The Blizzard of 2010?

Here comes the blizzard that had been predicted for quite a while now. It makes for some interesting pictures and videos, but it's a mess if you need to be traveling today. Here are some photos from around my neighborhood in the South Loop and a short video of the snow coming down.

Blizzard or not, you still have to walk the dogs.

The entrance to the Glessner House Museum; it might have looked like this in 1886.

The Clarke House, Chicago's oldest home, among the high-rises in the South Loop.

After "The Bishop's Wife" The Wrap Party at Ole' Hardwood

The November 9, 2010 screening of The Bishop's Wife was an enjoyable holiday treat for those in attendance. For many, it was the first time they had seen the perennial Christmas classic. The movie concerns a young bishop and his wife as they try to raise funds to build a new cathedral and the conflicts that ensue.

The "Meet Me at the Movies" crew at Ole' Hardwood

The stars, Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven are in top form. Grant plays Dudley, an angel sent from heaven to assist Young (the bishop's wife) and Niven (the bishop) with the cathedral plans. Dudley also helps them restore their marriage, which has been suffering under the stress of the cathedral building campaign.

The stars of The Bishop's Wife: Grant, Young, and Niven.

After the film, about 15 of us went to Ole' Hardwood at 1351 S. Wabash Ave. Ole' Hardwood opened in late October in the space formerly occupied by Utopia.

Around the South Loop and Chicago

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas all over Chicago. Most of the pictures have a holiday theme; it's hard to resist all the lights and colorful displays around the city. Chicago becomes a winter wonderland this time of year. You don't have to be five years old to get excited, do you?

The tree at the Palmer House Hilton

The doors at Second Presbyterian are all decked out.

The big one is camera shy, but dig the bandanna on the little guy.

Bicycle Station Lofts condo holiday party at Three Peas Art Lounge; Alderman Fioretti stopped by.

The Art Institute Lion is wearing his (lame) holiday solar wreath.

 

Check out the Chicago Hilton and Towers' tree above. It's in the lobby off of Michigan Ave. My only question is where did they put the clock that normally sits in this spot? I thought maybe they just put a hollow tree on top of it, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Does anyone know where the clock went? To see a picture of the clock in this spot, click here. You may have to scroll down a bit, but it's there, I promise.

What's more fun than ice skating during the holidays? Check out all the fun at the Millennium Park skating rink. The video below gives you a taste of what it's like.

Wal-Mart Coming to Lakeview

According to Crain's, Wal-Mart has signed a letter of intent to lease space at 2840 N. Broadway. The other tenants at this location include Bed Bath & Beyond, T. J. Maxx, and Cost Plus World Market.

The size of the space under consideration is about 30,000 square feet, according to Crain's sources. Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart has been looking at locations throughout Chicago. In October, the chain specifically targeted Chicago as a area for growth.

What do you think? Would you shop at a Wal-Mart in Lakeview?

Fine-Dining Coming to the South Loop

Did you attended the November 17 meeting about the planned development of a dog park on S. Wabash Ave., just south of 16th St.? If you did, you may recall a gentleman in attendance announce that he was opening at fine-dining restaurant just south of the proposed dog park. To be exact, the location is 1639 S. Wabash Ave.

Vivere is a popular McCasky restaurant at 71 W. Monroe St.

Today's ChicagoMag.com reported that Ryan McCasky, he of Courtrights, Vivere, and Tizi Melloul fame, to name a few, will be opening a "contemporary classic American" restaurant. We heard this on November 17, but now it's official. McCasky hasn't settled on a name as of yet. Diners won't get off cheap; meals will be between $60 to $70 apiece. Pretty pricey during these tough economic times, but the South Loop has the base to support such an establishment. Plus, if it garners half the fans of any of the other McCasky restaurants, it will be a destination for folks from all over Chicagoland.

What do you think? Will you be trying out this new McCasky restaurant? It should be opening in the late summer or early fall. The dog park may be completed by then as well.

"Chicago Code" Filming at 444 N. Michigan Ave. on Monday

If you're able and interested, Chicago Code, the new Fox TV series starring Jennifer Beals and Jason Clarke, will be filming at 444 N. Michigan Ave. on Monday December 6, 2010. Chicago Code, originally was called Ride-Along and has been filming in and around the city since the summer. Last Wednesday after work,  I caught them filming inside the CTA lobby on Lake St.
 
