I always thought the Mag Mile was a loss leader for most retail stores. With all the foot traffic it gets, sales at that store isn't the top goal for these brands. It's just to get eyes on their brands from midwestern shoppers at what is essentially the most visible retail venue in the middle of the country. Brands come in and out of favor all the time. It's not a big deal if they close IMO. I think more and more "experience" stores like Starbucks Roastery are the future of retail anyway.

I think the huge corporate presence is a lot of reason for the current struggles.

There’s a lot of zombie stores that probably should have shuttered decades ago without a corporation propping them up. Many of the stores were outdated when I came to the city over a decade ago.

So a retail turnover that would have been better occurring over a few decades, now has to be done all at once.

For example, WTF is this still doing on the West side? Get a branch on Michigan Ave, pronto. The museum probably would have seriously considered a Michigan Ave location if the street had more availability just a few years back.

https://cdn1.matadornetwork.com/blog...DNR-Museum.jpg

https://wndrmuseum.com/location/chic...BoCoZwQAvD_BwE

Yeah totally. I actually just discovered Wndr Museum a couple months ago and have been meaning to visit. I think they'd absolutely crush it with foot traffic on Michigan.

Also I think it was a mistake to build Eataly on Ohio just off Michigan Ave. Not that I'm in love with Eataly, but those kind of special retail locations function well in tourist trap areas. It gives people some place to wander and at least sit down while shopping. The difference between being right ton Michigan vs a couple blocks off is pretty massive.

^ I’m betting their lease is reasonable. I mean something like this would be amazing in water tower place but imagine how many admission tickets they’d need to sell to afford a Mag Mile space.

I imagine the rent is significantly less or was when Eataly set up shop here. I absolutely love the place. There is no place that I know of that has the quantity and quality of Italian products. Even the wine selection is unbelievable. They carry Italian wines that are very hard or you can't find even at Binny's. I was there 2 Saturday's ago and it was packed, I doubt they need to be on Michigan Avenue.

^ Indeed, plus they are right at the center of gravity for hotels. Fairbanks to the east, lasalle to the west. Tons of visitors will inevitably walk by it

Yes, and I should have pointed out, I was there at 10AM and it was packed.

Random, but I like how One Chicago looks from S. State.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...17988415_b.jpg

Apology if this is not allowed to be posted here. Sharing this information for anyone who live in the LP/LV area. He's been missing since early Sunday morning. Was last seen at Angela's Burrito Style on Clark Street. He's the son of an old family friend and we're trying to do what we can to help. There was a search party earlier today by Depaul. I believe there will be another one tomorrow. Anyway, feel free to share this information with anyone you may know living in that area.

https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/com...park_lakeview/

I have a question regarding CBD pandemic recovery stats. I’ve seen studies say that, based on badge swipes, Chicago is one of the downtowns struggling the most to recover from the pandemic. I also know the Loop Alliance has similar statistics, but are these stats just for the Loop proper? The Loop still feels much quieter than it used to, but I feel like Fulton Market is very active, as is Streeterville, and River North seems reasonably active, though less than it used to be. I was just curious if Fulton Market, Streeterville, or River North are being excluded from these stats?

Yes, the Loop Alliance report is just tracking State State pedestrians using counters from Ida B. Wells to Wacker, and hotel figures are averaged from 15 Loop hotels.

So, you are correct River North, Fulton Market, Streeterville are not included in the data.

Basically, the data says that the Loop Proper recovered to about 70% of its previous marks, while other neighborhoods not being as dependent on offices should be near full recovery.

Love this footage. You can see Riverside Plaza and the Civic Opera Building under construction. Also the future site of the Merchandise Mart with the rail lines that would be routed underneath it as well as so many other old skyscrapers in their original context.

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Pretty bad highrise fire in Kenwood yesterday.

Snapped this with my phone from the ME this morning. The green tinted windows make it seem extra apocalyptic.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0

(and which one of you has the tripod on Lake Park Ave?)

I’m gonna guess those panels beneath the windows were combustible and there was no sprinkler system, which led to this spreading more than a couple units.

Also just a convenient reminder to not use space heaters unless you are very knowledgeable in electronics. Like as in…calculating amperage and wattage and knowing wire gauges. But since most people don’t know this, they’ll toss the instructions and plug a 1500 watt heater into a cheap power strip or splitter causing the wires to melt and combust. It seems to be a common danger and yet you can just buy these appliances readily with minimal safety features.

^^The building management was sited as early as last month regarding code violations, not having sprinkler system, etc., according to the news last night.

yeah, things like this make me nervous since I live in a highrise, but we at least have sprinklers and the exterior is brick...

Just read that individual units didn’t have sprinklers, but another article said the building had a system so maybe only in the corridors. Smoke detector in the unit wasn’t working, so it was too late.

very sad.

if you live in a well managed building, then they regulalry test their smoke alarm/fire safety systems.

in which case, you're good.

9 times out of 10 when there are fatal fires in chicago, smoke alarms were either not present or not working.


it's so sad because it's so needless. and there are many programs to get free smoke alarms if you can't afford them. they save countless lives.

Absolutely 10 times out of 10. Proper implementation of building codes work for a reason..perhaps situations are rare, but when they do work, tragedies like this become preventable (apologies in advance if I'm coming off as insensitive, that's not my intent - this is an unspeakable tragedy, not only for those who lost their lives, but also for those who lost their homes. I just cannot stress enough how buildings codes are vital.