A Look at Average Real Estate Prices Based on Proximity to 'L' Stops

Maybe not the most scientific research in the world, but an interesting visual representation on real estate prices per square foot (via Estately):

Home prices vary across the Chicago real estate market, but Estately wanted to show how those prices vary depending on which transit stop a home is near. To do this, Estately analyzed the last six months of home sales for houses, townhouses, and condos within a half-mile radius of each transit stop on the CTA 'L' System's Red, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Purple, Pink and Yellow Lines. We then broke them down by price per square foot.

Trib: "The Kitchen is Absolutely Killing it Right Now" at Acadia

White-asparagus cremeaux anchors a miniature garden of baby vegetables
that is surrounded by a hot, charred-onion broth. (Via Chicago Tribune)

This is a relatively old review (back in April of 2016), but a good and descriptive read of the Sloop's preeminent fine dinning experience (via ChicagoTribune):

True enough, Acadia, just south of 16th Street on Wabash Avenue, doesn't present much to the outside world. From the street, it's a drab little building on a very quiet stretch (at 10 p.m. that night, the sidewalk was populated by me, the car valet and a guy walking his dog). But once you walk through the front door, it's like Dorothy stepping out of her farmhouse.  

The dining room is drop-dead gorgeous, a warmly minimalist, softly lit and serenely quiet space with alabaster walls, neutral carpeting and beaded-metal curtains. Seating, replaced a year ago, is plush and comfortable.  And the kitchen is absolutely killing it right now, producing a parade of eye-candy dishes that display intelligence, humor and, occasionally, clever riffs on the food of chef/owner Ryan McCaskey's beloved New England region.  

Had McCaskey opened Acadia on Randolph Street four years ago, he'd probably be driving a Lexus by now.  

"I think about it every week," McCaskey said, in a mixture of ruefulness and defiance. "Whenever I talk to Nick Kokonas (Alinea, Aviary, Next, Roister), he tells me, 'You know, you'd have doubled your revenue in the West Loop.' But the South Loop will have its day; I know it's going to happen."

The article goes on to give a vivid description of what you can expect when dinning at Acadia.  Beyond this, the Tribune has rated the restaurant the #7th best in Chicago (you can find an interactive maps here).

Lucky to have this one in the neighborhood.

Coming Soon Sign Shows Up for Gordo's Handmade Ice Cream Bars on Printer's Row

After Saturday's heat, it comes as a refreshing sign that the rumored ice cream shop on Printer's Row is apparently coming soon:

There is not much on the interwebs except some trademark info for the shop.  While that might not be super informative, it does provide some insight into the name (for those of you who are like us and aren't fluent in spanish):

The English translation of Gordo's in the mark is Fatso's.

So if we had to guess, this is either a coy poke at some of their potential customers or a hint that this is going to be the "real stuff" - not some yogurt spot.

Also interesting is the reference to "ice cream bars".  We're stretching here a little bit, but it seems to imply that this isn't just going to be a traditional ice cream shop.  It presumably will have "ice cream bars" and other more unusual treats.

Looking forward to this one!

(Hat tip: TR!)

#ShotsAroundTheSloop: Sunset on the Sloop

(Hat tip: JW!)

Friends of the Park: We Are Dropping Our Lawsuit, Wait We're Not...

A rendering of the proposed Lucas Museum
at the McCormick Place Lakeside Center (via DNAinfo)

Quite the furry of back and forth yesterday on the subject of the Lucas Museum (via DNAinfo):

Friends of the Parks will not drop its lawsuit blocking the Lucas Museum, its executive director says, denying earlier contrary reports.  

Friends of the Parks is using the lawsuit to block the museum from being built along Lake Shore Drive between Soldier Field and McCormick Place.  

Reports Friday morning said the group would drop that lawsuit and that the museum would be built at the site of McCormick Place's Lakeside Center.  But the group's executive director Juanita Irizarry denied that on Friday.  

“Contrary to recent reports, our board remains fully united on the preservation of our lakefront and ensuring that the public trust doctrine is not ignored. We do believe that the Lucas Museum has a place in Chicago for all to enjoy, but not at the expense of one our most precious public resources," according to a statement released attributed to Irizarry and the group's president Lauren Motlz.

While the initial report was surprising, it did seem odd.  If anything it may signal some mixed feelings within the Friends of the Parks group.

