and dryers, food processors, and a blend stick I came very close to using my Hancock Resident Discount on.

More importantly, there are staples to be found.  Things that are actually useful to people who live nearby.  Since CompUSA closed, the options for getting certain things have been limited.  Blank DVDs?  Well, there's Walgreen's -- if you don't want dual-layer discs.  A USB cable?  Better hoof it into the Loop.  Printer ink?  Well, if you have an HP printer you can go to Walgreen's; otherwise it's way over to the Ohio Street off ramp to give you Canon or Epson a drink.  Thanks to this Best Buy, network cards, bare bones hard drives, and other kit parts are all available in 60611 for the first time in two years.

So, while it furthers the mallification of the former Boul Mich, Best Buy is indeed better than nothing.  And in some ways, it's going to be quite useful for those of us who like to shop for electronics in our underwear.*

And if the regular sales staff is even half as helpful as those on hand for the VIP event, then they'll be ten times better than the loafers at CompUSA (who refused to sell my wife a $600 computer because she's a girl and wouldn't understand how to use it!)

The manager of the store seems like a very nice young woman who is eager to make this work.  Her store opens Saturday morning.  If you're in the neighborhood, stop in and decide for yourself whether this is a welcome addition to the neighborhood.


*Note: It is against Hancock Center rules for the residents to appear in public areas in their underwear, so don't worry about seeing grandpa's droopy knees at the checkout line.

Chicago Brick of the Day: L'Arc de Triomphe

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

L'Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France .

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

Art Institute Expansion Opens Tomorrow. Not Quite Done

The Art Institute of Chicago opens its biggest expansion in years tomorrow.  The new 264,000 square foot modern wing comes complete with a slew of eco-friendly features, a big name starchitect, and a $294,000,000.00 price tag.

It's the first major public project for the Italian architect in Chicago, though as the New York Times notes, the rest of "America has been suffering from Renzo Piano fatigue."  He's been doing art museums in Texas and California since the 80's.

I went down to the museum on Thursday, figuring that if it was going to open on Saturday, it would be finished.  I was wrong.  There was still much frantic dozing of bull, scaping of land, and even some cement work being done.  I did get to watch as a guy folded on his knees on the ground scratched "Renzo Piano" into the cornerstone near the new entrance.  I always thought that sort of work would be done in an artisan's studio, not in the hot sun and dust of East Monroe Street with what looked like little more than a screwdriver, but I'm sure was a much more sophisticated tool than I can comprehend.  I didn't get that good a look at it because some guy in a hard hat and an accent I couldn't quite identify driving a scissor jack yelled at me to get out of his way.  Renzo?  Not likely.  But maybe one of his flunkies.  What an honor to be admonished by the man next to the man next to the guy who gets coffee for the architect who designed a museum in Chicago 20 years after doing the legendary Menil Collection in Houston.  We'd might as well be Winnipeg.

I'm not trying to be critical.  Certainly not.  The building is beautiful, and I hope it stays that way.  There's lots of intricate gleaming white surfaces that will need to be cleaned.  Thanks to Iowa, Chicago's a lot dustier than some cities.  I hope that the building can be kept looking like new.  I think it's a nice building.

It's also important to note that according to its new signs and logos, the joint is now the "Art Institvte" as if we've stepped back in time to ancient Greece and no longer have use of the letter "u."  Funny how the "Modern" wing gets the old alphabet.

It's not exactly daring or groundbreaking or anything like that, but it's new.  I like new.  It turns out, it's not supposed to be cutting-edge.  Again, to quote the Times:

...The subdued nature of his designs — sophisticated but not too threatening or unfamiliar — which seem tailored to ease the insecurities of museum boards. Some envy his elegance, which makes him seem equally at home in corporate boardrooms and lofty cultural circles.

It’s hard to know how these qualities will play out amid the gloom and doom of the new economy. In some ways Mr. Piano’s refined, risk-averse architecture may be more appealing than ever. He is not out to start a revolution. His designs are about tranquillity, not conflict.

Tranquility is good.  Especially when you're trying to immerse yourself in a great piece of art and some little brat who's way too old to still be pushed around in a stroller is screaming at the top of her lungs for no apparent reason other than people are looking at something other than her.  I believe that art museums (along with airlines and restaurants) would find that there are millions of people willing to pay a premium for child-free access to their facilities, even if only for a few hours a week.

Of course, there are already people who pay for premium access to the Art Institute.  They're called "members."  I was one when I first moved to Chicago, but didn't renew my membership because the museum sold my information to every charity from here to Peoria.  I value my privacy a little more than the Institute does.

Regardless, there were plenty of members on hand on Thursday, as it was a member preview day.  They got to go inside and marvel at the space, and the art, and the new garden of serenity, and crawl all over the new Nichols Bridgeway (we'll have an article on that on Monday).  They also got to watch some girl carrying a green flag run up and down the new bridge over Monroe while being timed by a man with a stopwatch.

