CHICAGO | General Discussions

[Chisouthside]

Alot of south halsted in Birdgeport looks bad with alot of empty storefronts but I will say all the chinese restaurants on the strip are holding it down. I think alot of the olde establishments catered to the old timers and with alot of them gone they too go into a decline.

[Via Chicago]

theres so many good hidden gems on that strip. every time im down there i see another hole in the wall i mean to try, but its tough to switch up once you find a sure thing. i usually stick to Four Season Dumplings, Potsticker House, Shinya, and Northern Taste.

also, it goes without saying but Palmisano Park is an absolute knock out. i usually take my dumplings to go, hike up the hill there, and eat them straight out of the styrofoam container while soaking in the view. if you need ideas for a cheap date...

[OrdoSeclorum]

Originally Posted by Chisouthside

Alot of south Halsted in Birdgeport looks bad with alot of empty storefronts but I will say all the chinese restaurants on the strip are holding it down. I think alot of the olde establishments catered to the old timers and with alot of them gone they too go into a decline.

The guy that originally opened Myopic books on Milwaukee is in the process of opening a new used bookstore on Halsted--about 3300 S--right now. And there's a huge theater rehab going on at 3501 S Halsted right now, the Ramova, that's going to be a music venue + brewery + restaurant. I wouldn't be surprised to see the blocks near to there pop in the next decade. I think Morgan street is the best looking commercial strip in Bridgeport by far. Looks alot like Damen in the early 2000's right now.

[the urban politician]

Bridgeport is the cat’s pajamas!

[pip]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

theres so many good hidden gems on that strip. every time im down there i see another hole in the wall i mean to try, but its tough to switch up once you find a sure thing. i usually stick to Four Season Dumplings, Potsticker House, Shinya, and Northern Taste.

also, it goes without saying but Palmisano Park is an absolute knock out. i usually take my dumplings to go, hike up the hill there, and eat them straight out of the styrofoam container while soaking in the view. if you need ideas for a cheap date...

No kidding that was a great park. No idea that existed and that's why I love biking Chicago. There is always something that makes me go 'wow' Two weeks ago or so I ended up in the Sauganash neighborhood. What was that? It is a stunning neighborhood with people out and about - no Lakeview in terms of vibrancy but for what it is, is was active. And then I came across the Sauganash Trail Park bike path.... another wow.

[left of center]

Bears have signed a purchase agreement for the Arlington International Racecourse

https://theathletic.com/news/bears-s...e/QTJyEXELsaMt

[jpIllInoIs]

Originally Posted by left of center

Bears have signed a purchase agreement for the Arlington International Racecourse

https://theathletic.com/news/bears-s...e/QTJyEXELsaMt

It was bound to happen. Modern day NFL stadiums require huge footprints. Look at SoFi in Inglewood CA and AT&T Stadium in Irvine TX. That is the model. No place for the Bears on the lakefront.

[Bonsai Tree]

It boggles my mind that some people (the Mayor of Arlington Heights) are even still trying to court the Bears. The Bears will build their stadium there and then go somewhere else in 20 years to build the next state-of-the-art stadium. It's downright idiotic that any mayor would want them in their town. Modern NFL teams are like blood-sucking parasites, they go wherever offers the juiciest prize. With that said, I don't know if Arlington Heights will offer any concessions, but it's pretty clear they'll need to build plenty of new infrastructure to accommodate the Bears. Once they leave, Arlington Heights will be screwed and left with a massive white elephant. This is the wrong approach all around and a completely stupid move. The Bear's owners and franchise are extremely wealthy. They should pay for every cent of infrastructure necessary to house the team. They should also pay for the construction and demolition of every stadium they build.

[k1052]

The city should not chase them with a pile of cash. Focus efforts on getting it to work for the Fire.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by k1052

The city should not chase them with a pile of cash. Focus efforts on getting it to work for the Fire.

Completely, i can't stand the NFL anymore anyway.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Completely, i can't stand the NFL anymore anyway.

Me neither, although I suspect my reasons are vastly different from yours.

[Steely Dan]

if the bears do end up moving out to AH, they'll be in pretty good company.

currently, 12 of the NFL's 30 stadiums (40%) are located in suburban municipalities.

NFL stadiums are typically used so infrequently that there are legitimate arguments for placing these hulking behemoths out in the boondocks.

they are not like baseball stadiums with 81 home games, or combined NBA/NHL arenas that host games and other events all the freaking time.


what's kinda weird to think about, because metra's UP-NW stops right at the racetrack site, it'd actually be a little bit easier for me to take transit to a game in AH than at soldier field because the walk from train station to stadium would be considerably shorter. but would metra be able to run enough trains on sundays to meet game-day demands?

