Happy Thanksgiving from ChicagoismynewBlog!

Hello everyone!  I just wanted to take a minute to say Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you all eat way too much food and get to spend time with family and friends!  I can officially say I’m uncomfortably full right now…

2nd Fridays artwalk is tonight in the Chicago Arts District/Pilsen neighborhood!

I haven’t gone to the 2nd Friday’s art walks for the past few months but now that my mom is visiting from out of town, my sister and I decided to take her there.  Go eat some dinner in the neighborhood then walk around and take a look at some weird and expensive art…luckily not all of the art is weird and expensive.  Also note that this last sentence is coming from someone who is not very insightful and would rather spend money on things other than art.

If you have no idea what 2nd Friday’s is, there are a bunch of art galleries centered around 18th and Halsted Streets in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.  This group of art galleries and shops is formally named the Chicago Arts District.  Once a month, all of these art galleries open their doors to the public and people walk in and out of them looking at the artists’ pieces.  Plus, there’s usually wine, beer, and snacks in each gallery…they accept donations for them so don’t be cheap.

Public meeting TONIGHT at Spertus Institute on future plans for Northerly Island.

Plans take new look at Northerly Island

With 2016 dreams dashed, what should become of Meigs site?

November 10, 2009

BY LISA DONOVAN Staff Reporter ldonovan@suntimes.com

A month after Mayor Daley’s Olympic team washed out in the race for the 2016 Games, the tide has shifted as planners focus on Northerly Island’s long-term place in the lakefront landscape.

Before Chicago lost to Rio de Janeiro in the Olympic contest, the Park District was eyeing how to develop the 91-acre man-made island east of Soldier Field, while making the former site of Meigs Field a temporary home for Olympic venues for beach volleyball, the canoe and kayak slalom courses and even an observation point for sailing contests.

Today, Chicago Park District officials are holding a public meeting downtown to unveil a series of sketches for the site, pen-to-paper ideas that will serve as a conversation starter, says Gia Biagi, director of planning and development for the Chicago Park District. “We’re not holding up a particular concept,” she said. “But looking at what are the components of a great park.”

The Park District hired a design team that includes Studio Gang Architects, best known for the Aqua Building at the Lakeshore East site near downtown, to sketch out ideas — though officials did not release the cost of the work.

One thought is to extend the swimming and beach areas on the eastern edge of the island. Another is to carve out portions of the “island” — really a peninsula — creating bays or coves or even inland waterways….

Check out the full Chicago Sun Times article by clicking HERE!

Spertus Institute hosts public meeting/workshop on future Northerly Island plans!

The Chicago Park District along with the Grant Park Advisory Council and Conservancy have scheduled a public meeting:

 

Northerly Island design workshop and input on ideas.

 

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

 

Spertus Institute at 610 S. Michigan Avenue – Crown Family Great Hall – 9th Floor.

 

Through a thorough public input process, the Chicago Park District has developed design ideas for Northerly Island and needs your input.  Please come out for a series of workshops and meet design teams and react to the ideas. 

 

The Spertus Institute has donated magnificent space for this event. This one-of-a-kind architecture offers panoramic views of Chicago landmarks from the Hancock Center to Soldier Field.  Floor-to-ceiling windows showcase Navy Pier, Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain, the Museum Campus, and Lake Michigan. An atrium soars to 30 feet (from the 9th to the 10th floor).  It is also adjacent to Spertus Museum’s innovative
core collection gallery.

  

I randomly found the information about this public meeting and workshop from the Grant Park Conservancy website.  I’m going to try to make it to this meeting because I have a feeling they’ll have some pretty cool and some pretty bad ideas for what should happen with Northerly Island.  When you think of it, if Northerly Island stayed an airport, none of this would be necessary.  Ah, politics!

 

 

Would you like to own the old Chicago Post Office for $300K? It’s going to auction Thursday!