In all, I think the new wing will be a success.  I'll be among the throngs of people shoving their way in on Saturday -- the first official day the unwashed masses get a crack at it.  If nothing else, the extra space will at least thin out the herds of tourists who flood the Art Institute every day, keeping the locals out of the facility that is partially funded with their tax dollars ("Locals Day," anyone?).  I will go.  I will acknowledge the splendor of it all.  I will mark it off my list of things to do in Chicago.

When the Sky Scrapes Back

For the last five months or so we've been staring out the window at the massive edifice that is the Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago .  Over the months we've grown to appreciate the building that has so drastically altered the city's skyline.  Especially, the way it plays with light at sunrise and sunset.  But today we saw the Trump Tower play a different game.

What you're seeing in this craptastic camera phone picture is the sun hitting the Trump building, which is then throwing an enormous beam of light upwards into a low-hanging deck of clouds like a giant spotlight. The show lasted for about 15 minutes until the sun moved to a new position.

It's a neat, if unintentional, trick and just another way that the city's newest super tower plays with light.

If you haven't done it yet, it's worth taking 30 minutes out of your day to watch the sun slowly slide down the side of the building during sunset, or take a look at it around 5:30 in the morning when the rest of the skyline is dark and gray, but Trump is a bright silver candlestick in the middle of the city.  It's all pretty neat.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Montsec Memorial

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

The World War I Montsec American Memorial in Thiaucourt, France .  The correct spelling is "Montsec," not "Mont Sec" as is carved in the Tribune Tower's facade.

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

Intel Pops Up at Dead CompUSA

It used to be possible to walk into 101 East Chicago Avenue and buy an Intel processor.  Of course, that hasn't been the case for at least a year since the CompUSA store at that location closed  its doors.  But Intel is back -- using the space as a combination billboard and PR stunt.

The billboard beckons passers by to text their thoughts on the future to INTEL on their cell phones and what they write might just appear on the big TV on the ground level.  Or not.  With similar displays up at other locations around the country, you might want to wait until the dead of night to try your hand at publicizing your thoughts to what is likely the world's smallest broadcast audience.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Clementine Hall

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

Clementine Hall in Vatican City .  Contrary to what's chiseled in the facade of the Tribune Tower, Clementine Hall is not the Pope's residence.  The Pope lives in the Papal Apartments .  Clementine Hall is a reception area.

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

Iron Maiden at Holy Name Cathedral

No, it's not a roof-fixing fund raiser headlined by the English rockers from last century.  What popped up in the parking lot of Holy Name Cathedral this weekend turned even more heads than the elderly metal heads would.

It was a 33-foot-tall statue of the Virgin Mary.  Specifically, a stainless steel statue called Our Lady of the New Millennium.

Her appearance was enough to stop traffic on State Street and cause people waiting on Superior to miss their green lights staring at the thing.

Apparently, it's been around for almost a decade and has been touring various parishes in the area. We've been in Chicago six years, and this is the first time we've seen it, so it's new to us.

The 8,400-pound Mary was made by Delaware sculptor Charles Parks at the behest of Chicago South Sider Carl Demma.  He commissioned it in 1995 and gave it to the Archdiocese of Chicago to inspire local Catholics.  Carl died on June 25, 2000 -- shortly after his dream was fulfilled.

So keep your eye open.  You never know where she might pop up next.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Swedish Viking Monument

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is:

The Viking Monument from the Malar Lake Valley of Sweden.

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

First Farmers' Market of 2009

It's farmers market season in Chicago once again.  It's your best chance to sink your teeth into the freshest food possible without leaving the city.

Today was the first one -- at Federal Plaza in the Loop.  The next one is Thursday at Daley Plaza, but they become more frequent and widespread as the season progresses.

Because the schedule can be somewhat haphazard (I'm looking at you, Museum of Science and Industry), we've put together a calendar to help you on your way.

To view the Chicago Farmers markets calendar as a web page, click here .
If you have a Mac, you can subscribe to the Chicago Farmers Market calendar in iCal by clicking here .
If you're on another type of computer or PDA that supports .ics calendar imports, click here to download the Chicago Farmers Market calendar .

Here's some pictures from today's event:

Another Big Step Forward at the Elysian

It's always a milestone when a crane goes up.  To architecture geeks it symbolizes that construction of a skyscraper is unarguably underway and that the result has the potential to be something tall and magnificent; something worth bringing in a crane for.

Starting today, the crane at the Elysian Chicago is coming down.

Having performed its service, the crane will be removed today (May 12, 2009), tomorrow, and Thursday.

If you're the sort of person who drives, then avoid the area.  It will be a mess.  If you're the sort of person who likes to stand around watching cranes be disassembled, there's a Starbucks on the next block.  Grab yourself a cupppa Joe and enjoy.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Flodden Field

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

Flodden Field near Branxton, England .

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

Best Buy Just About Ready to Open on Michigan Avenue

The new Best Buy showcase store in the John Hancock Center is rapidly approaching "finishing touches" stage.