The new Fox police drama debuts the day after the Super Bowl on February 7, 2011. For a little taste of what's in store, check out the official trailer below. How many Chicago locations can you recognize?

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in Chicago...Without Breaking the Bank!

by Cary Mele

One of  the best things about living in Chicago is all of the wonderful restaurants and bars this city has to offer. With so many options, it's really tempting to want to try them all.

But for a girl who's also trying to save money, how is it possible to conquer all of Chicago's bars and restaurants? I certainly wouldn't be able to do it without the help of two really great Chicago resources.

Small Tabs
Many of Chicago's bars and restaurants have some really amazing daily deals, but it can be quite daunting to track them all down. Now you don't need to. Small Tabs has done all the work for you.

The Small Tabs database lists the best daily food and drink specials at over 300 Chicago bars, including two of my South Loop favorites – Kroll's and Grace O'Malley's. You can search by day, by bar name, or by neighborhood to browse the best deals in town. 

Drink Deck
Even when there isn't a great daily special, there's another great way to save on your tab. By purchasing a Drink Deck, you'll get fifty-two $10-off coupons for some great local bars (including South Loop's own Villain's). But, what's even more fun is that the Drink Deck is an actual set of playing cards that you can use for a game of euchre or poker while you enjoy your time at the bar! The actual coupon portion is a perforated corner, keeping your card set intact.

For only $30, you'll  get $520 in savings that never expire!

If that's not enough to convince you to check out these two great resources, this week they've announced a special new partnership just in time for the holiday season! Drink Deck is now offering $5 off each deck if you use the discount “small tabs” when ordering.

So whether you're searching for the perfect holiday gift for that hard-to-shop-for special someone in your life, or you're trying to visit all your favorite local hangouts without breaking the bank, Small Tabs and Drink Deck are the perfect solution.

Cary Mele is a writer, editor, and Chicago native. She loves exploring all the world has to offer and has a special place in her heart for travel, good beer, and anything Irish. Her blog, love.play.travel, chronicles her adventures at home in Chicago, throughout the country, and around the world. 

Cary is a guest blogger.Please check out her Web site, love.play.travel. If you would like to share something with your South Loop Connection neighbors, e-mail me at sreggie@sbcglobal.net.

Meet Us at Ole' Hardwood After "Meet Me at the Movies"

Wrap Party at New South Loop Restaurant
After this month's screening of The Bishop's Wife--Thursday December 9, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at Sherwood Community Music School, Columbia College recital hall, 1312 S. Michigan Ave.--join us for dinner at the South Loop's newest restaurant, Ole' Hardwood.

Ole' Hardwood opened in late October.

Ole' Hardwood is a "Gastro-Smokehouse" located at 1315 S. Wabash Ave. That's just around the block from Sherwood. We'll be ordering off the menu. Mention you're part of the "Meet Me at the Movies" crowd and receive 15% off of your check.

Cary Grant, left, plays an angel named Dudley in The Bishop's Wife.

"Meet Me at the Movies" is sponsored by the PDNA. If you want to RSVP to the movie (recommended) click here.

Around the South Loop and Chicago

The fountain becomes a Christmas tree at Trevi Square.



The Art Institute lions are decked out for the holidays.




Elvis and Anita are coming to town.



Are folks really sitting outside Eleven City Diner at 1112 S. Wabash Ave.?

South Loop knitters meet with Florence Hardy (second from right) at Three Peas Art Lounge.

We're practically Bedford Falls; we have our own Christmas tree lot!

Look at this beauty I walked past in the West Loop! Looks like a 1967 Cadillac Fleetwood to me.

Trader Joe's: The "Traditional Press" Catches up

What we can to look forward to when Trader Joe's comes to town

If you've been reading this blog or following folks on Twitter or Facebook, you know this is old news, but here it is from Crain's.

Trader Joe's plans new grocery store in South Loop Consumer Crain's Chicago Business

Just Another Sunday in the South Loop During Football Season

Flatbed trucks in place on Wabash Ave. by 16th St. ready to tow cars parked illegally

Flatbeds as far as the eye can see, well, at least until 18th St.

Coffee with Alderman Fioretti at Prairie Avenue Gallery

Marcy Baim, owner/operator of the Prairie Avenue Gallery at 1900 S. Prairie Ave. is hosting a coffee for 2nd Ward Alderman Robert Fioretti, Saturday December 4, 2010 at 10 a.m. The event is billed as a "conversation with Alderman Fioretti."