[the urban politician]

One has to wonder if the Bears had been based out of Arlington Heights, whether the Lucas Museum would not have encountered so much opposition from Friends of the Parking Lot. After all, no issues with tailgating or parking any more

[Via Chicago]

That was explicitly bears fans who were whining about losing their tailgating lots. So yeah.

[tjp]

I'm not familiar with Arlington Heights, but do you think this would get any pushback from residents? The area immediately surrounding the proposed site is leafy residential... I know the racetrack is already there but I assume the Bears would bring in a lot more traffic and noise?

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by tjp

I'm not familiar with Arlington Heights, but do you think this would get any pushback from residents? The area immediately surrounding the proposed site is leafy residential... I know the racetrack is already there but I assume the Bears would bring in a lot more traffic and noise?

wikipedia says that arlington racecourse's grandstand seating capacity is 35,000, but there are also other areas adjacent to the grandstand for spectators to watch the races that probably aren't included in "seating capacity". let's say that ~40,000 show up on the busiest race days (though i'm not sure how often arlington actually fills up to that level).

a new NFL stadium for the bears would roughly double that capacity (and would always full), but the schedule of use would be considerably less: 2 preseason + 8 regular season home games + potential playoffs (yeah right, ) vs. some 70-odd race days in a typical summer calendar for arlington racecourse.

[twister244]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

NFL stadiums are typically used so infrequently that there are legitimate arguments for placing these hulking behemoths out in the boondocks.

they are not like baseball stadiums with 81 home games, or combined NBA/NHL arenas that host games and other events all the time.


what's kinda weird to think about, because metra's UP-NW stops right at the racetrack site, it'd actually be a little bit easier for me to take transit to a game in AH than at soldier field because the walk from train station to stadium would be considerably shorter. but would metra be able to run enough trains on sundays to meet game-day demands?

Totally agree why this might actually be a legitimate use in the suburbs....

At first, I was sad at the prospect of the Bears moving to the burbs, but you are right. When I was in Denver, I lived close to the Broncos stadium, and it just sat there 99% of the time empty. It's a big shiny waste of land TBH. Now, if the Bears want to shell their own money to build a new shiny stadium in the city, I say let them build the shiniest of the shiny. But the city should be focusing money on things that actually benefit the city, and not just the NFL.

In terms of the Metra - I don't think they would be able to serve passengers well. They would have to run several express trains in the hours leading up to a game, and even then, most people would probably just rather drive.

So, let AH get on their knees for the Bears, and watch the fireworks fly when AH residents discover they may have to deal with extreme congestion in their backyard everytime there is a game.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by twister244

In terms of the Metra - I don't think they would be able to serve passengers well. They would have to run several express trains in the hours leading up to a game, and even then, most people would probably just rather drive.

well, i've taken metra out to arlington racecourse a handful of times. it's pretty damn convenient and also means that i don't have to count my beers for the trip home.

but yeah, an NFL gameday would represent a lot more people.

i don't know if metra has the capability to MASSIVLELY ramp up its schedule on one line for 8 sundays/year to move untold thousands of people just before, and then just after, a game.

[jpIllInoIs]

With the money behind the Bears bid for Arlington including Bet rivers casino, Neil Blum real estate and the Halas McCaskey family, and the shear acreage of the real estate involved it is safe to assume the Bears envision a new mega stadium ala, SoFi home of the Rams & Chargers. It will include casino amenities, hotels and other entertainment as well as massive parking. Let Arlington have that.. good and bad.

Chicago can still gain plenty, including increased NCAA football, Concerts and the like. Also the new stadium will be immediately eligible for a Super Bowl and will develop some sort of College bowl game. The major events will draw visitors that will not be content with hanging out in AH for the week. In fact it is likely that networks will plant a few cameras out there for Stadium background shots and then produce alot of content in the city.

As for Soldier Field, the city can target unique NCaa games like an annual rivalry matchup with the HBC (historically black colleges). Call it the Walter Payton Bowl (Jackson State). And bring in an annual Army, Navy or Air Force match up as the home team against a regional foe like Western Michigan or Iowa State. Also an annual Northwestern game, U of I game, Northern ILL. game. Just being realistic that Notre Dame will never give up a home date in an 80000+ stadium for 62000 Soldier Field game.

Why not do an annual double header with small college matchups. EIU v. WIU in the afternoon, and SIU v ISU in the evening. Call it a Chicago homecoming weekend. All the state schools are on Amtrak lines so travel options can be included in ticket and hotel pricing.

The Fire are at SF but they are not drawing well mainly due to a poor record, hopefully that will change. It is still possible to get Concacaf and friendly international matchups at SF. Soldier Field and Chicago will live on.

[sentinel]

The Bears have been a shitty team for the past 30+ years. Let them go, get another franchise come here..and yes, Chicago/Chicagoland is massive enough to have two unique football franchises.