The signs have been mounted on the exterior granite of the building.  Most of the window displays are in place, and peeking behind them, you can see that most of the shelves are stocked.

Nicely, the windows each have a different Chicago theme.  One is professional photography at the Art Institute .  Another is point-and-shoot at Wrigley Field .  Another is music at Navy Pier .  Nice touches.  Hopefully the visual people will keep it up.

There's an invitation-only VIP reception at the store on Wednesday, May 13, 2009.  As we told you last month , the store officially opens Saturday, May 16th.

Now Open: Piazza Sempione

I know there are several regular readers of this blog who have been wondering what the status is with Piazza Sempione.  The upscale Milanese retailer took the space at 34 East Oak Street formerly occupied by Sugar Magnolia and covered it up with a big wooden facade bearing the cryptic opening date "soon."

We're happy to report that Piazza Sempione opened over the weekend, and appears to be doing brisk business.  It's good to have another retail hole filled on Oak Street.

Michigan Avenue Bullseye Right on Target

There is a long history of big companies using Michigan Avenue to pump up interest in their products.

In the summer barely a day goes by when some business doesn't have its marketing department interns standing on a corner handing out free samples or coupons or other items to grab the attention of thousands of people passing by who are already in a shopping mood.

In the past we've picked up everything from boxes of cereal to ice cream bars to tote bags to stuffing... yes, stuffing... simply for being in the right place at the right time.

In the last five years or so some companies have upped the ante by opening entire stores on Michigan Avenue not so actually sell their wares, but to serve as a marketing presence.  The companies don't care if the stores make money or not.  They exist simply as a billboard in a billboard-free zone and a way to give people a chance to touch and feel their products -- something TV, newspapers, radio, and billboards simply can't do.

Notable examples include the Nokia Store, which is still open, though for how much longer is anyone's guess.  There was also a Motorola Store which briefly took up residence in the space that once was the Terra Museum of American Art (now demolished).  After Motorola moved out, Digiorno opened a pizza parlor there, selling its frozen pizzas as if they were fresh.  The latest company to pull this stunt is Target.

The Minneapolis retailer, known locally for rapidly accelerating Marshall Field's downhill slide into oblivion, already has a location in the South Loop, and another in the Lathrop Homes neighborhood.  But for the tens of thousands of people who live in the Loop, Streeterville, Near North, and Gold Coast  the "Bullseye Bazaar" is their first chance to simply walk into a Target store in their neighborhood.

When we were there, the place was packed.  And from what we've heard, it's always packed.  Target shopping bags (nice paper ones, not the plastic ones from real Target stores) can be seen up and down Michigan Avenue as office workers, locals, and tourists sample things they normally can't get in their hometown Target.

And that's what's important with this store -- it carries items that the regular Target stores don't.  That opens up its potential customer base from just the locals to everyone walking through the area for business or pleasure.

The merchandise and decor ares almost exclusively tailored for women, but there's enough middle-of-the-road items to keep the boyfriends and husbands occupied while they trail their wives and girlfriends through the two-story shop.

The store is constructed inside what used to be the McCormick Tribune Freedom Center, an extravagant exercise in self-congratulatory naval-gazing put together by the same people who for 20 years praised themselves for doing a great job while they ran the Tribune Company into bankruptcy.  Before that, it was a museum it was a Hammacher Schlemmer store, so this is something of a return to retail for a building that was originally called the "WGN Building" when both radio and TV had their studios on Michigan Avenue.

As far as retailing publicity stunts go, this was a success.  The store got a full week of television, radio, and newspaper coverage.  TV stations did live reports all day from the store.  The shoppers who went got treats both visual, and commercial (we bought a hat).  And since the store was only open for three days, it wasn't a threat to the local unions that have fought so hard to keep large retailers out of the city.

More than the Motorola Store, the Nokia Store, or even the Digiorno Store, Target's Bullseye Bazaar was a retailing event on a street that has seen many come and go.  Other companies should study what Target did and emulate it.  But still keep the free ice cream samples coming.

Chicago Brick of the Day: The Weeping Tower

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

The Weeping Tower in Amsterdam .

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Reno Courthouse

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

The Washoe County Courthouse in Reno, Nevada .  This brick, we presume, was added before there was a Nevada or a Washoe County, explaining why its labeled the way it is.

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.

Chicago Brick of the Day: Salt Lake Temple

In an effort to showcase the magnificent architecture of Chicago's Tribune Tower, and to help people understand just how powerful and influential the Chicago Tribune newspaper once was, the Chicago Architecture Blog presents: Chicago Brick of the Day.

Today's brick is from:

The Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah .

Each day we'll show a photograph of a rock, brick, or other piece of stonework embedded in the exterior of the Tribune Tower .

If you haven't done it yet, play tourist for a couple of hours and wander around the outside of 435 North Michigan Avenue and marvel at an architectural work that will not be equalled in our lifetimes.