Retail Updates at Roosevelt Collection - Title Boxing, World of Beers and Old Navy

Back in May of this year a reader wrote and said Title Boxing was coming to Roosevelt Collection.  In case you didn't believe that, new signage appears to confirm that this is the case:

This is also confirmed on their website which says that Title will be on the second floor of the west building in between Yoga Six and Massage Envy.  They've built a nice little health and fitness group on the second floor of the complex (also include Shred 451 in this).

Beyond this it appears work on Old Navy is progressing and additional signage confirming that World of Beers is coming to the complex:

As a reminder we posted about World of Beers back in August.

#ShotsAroundTheSloop: Westward

(Hat tip:  Scott Fishman!)

Event Today: Healing After the Election

Between the Cubs and the election, if you're like us these past couple of weeks have been a roller-coaster of emotions.

That being said, we were glad a reader sent us an invite to this:

Hopefully it provides a good dialogue for those wanting to discuss the election and whatnot.

(Hat tip: CC!)

Renovated Chopsticks Re-Opens at 28 E. Roosevelt

It appears that Chopsticks has reopened at the high-trafficked spot at 28 E. Roosevelt: 

While we assume this is just a revamped and renovated version of the restaurant that closed in September, we're not sure.  One thing is for sure, the new signage looks a 100 times better than the old one:

 We haven't been here in awhile, but it's probably worth another shot.  Has anyone tried it recently?

How the Sloop Voted in the Presidential Election

As the dust continues to settle on the 2016 election, many people (especially in Chicago) are left baffled on how Donald J. Trump won.

Not surprising, the overwhelming majority of Chicagoans and Sloopsters voted for Hillary Clinton.  DNAinfo has a highly detailed interactive map that outlines how each ward votes.  It seems like the Sloop voted somewhere in the range of 70% to 85% for Hillary:

Another interesting fact was that Chicagoans apparently voted more for Hillary than Obama in 2012:

More Chicagoans voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race than they did for Barack Obama in 2012.

The city overwhelmingly favored Hillary, but you do see some pockets of red on the outskirts of the city:

Tattoo Parlor Coming to 2008 S. Prairie Avenue

Looks like the Prairie Avenue District is getting a tattoo parlor: 

(Hat tip:  EJM!)

Acadia Retains 2-Star Rating in Michelin Guide for Second Straight Year

In case you missed it last week, the annual Michelin guide awards were announced last week and generally speaking there weren't any huge surprises.

The good news for the Sloop is that our fine dining staple, Acadia (1639 S. Wabash), retained it's 2-star rating for the second consecutive year.

For those unfamiliar, the Michelin Guide is considered one of the most prestigious awards in the food industry.  An upgrade or downgrade can significantly impact a restaurants business.

With the 2-star rating, Acadia is in rarified air in the Chicago market.  There are only two 3-star restaurants (Alienia and Grace) and five 2-star restaurants (Acadia, 42 Grams, Oriole, Sixteen, Tru).  What this means is that the guide considers Acadia to be one of the best seven restaurants in the Chicago.

Cubs Rally at Grant Park (and Chicago) Plays Host to 7th Largest Gathering of Humans

You're probably getting sick of all the Cubs talk in the city recently and we promise this is our last post on the topic.

One of the quirkier stories we read about was that the rally was reportedly the 7th larget gathering of humans in the world.  Yes - the world!  

As you will recall, the estimates were 5 million people.  Seems high, but what the hell do we know.

Even better, this event and stat, put the rally/parade in some interesting company (via Fox 32):

1. Kumbh Mela pilgrimage, India, 2013 - 30 million
2. Arbaeen festival, Iraq, 2014 - 17 million
3. Funeral of CN Annadurai, India, 1969 - 15 million
4. Funeral of Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran, 1989 - 10 million
5. Papal gathering in the Philippines, 2015 - 6 million
6. World Youth Day, 1995 - 5 million
7. Chicago Cubs World Series celebration - 5 million
8. Funeral of Gamal Abdel Nasser, 1970 - 5 million
9. Rod Stewart concert, Brazil, 1994 - 3.5 million
10. Hajj pilgrimage, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 2012 - 3 million
11. Anti-war march, Rome, 2003 - 3 million

So take that - our neighborhood/city hosted one of the largest human gatherings in the history of the world! 

#ShotsAroundTheSloop: Savor The Sight

(Hat tip: TM!)

#ShotsAroundTheSloop: Cubs Rally Explosion

So the Cubs Apparently Won the World Series...

I apologize.  What can I say...the Cubs won (today).  I made the pilgrimage to Cleveland and have been out of commission for a couple days.

That being said, wanted to share my Sloop story from Friday morning.

I was walking to work and stopped at the SW corner of Roosevelt and State.  Everywhere you look their are people in blue.  It's relatively calm, but you could tell their was joy in the air.

I'm standing by myself and a Chicago Traffic Management person.  As a jeep gets ready to turn the corner  with a gigantic W flag hanging out of their window I ask her in sarcastic deadpan..."What's Going On?"

She looks at me, smiles and simply shakes her head.

  

Chicago Curry House Gets Some Press from Eater Chicago

Chicago Curry House gets called out by Eater Chicago as one of 21 great Indian restaurants in the area:

Nepalese and Indian food share a common lineage, and Chicago Curry House serves a selection of dishes from both countries. They do spice right, so don't pass this spot up inside an unassuming South Loop block. Nepal House owns the restaurant and recently opened up a location on Devon, as well.

We can attest...they do it well!

Development at Prominent Vacant Lot in Printers Row Gets New Design

According to Skyscraperpage.com and Curbed, looks like the development at the northwest corner of Polk/Dearborn has some new renderings:

Originally proposed as a 15-story structure containing 130 micro apartments and extended-stay hotel units, the project from LG Development and Myefski Architects shrunk down to seven floors and 60 dwellings earlier this year. Now, according to an updated rendering appearing on the skyscraperpage.com message board, the design has again been changed. 

While the tweak leaves the scale and massing of the building roughly the same as before, the facade has adopted a more historically contextual, ornamented appearance to echo surrounding buildings. This fourth and latest iteration of 742 S. Dearborn will head to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks in two days. According to the group’s posted agenda, Landmarks staff recommends the project for approval.

The design of 742 S. Dearborn from September 2015 (top left), March 2016 (top right),
September 2016 (bottom left), and now (bottom right)

 Myefski Architects/LG/SSP

Old Post Office Renovations Appear to Begin

A reader sent us this picture and quick line:

Renovation begins, early Sunday morning.

We actually drove under the post office on Saturday and saw some people working on the outside of the building as well.  Looks like this is project is finally underway.

As a reminder, the old post office is going to go through a massive rehabilitation turning it into a multi-purpose gigantic building for offices, rentals and retail.