The Keith House is one of the surviving Prairie Ave. mansions and is the home of the Prairie Avenue Gallery.

Alderman Fioretti is running for reelection to represent the 2nd Ward after deciding not to run for mayor of Chicago. To RSVP for this event or for more information, call 312-907-7909.

Loretta or Cary: Who Is more Beautiful?

Loretta Young: a photographer's dream

The Faces of Beauty
Both Loretta Young and Cary Grant were known as much for their classic movie star looks as their acting abilities. Young, a star since the days of silent films, is considered one of the screen’s great beauties. Her big expressive eyes and lovely cheekbones made her a photographer’s dream. Grant’s was the face that the top female stars of the 1930s wanted next to theirs on the big screen.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...
When Young and Grant costarred together in The Bishop’s Wife (1947), audiences were faced with two of the most beautiful and most photographed faces in the movies. With those two great faces on the screen side by side, the question comes up; who is the most beautiful of all?

Publicity photograph of Cary Grant

Dressed to Impress
In the film, Grant plays a very dashing angel named Dudley. Dressed by five-time Oscar-winner Irene Sharaff, Grant looked as if he just walked off the set of Hitchcock’s Notorious (1946). He’s as dapper as, well, Cary Grant. Young on the other hand, plays Julia Brougham, the wife of a Bishop (David Niven). Throughout the movie, Young is dressed modestly, but beautifully. Likewise, her hairstyle is pulled back, simply styled, but framing that beautiful, luminous face.

Vanity, Vanity
Like the public that adored them, Young and Grant were aware of their respective good looks and did all they could to present themselves on screen in the best way possible. The story goes that when director Henry Koster blocked out a two-shot between Young and Grant, both protested that the blocking did not exploit the best sides of their faces. To appease the two stars, Koster had them look out a window in the same direction. This shot satisfied Young and Grant because their best sides (the left sides of their faces) were photographed.

I'm not Paying for Half a Face

 Tyrone Power and Young

When producer Samuel Goldwyn saw the dailies (film shot that day), he was critical of Koster’s decision to shoot the scene in such a manner. When Koster asked Young and Grant to explain why the shot was set up and filmed this way, Goldywn let go with one of his famous “Goldwynisms.” He said to both stars “Look, if I'm only getting half a face, you're only getting half a salary!” Young and Grant, both being freelance movie stars and not contracted to a major movie studio were also conscious of workplace politics.

After that confrontation with the boss, the subject of what side of their faces looked better on film never came up again.

Coming Soon: Interview with Best-Selling Author Karen Abbott

Check back next month for an interview with best-selling author Karen Abbott. Abbott's first nonfiction book, Sin in the Second City chronicled the rise and fall of the notorious Levee District in Chicago.

For her second book, American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare, Abbott chose Gypsy Rose Lee as her subject. This new biography, of the show business legend, chronicles her humble beginnings from playing second fiddle to her pretty baby sister to her rise and eventual triumph as the queen of burlesque. This interview will post on December 28, 2010.

Around the South Loop and Chicago: Happy Thanksgiving!

South Loop Connection would like to wish everyone a "Happy Thanksgiving." We hope you enjoy some of the shots around Chicago and the South Loop. Most of the photographs were taken this week. How many locations can you recognize?

Rainy days and Mondays: This past Monday wasn't the best day to walk to work.

The new Old St. Mary's school is going up fast.

2nd Ward Alderman Bob Fioretti and 3rd Ward Alderman Pat Dowell at the "State of the South Loop"

Fall colors morph into winter sparkle at the Blackstone Hotel.

Workers insulate the wall of a building on S. Michigan Ave. just south of Johnson Publishing

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas: sprucing up (pun intended) S. Michigan Ave.

The clock inside the Chicago Hilton and Towers lobby

Commuters cross Wacker Dr. with the Merchandise Mart in the background

The view of Trump Tower from Lake St. and Wabash Ave.

Flirting with Flirty Cupcakes on Lake St. between Clark and Dearborn

The Boeing building and points south

Picketers in front of the Congress Hotel

The Glessner House Museum porte ccohere is lighted for an evening event

Trader Joe's Coming to Roosevelt and Wabash?

