The Future of the Olympics

As many loyal Sloopin readers know, the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid is one of our favorite topics to follow. However, to most of us, 2016 seems a long time away. So just in case you're having some issues realizing what the Olympics could look like in 8 years, Saturday Night Live is here to tell us:



Ok so the 3022 Olympics might be a little different then the 2016 Olympics, but one thing remains constant "There was a bit of a budget snafu".

Soldier Field: The Spaceship has Landed

So this past Sunday we were lucky enough to get some tickets to watch the Bears mop up on the pitiful Jacksonville Jaguars. As most Chicagoans know, a December home game experience at Soldier field can be summed up in one word...Freezing. That was the case this past Sunday as the wind chill read -1 throughout the day.

As I froze, one of the many things that caught my attention was the design of Soldier Field. The most recent renovation has been met with a wide range of reviews. The New York Times called it one of the best new buildings of 2003, while one Chicago Tribune architecture critic dubbed it the "eyesore on the Lake Shore."

Personally, I think it has an interesting exterior design. Yes it looks like a spaceship landed on the old Soldier Field, but in my opinion it's an interesting example of modern progressive architecture blending with a historic venue. Regardless of your views on the exterior, the interior is a great place to watch an event. The stadium seating is very steep and as a result there aren't many bad seats. Another interesting thing about the stadium is that the entire east side has an enclosed, indoor concourse (which is unusual for football stadiums as far as I'm aware). As it stands now, Soldier Field is the smallest stadium in the NFL in terms of seating capacity (61,500).




For those of you who are unaware of the remodeling here are two images. The first is the old stadium prior to the space ship renovation (from the south side):


The next picture is after the renovation:



The funny thing about the stadium is that since 1984 it was on the list of National Register of Historic Places, but after the renovation this designation was revoked (in 2003).

I still like the place!

Olympic Village Deal Back On

According to the Chicago Tribune, Medline (who owns the Michael Reese Hospital Land) and the city have reached an agreement for the land that the proposed Olympic Village would be built on.

Complications arose earlier this year when demolition estimates soared. The new deal is supposed to be announced on Tuesday and has Medline chipping in more money:

The newly hammered-out deal with the Mundelein-based hospital supplier raises the overall price on the 37-acre property by $1 million, but it also significantly boosts the sum the seller will contribute toward demolition and site remediation, from $20 million to as much as $32. 5 million, sources said.

As you can see by the picture below this land (highlighted in red) is prime real estate:



Good news for the Chicago 2016 bid...

How Does Business Effect the Olympic Bidding Process

We've been following the Olympics pretty closely on Sloopin and as a result we bring you this recent article in Sports Business Journal.

It talks about the US broadcasting rights for the 2014 and 2016 Olympics. This is a side story to the bidding process, but nonetheless important since ESPN, NBC, FOX, etc. most likely will pony up billions of dollars to broadcast the games.

Since the US rights are the most lucrative to the Olympics (as compared to Asia, Europe, etc.), it's often said that the IOC likes to have the games staged in the US because it appeases the broadcast partners and their potential advertisers/sponsors.

One theory is that this is an advantage for Chicago's bid because broadcast partners (ie NBC) and sponsors (McDonalds, Visa, etc.) would like to have the Olympics in their primary markets rather then secondary, foreign markets (like Rio).

The thing to note from the article is that the IOC is rumored to be contemplating awarding the broadcast rights after they decide where the 2016 games would be held (normally they award broadcast rights prior to naming the host city). If this happens, I think it sends a strong signal that the IOC is aware and looking to optimize how much they can get for the next round of Broadcast rights.

Although this is only one of many variables that the IOC will look at when determining the host city, I think it's a big plus for the Chicago bid. After all, the IOC is a business and at the end of the day it needs capital to exist.

Roosevelt Collection Update

One of the biggest developments currently taking place in the South Loop is the Roosevelt Collection. This project is very interesting as it provides a wide variety of things to the neighborhood (lots of retail, condos, movie complex, gym, among other things). According to the article in YoChicago, residents will be able to move in sometime around June of 2009.

Also of interest is that the sales person says they will be disclosing the retail tenants next month (January 2009). There is space for a ton of retail...the one thing I'm hoping for is a Chipotle!

South Loop Review: Gyms & Fitness Clubs: Bally’s Fitness Club

This is part two of our attempt to get a lay of the land for those of us trying to stay fit (or like me become fit) over the winter months.