So if you want to own a piece…a massive piece of Chicago real estate, Rick Levin & Associates, Inc. is auctioning off the former Main Chicago Post Office tomorrow, August 27th at 1:00pm.  The auction will take place at the Intercontinental Chicago O’Hare Hotel, located at 5300 N. River Road in Rosemont.  The suggested opening bid is a cool $300,000 so if you got some spare change, register and head over to the auction.  Check out the Rick Levin website and a video HERE!

 

Free wine seminar with Lush Wine & Spirits and Belgravia Group’s Hartland Park Townhomes!

Tonight at 7pm, Belgravia Group’s Hartland Park Townhomes is hosting a complimentary wine seminar in their model home, located at 1721 W. Schubert Avenue in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.  Lush Wine & Spirits brings the wine and one of their fun and knowledable employees to teach a seminar that feels nothing like a class…well, because it’s fun and I haven’t ever had wine during a class.  Some good food will be there and of course, you can’t beat the free wine can you?  To RSVP give Hartland Park a call at 773-935-0523.

Iron Man playing in Kinzie Park at dusk!

I’m pretty excited for my very first movie in the park experience and to top it off, they’re playing Iron Man.  In case you have no idea where Kinzie Park is, it’s located at Kinzie and DesPlaines Streets in the Fulton River District.  The movie starts at dusk which, according to weather.com, is at 7:56PM.  Nothing says movie in the park like smuggling beer or wine in a water bottle!

FREE and private art tour with Union Row Townhomes and the Chicago Art Department.

Union Row’s upcoming 2nd Fridays event is taking place on Friday, July 10th so we can’t wait to see you there!  2nd Fridays take place in the Chicago Arts District where dozens of unique art galleries open their doors to the public to showcase their hard work.  What’s even better is that everything is free…unless you buy a piece of art, and the galleries always have some free wine and food too. 

Everyone will be meeting at Union Row’s model home, located at 644 W. 16th Street, at 7pm for some wine and snacks.  Around 730pm we’ll walk over to the Chicago Art Department for our private tour.  To RSVP for the art gallery tour, give Union Row a call at 312-829-4600!

Beer tasting at Belgravia Group’s Union Row Townhomes Thursday night.

Normally, Belgravia Group’s Union Row Townhomes teams up with Lush Wine & Spirits for a wine seminar but we decided to switch it up a bit and have a beer tasting.  I, for one, am excited!  The beer tasting will take place at Union Row’s model home, located at 644 W. 16th Street, and will go from 7:00pm -8:30pm.  Like always, there will be good food and the seminars are free which is a perfect reason to invite friends to come along with you.  If you plan on attending, just give Union Row a call at 312-829-4600 to RSVP.

Get a taste of the Taste of Randolph Street in the West Loop this weekend!

For those of you who aren’t too farmiliar with the West Loop restaurant scene, Randolph Street, centered around Randolph Street and Peoria Street.  Restaurants range from upscale sushi to low country bbq so no matter what, you’ll find something.

This weekend, from June 19th – June 21st, is the 12th annual Taste of Randolph Street.  The Taste of Randolph Street is a neighborhood festival showcasing local restaurants as well as different crafts, food demonstrations, and some fun bands to liven it up even more.  Examples of participating restaurants include Market Bar, Veerasway, Izumi Sushi, De Cero Taqueria, and more.  Suggested donation is $10.00 and check out the hours and the band lineup below as well.

Friday, June 19th - 5pm – 11pm — Saturday, June 20th – 2pm – 11pm — Sunday, June 21st, 2pm – 10pm.

Friday
5:30 p.m.: Miles Nielsen
7 p.m.: These United States
8:30 p.m.: Dr. Dog3 p.m.: Dan and Leland
4:15 p.m.: Ultra Sonic Edukators
5:30 p.m.: Posies
7:15 p.m.: Urge Overkill
9 p.m.: Tinted Windows2 p.m.: Baby Loves Disco
4:15 p.m.: Old Fake
5:30 p.m.: Regal Standard
6:45 p.m.: The Ladies & Gentlemen
8 p.m.: The Hold Steady

Saturday

Sunday