What will happen...who knows, but no doubt the saga will continue.

(Hat Tip:  sincerely TF, symbolically LH!)

Printer's Row Lit Fest Commences This Saturday & Sunday

One of our favorite and arguably one of the neighborhood's most distinct events commences this weekend - The Printer's Row Lit Fest.  As a reminder, it's happening this Saturday (6/11) and Sunday (6/12) in, as you would guess, Printer's Row (specifically Dearborn and Polk).

For those not familiar with the event, the website has a good overview:

The Printers Row Lit Fest was founded in 1985 by the Near South Planning Board to attract visitors to the Printers Row neighborhood (once the city's bookmaking hub). By 2002, it had grown to five city blocks (on Dearborn, from Congress to Polk), attracting more than 200 booksellers from across the country displaying new, used and antiquarian books and featuring more than 200 authors participating in panels, discussions and a variety of other programs.  

As part of its ongoing commitment to the written word and its support of literacy and literary endeavor, the Chicago Tribune purchased the Printers Row Book Fair in 2002 from the Near South Planning Board. Recently renamed to be the Printers Row Lit Fest, it is considered the largest free outdoor literary event in the Midwest-drawing more than 150,000 book lovers to the two-day showcase.

The event has a mix of free activities and ticketed events.  This years special guests include R.L. Stine, Rick Bayless, Ethan Hawke and Buzz Aldrin to name a few.

If you've never been, we highly suggest checking it out!

What's Going On With The Chicago Firehouse Rebuild?

We've gotten a ton of emails asking about what's going on with The Chicago Firehouse restaurant.

As you may recall, the restaurant (ironically) went up in flames back in December of 2014.  The ownerships announced they would rebuild and reopen, but some remained skeptical.

There have definitely been signs of the rebuild.  Crews can often be spotted and we've had readers send us pictures like this one that we received recently:

We haven't heard anything official about a reopening, but another reader recently sent us this note:

Chicago Firehouse Restaurant - They're expanding and said to be open in 20 weeks however worker suggested December or January.

Seems unlikely, but glad to hear that talks of reopening are happening.  Can anyone corroborate this?

(Hat tip: TM & BB!)

Manny's Deli & Cafeteria Shows Off New Remodel

Beloved Jewish Deli, Manny's (1141 S. Jefferson), just unvieled their remodeled deli (via Chicago Tribune):

Any change a beloved Chicago restaurant that has operated successfully since 1942? That's the question Ken Raskin, the third generation co-owner of Manny's Deli & Cafeteria, asked his son, fourth generation co-owner Dan Raskin, when the latter wanted to add a deli counter to the South Loop institution. And for 10 years, Dan Raskin tried to find the right answer to that question.  

While it has always sold Jewish deli-style foods, Manny's has existed for most of its history without a counter selling sliced meat and breads, which is not how most Jewish delis operate around the country. "In other cities like New York and Los Angeles, the Jewish delis have a counter selling items," says Dan Raskin. "In the 40s we used to have a deli, but not at this location."  

After over eight months of construction, this week that all changes. Now you can buy Manny's corned beef and pastrami by the pound, along with fun cuts like pickled tongue. But the center of attention, at least for Raskin, is the fish section. "There's nowhere in Chicago that has a nice fish counter like this."

We're pretty lucky to have Manny's and Eleven City Dinner in the Sloop!

Looking forward to heading over to Manny's to check out their new digs.

New, "Natural" Landscaping Proposed for the Field Museum

A cool landscape project for the Field Museum (via Curbed Chicago):

Chicago’s Field Museum has revealed a planned makeover of the institution’s grass lawn along Chicago’s lakefront. Modeled on the natural prairies found throughout Illinois, the project — dubbed the Rice Native Gardens — is being made possible thanks to a gift from the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation.  

According to an article by the museum’s sustainability manager Carter O’Brien appearing in the latest issue of the In the Field member’s magazine, the new landscaping goes much deeper than improved aesthetics. "The replacement of turf grass with native plants and permeable pavers will increase storm water retention and carbon absorption, reduce urban heat island effect, and improve the quality of stormwater draining into Lake Michigan by reducing fertilizer usage," explains O’Brien.

While the post doesn't go deep on the topic, from the pictures it appears it will be on the north side of the building.  The other thing the post doesn't do is specify how much of the lawn will be transformed to the native plants.