True or South Loop Urban Legend?
I know, I know, you’ve heard this rumor a million times since you moved to the South Loop. New fuel was added to that fire this past Saturday at the State of the South Loop meeting with Aldermen Fioretti and Dowell.

A Supermarket is Coming to that Address
During his address, Fioretti said that a supermarket would be opening up in the old Sam’s wine store. He added that he couldn’t mention the name, but that it would be upscale. Well, that could suggest Trader Joe’s. But what about Fox and Obel? As some of us may recall, before Sam’s moved in, it was rumored that Fox and Obel was opening at Roosevelt and Wabash. In fact, this rumor actually made the pages of the Tribune, as I remember.

Most Supermarkets in Town
When the new supermarket opens, whichever one it is, I think the South Loop will have set some kind of record for the most supermarkets concentrated in a very narrow corridor; they’ll all be within walking distance of each other.

I’m hoping for Trader Joe’s. I love the one at 44 E. Ontario St., but it’s a bit of a hassle shopping there if you don’t have a car. One within four blocks of my house would be heaven. That means I’ll never run out of peanut butter and organic jelly!

What do you think? Is Trader Joe’s coming or not?

UPDATE: It's official. Trader Joe's has applied for a business license for 1147 S. Wabash Ave. Click here for details.

Looking for the Perfect Holiday Gift?

Stress-free Holiday Shopping
Order a gift bag from Overflow Coffee Bar.  Save yourself time, energy and stress.  They offer FREE delivery in the South Loop!  Your purchase also helps this new South Loop business and makes a positive difference in the lives of farmers and for the environment. 

Gift Bags Make it Easy

These bags are CREATE YOUR OWN!  Select your own unique variety of coffee, tea, hot cocoa, chocolate and Overflow branded items.  You check off what you want in the bag and they put it together for you.  You can select one item, five of the items, or all the items, it's up to you.

More information is available at the Overflow Coffee Bar Web site.

Help Change the World
Overflow Coffee Bar’s mission is to give South Loop residents, ,and workers the opportunity to change the world.  They are coming to 1550 S. State in 2011 but they are already offering items (including the holiday gift bags) for purchase on their website.  Every purchase helps them open sooner and with a better chance of success.

To learn more about Overflow Coffee Bar check out the cool video below.

OVERFLOW Hits the Streets of the South Loop of Chicago from Brandon Neely on Vimeo.

Announcing South Loop Shout Out!

This could be you, sort of.

South Loop Shout Out!
Do you have something great you’d like to share with your neighbors in the South Loop? Do you have a problem with dog owners not cleaning up after their pets in front of your building? Is there a new store or restaurant in the South Loop that you like? Have an idea that would make life in the South Loop better? Do you have a club or organization that you’d like to talk about? Thought about writing a blog, but want to test the waters first?

Well, this is your opportunity to let your voice be heard. Here are some of the rules (you knew there would be rules, didn’t you?).

Guidelines for South Loop Shout Out! Writers
Blog posts should be no longer than 500 words. Posts cannot be anonymous; your name will be attached to anything you have published on the South Loop Connection blog.

It's Easy!
Blog posts may be submitted in Microsoft Word or any other word processing program you are familiar with. If you don’t have access to word processing software, you may provide your submission via e-mail. Please, to the best of your ability, proof and spell check your work upon submission. SLC reserves the right to edit for length and clarity.

South Loop Shout Out! will not publish personal attacks on individuals or groups, but will consider opinions and viewpoints on a variety of issues related to life in the South Loop.

The comments and issues expressed in South Loop Shout Out! are the opinions of the writers and not the opinions of the SLC blog.

Send submissions to sreggie@sbcglobal.net, include “South Loop Shout Out!” in the subject line, and let your voice be heard.

"Meet Me at the Movies" after "Laura"

There Never Was a Woman Like Laura
We had a great crowd last night for the screening of Laura starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews. By an interesting coincidence, Friday November 19 marked Tierney's birthday. She would have been 90 years old.

Some of the "Meet Me at the Movies" crowd

To Weather Mark Tavern We Go!
After the movie, about 15 of us went to Weather Mark Tavern 1503 S. Michigan Ave. to eat, drink, and discuss the movie. Those who had never seen Laura before were stumped as to who the murderer was. The 1944 classic was voted the fourth best film in the mystery genre in 2008 by the American Film Institute and the music by David Raksin was ranked number seven by the AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores in 2005.

These ladies are regular "Meet Me at the Movies" attendees