I recently tried out the Bally's Total Fitness at River City - which is located at 800 S. Wells. My initial problem with this gym is that there is no free parking (besides street parking, which is hard to find). There are two parking lots - the River City Garage which costs $3 for two hours and a parking lot just outside the complex that is $2 for two hours. I don't have a car, but that's a bit of a pain in my mind.

The club is actually rather large and has most desired amenities that one would need: cardio, free weights, machine weights, numerous class rooms, racquetball, squash, pool, sauna and steam room. I'm probably missing a couple things, but the moral of the story is that they have a full fledged fitness club. When I went it wasn't busy and there were plenty open machines (both cardio and weights) to use.

The club looks to be a little dated and doesn't have a some of the bells and whistles that the newer clubs have (ie individual TV's on cardio equipment, towel service, the lockers require your own lock, etc.). However, you get what you pay for and Bally's is considerably less expensive then some of the other gyms.

In terms of price, for two people it was approximately $35-45 per month per person (not including the initiation fee). This also get you access to other Bally's locations throughout the county, which is nice since they have a lot of locations.

I like the price, but the location doesn't work for me (the fact that there isn't free parking is also a problem in my eyes). The El isn't very close and Wells isn't the easiest street to get to. If you live in Printer's Row or north of Roosevelt I would tell you to strongly consider this gym, but if not, don't bother.

Bally's River City - Yelp Review
Sloopin Fitness Club/Gym Review - Check it

Daaaaammmmnnnnnn, Lou Makes Good Pizza

So earlier this week, we hit up the new Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria at 805 S. State Street. As you would imagine with any brand new restaurant, it’s clean, nice and comfortable. To be honest, it seemed a little small to me, but I was reminded that most of their business probably comes from delivery so a huge dinning area isn't necessary.

Anyway, everyone loves their legendary deep dish, but this time we opted for the plain cheese thin crust. I don’t claim to be an expert on pizza, but daaaammmmnnnn it was good. All I gotta say is welcome to the neighborhood Lou.

Leave it to the Chicago Reader

Surprise, Surprise, the Chicago Reader takes the negative, pessimistic angle about Chicago’s 2016 Olympic Bid. Generally speaking, I like the Chicago Reader and their independent voice, but sometimes they are so cynical, sarcastic and skeptical about things (especially local politics).

They do bring up points that need to be considered (ie the cities propensity to underestimate costs and its cronyism), but in typical fashion they avoid talking about the positive attributes the Olympics could bring to Chicago.

The Olympics are a global platform to show off our city. The Reader talks about tourists coming and leaving after the Olympics are over, but forget about how many people across the world will be watching our city serve as the backdrop for this prestigious international event. It’s like a two week global commercial for Chicago.

I’m confident that people across the world will see our beautiful skyline, parks and lakefront and be intrigued. They will hear stories about the restaurants, museums and culture and want to visit Chicago. I visited Barcelona and I attribute my desire partly due to what I saw, read and heard about their Olympics in 1992.

Besides boosting Chicago’s image, the city can fast track numerous infrastructure programs. As anyone living in Chicago knows, our public transportation system could use an upgrade. Yes, this might happen eventually (either through state or federal funding), but throw the Olympics into the mix and suddenly we have a deadline that our government needs to act against.

So yes, I concede that this will cost more then our government tells us, but please look at the benefits as well as the costs…

Amtrack Reaches Deal with Canadian National Railroad

Unless you follow this closely, it might be new news to you. Essentially through some proposed acquisitions, Canadian National Railroad Co. (CN) will become the owner and operator of a wide variety of tracks throughout the Chicagoland area (including many of the tracks that enter the city through the South Loop).

The purpose of these acquisitions was so that CN could avoid the bottleneck of train tracks that occurs within and around the city. With these new moves, CN now has the ability to use newly acquired tracks, which will enable the rerouting of trains to avoid the city. This in turn will help improve efficiencies in regards to time, costs and labor.

Their are many obstacles that have arose from a variety of parties interested in these acquisitions. One of them seems to be resolved according to this recent article in Chicago Business. CN and Amtrack have come to terms in regards to the passenger trains that enter the city from the south (specifically along the lake and ones entering into Union Station). Which is good news for the city and it's residents.