While the concept is cool, we  hope they don't alter the three tiered expansive lawn that lead to the walking paths and the lake.  That has always been one of our favorite places to hang out.

Is Artists Cafe Closed at 1150 S. Wabash?

A reader writes:

Has the Artist's Cafe on Wabash closed?  

They sidewalk cafe thing is broken and they haven’t been open for a few days.

We actually noticed the same thing recently and snapped the following picture:

If we're not mistaken, the family that owns Artist's Cafe also own the building.  So they're probably still collecting rent from Five Guys.

Anyone have the scoop if they're closed for good?

(Hat tip: DK!)

#ShotsAroundTheSloop: Keep Havin a Good Day - Take 12

Keep Havin a Good Day Tracker:
Take 1
Take 2
Take 3
Take 4
Take 5 
Take 6
Take 7
Take 8
Take 9
Take 10
Take 11

(Hat tip:  BH!)

The Sloopin Open House: Lofty Studio

If you've paid attention to some of the open houses we've featured, you would have noticed that we like old, converted buildings in the Sloop.

With that in mind, today we're highlighting a 1bd/1bth (which looks like a studio to us) at 801 S. Wells St.  This particular unit is listed as a penthouse and seems pretty affordable to us at $200K.

The pictures showcase a nicely setup orientation for those of us who like the concept of loft living:

We would imagine it might be a little tight for two people, but if you're a single person trying to enjoy the city, seems like it would work just fine.

If this looks interesting, head on over at noon on Sunday (6/5).  They will be having an open house until 2pm.

Chicago TIF's and Development

We've generally been supportive of any plans to redevelop the Old Post Office or the 62-acre wild land south of Roosevelt (between clark and the river).  While our pro-development stance continues to stand, it doesn't hurt to hear concerns around these developments.

This one specifically is of the proactive nature and one that is rooted in the TIF debated that has ranged for years in our city.  Ben Javorsky of the Chicago Reader (a common stalwart on the topic) use his sarcastic style to pen this piece on what he anticipates will be a funneling of TIF funds to developers of these properties.  He ends it with the following:

Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on Mayor Emanuel. Throwing TIF money at developers is what Chicago mayors do.

Mayor Daley did it for the better part of the 90s and 00s, and look where that got us. We can't adequately fund our schools because the tax growth from the new development is diverted to the TIF fund that underwrites the developer's profits.

It's a form of madness, people. Maybe we should call Rezko Village the loony bin.

While the existence of and use of TIF funds is a head-scratcher, they're a reality right now.  These developments have the potential to generate a lot of taxes and other benefits for the city and South Loop, so in our eyes, they seem warranted.

Not saying we support TIF's as a concept, just saying in this case they would most likely generate additional revenue for the city.

How the Debate Around the Lucas Museum Mirrors the Building of the Field Museum

This whole Lucas Museum debate has been hard to follow and a roller coaster of emotions.  One day we (and many) feel like we're losing out if Lucas takes his museum somewhere else.  On the next day, we feel like the friends of the park group is looking out for the long term vision of our fine city.  Oh the internal struggle.

The Field Museum Debate:
Marshall Field vs. Montgomery Ward
(image via Chicago Tribune)

Anyway, the Tribune has an interesting historical article on how the Field Museum ended up on our lakeshore and some of the similarities this current struggle has vs. the old one:

Devoted Chicago history buffs must be experiencing repeated episodes of deja vu during the struggle over the proposed Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. It eerily mimics the struggle, more than a century ago, over the site of the Field Museum.  

Both fights involve bitter differences of opinion over the city's lakefront: Should it be left pristine or dotted with cultural amenities? Both involve head-butting by the rich and powerful. The current one pits a Hollywood mogul, "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, and the city's hard-driving mayor against a group of do-gooders, the Friends of the Parks.  

In the earlier donnybrook, two local moguls squared off: Marshall Field, who made State Street the city's shopping rialto, on the side of a proposed museum, against Montgomery Ward, who made Chicago the hub of the mail-order industry and was a staunch protector of the city's lakefront as a public space.

It's a fun read for those of us who like Chicago history and fun Chicago facts.  For instance, Marshall Field originally didn't want the museum to be named after himself.  Another one is that the museum was originally slated for the lakeshore and Congress Pkwy.

If you have a moment, we highly recommend reading the piece.