The main opponent of these plans seems to be coming from the wealthy suburbs (mainly Barrington). Since the plan calls for cargo trains to avoid the City of Chicago, as a result many suburbs will get more train traffic. As you can imagine, these powerful and rich suburbs aren't happy and are citing a variety of reasons as to why this shouldn't happen. It sounds like it's mostly just an inconvenience to them from what we've read (like waiting at train crossings in their Hummers for 5 minutes).

The one plausible point they make is that emergency vehicles could be stuck at a train crossing which could prevent them from getting to their destinations in a timely manner. Although this sounds like a reasonable gripe, something tells me there are alternative routes and bridges that could resolve this issue.

For South Loop residents, these developments are good. Essentially all cargo trains will avoid the city. Besides our benefit, it sounds as if it would also be great for the country and city in terms of GDP.

Detroit Sucks!

Nothing to do with the sloop...but I couldn't agree more with Ari Gold:

Maxwell Market Vendors Feel the Squeeze

This was reported by the Chicago Journal last week, but for those of you who enjoy going to the Maxwell market, it looks like the vendors there are feeling the squeeze.

Gioco: A South Loop Gem

Winter's upon us and nothing goes better with the bitter cold then a warm Italian dinner. With that in mind we recently decided to venture out and hit up one of our local South Loop gems, Gioco. Located on the west side of the 1300 block of Wabash, Gioco was Jerry Kleiner’s first restaurant in the South Loop. The restaurant has now been open for about 10 years and has garnered plenty of positive reviews and even awards from prestigious magazines such as “best new restaurants” in Chicago Magazine and Bon Appetit’s “Favorite Places in 2000”.

In typical Kleiner fashion, the décor is distinct and unusual. However, the decorations aren’t as over the top and whimsical as some of his other restaurants (ie Room 21, Carnivale and Opera). The exposed brick and low lighting levels provide an intimate and warm feeling which provides a subtle romantic atmosphere. The kitchen is open to the dinning room for those interested in watching the chefs scramble. The bar area isn’t huge, but has an interesting and hypnotic red glow that gives it an unusual “loungey” type of feel.

During the warmer months, the front windows of the restaurant swing open and lead to a couple of tables on the Wabash sidewalk. Other restaurants in the area also provide amble outdoor seating on Wabash and collectively all the restaurants provide a fun, lively scene for enjoying warm weather and nights (Gioco, Opera, Zapatista and Exposure Tapas Supper Club).

In terms of the food, we’ve been twice and loved the tortellini. The veal dish however received mixed reviews from our table. Most recently we tried the scallops, which were very tender and had a great tasting garlic flavor. Like most Italian restaurants, wine is a staple and Gioco doesn’t disappoint. Their list is extensive if that’s your thing.

The place is usually very busy on the weekends and caters to the later dinner crowd. So if you’re up for an earlier dinner you will have no problem getting in, however after 7:30 I would make sure to call before hand.

As our good friend Borat would say, “Weee Liiiiike”! Hope you do too.

Jones College Prep to Get a Brand New School?

If you walk down State Street south of congress parkway you might not notice it, but here lies one of Chicago's premiere public schools, Jones College Prep. The school was founded in 1938 and has garnered numerous awards and attracted top students throughout the area.

Since the Pacific Garden Mission next door was recently demolished, the school was planning on expanding and building a new gymnasium and pool on this parcel of land directly south of the school. Well according to a recent article in the Chicago Journal, there are new plans to build an entirely new school on the land between Polk and Harrison. The proposal currently stands at $130 Million and could potentially cater to neighborhood residents as well as the typical qualified students that attend Jones.

If the school is going to expand, I truly hope it allows South Loop students to attend the school or at least be given additional points on their application to the school (especially if the school plans to use TIFs from the neighborhood).

"The Future of The CTA on the South Side"

Here is an interesting article from the Chicago Weekly about some CTA improvement projects specifically on the South Side. They provide some more insight on the discussions around the 18th street and Cermack Green line stations (here is Sloopin's take on the proposed green line stations).

They also have an interesting bit about a "Gold Line" which would run on the Metra tracks from Millenium Station along the lake front down to 93rd street.

The "Gold Line" concept is similar to our post entitled "Sloopin's Grand Plan" that we published in October. The main problem and difference from Sloopin's plan is that the "Gold Line" doesn't physically connect with the existing CTA lines. They proposed a transfer fee (ie - 25 cents similar to transferring from a train to a bus) but we think a physical connection is a very important step to the legitimacy of this idea. We understand that this would cost a lot of money, but without this connection, in our eyes it's really not part of the EL. Here is their proposed "Gold Line":