Free Coffee at Stan's Donuts Today - January 17

To celebrate their new coffee provider, La Colombe, Stan’s Donuts will be offering a free small house roast with any purchase all day.

According to the press release, “My vision for Stan’s has always been to make great donuts, of course, but also to serve great coffee,” says Chief Doughboy, Rich Labriola.

British School to delay opening

According to a recent article in the Gazette, the British School’s South Loop Campus has been pushed back to 2015. The British School, a part of the WCL schools network, has merged with Nord Anglia Education. The merger will result in a total of 25 schools operating in 11 countries.

The planned site for the school is just north of the Roosevelt Collection on Roosevelt Rd. A 2.2 acre public park was part of the original Roosevelt Collection plan, which has resulted in some debate among the South Loop Community. According to the Gazette, “The current approved plans for the South Loop British School include a two-story building with a rooftop park, a recreational field to the west, and a smaller park just north of the proposed school building.”

To read the complete Gazette article, click here.

Artist rendering of British School's South Loop campus 

South Loop Suicide Attempt Thwarted

At approximately 7:15 am this morning, a man was standing on the ledge of a south-facing balcony at 1250 S. Michigan Ave. For about 45 minutes, it appeared as if he might jump.

Man on the balcony ledge on
what looked like the sixth floor.

During the incident, traffic between 14th St. and Roosevelt Rd was blocked off. Northbound traffic was detoured east on 14th. Thirteenth St. was blocked east of S. Michigan to pedestrian traffic. Police and fire crews were in place with emergency vehicles and staff at the ready. There was an inflatable trampoline on the S. Michigan side of the building, not in front of where the man was threatening to jump.

The man finally jumped back onto the balcony from the ledge, followed by police, who were apparently speaking with him during the incident. Why the man was threatening to jump is unknown at this time.

Smooth Sailing in Troubled Waters: Weather Mark Tavern celebrates six years in the South Loop

Weather Mark is the only
nautically themed bar in Chicago.

Weather Mark Tavern at 1503 S. Michigan Ave. celebrates six years in the South Loop Saturday, June 16, 2012. Weather Mark is the only bar in Chicago with a nautical theme, featuring great food and drink in a casual, family-friendly atmosphere.

Owner Mark Stern’s vision was to open an establishment with a casual bar atmosphere featuring upscale entrees and appetizers, along with craft beers and rum drinks. Stern remembers when his concept was considered a risk at best and foolish at worst. “We were a ‘gastro pub’ before the term was coined. From day one, we offered food that wasn’t normally part of a casual tavern’s menu,” Stern said. At Weather Mark Tavern, you can order a Reuben sandwich with fries or a filet mignon with port wine reduction, potato spring roll, and asparagus off of the same menu.

Click on poster above to enlarge.

When Stern opened Weather Mark in June 2006, the South Loop was one of the hottest neighborhoods in Chicago. Once upon a time, the area south of Roosevelt Road was populated with old—and mostly abandoned—factories and warehouses. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that residential development kicked off the boom. And then came 2008 and the economic downturn. Dozens of businesses in the South Loop closed. For several years, things looked pretty bleak, but somehow Weather Mark Tavern navigated the choppy waters of the recession. “We’ve seen businesses come and go in the South Loop, but we’ve managed to stay fresh and relevant to our customers and there’s a lot more competition in this neighborhood than there was in 2006,” notes Stern. What about 2012 and beyond? According to Stern, it looks like  “smooth sailing” ahead.

The 6th anniversary celebration includes giveaways, free appetizer buffet, live music and DJ, champagne toast.

For more information on the anniversary event and Weather Mark Tavern, call 312.588.0230. You can also find them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Teens Arrested in Roosevelt Rd. Shooting

Roosevelt Rd. train platform

Two Boys Arrested
Two teens were arrested in connection with the Roosevelt Rd. shooting that took place on Monday, December 26. Two boys ages 14 and 16 were taken into custody. The 14-year-old was charged with a felony count of aggravated battery and use of a deadly weapon. The 16-year-old was charged with unlawful use of a weapon.

Victim Treated and Released
The 21-year-old victim was shot in the torso on the Roosevelt Rd. Train Station platform. He was then taken to Northwestern University Hospital where he was treated and released.

Police recovered the handgun and the shooter has been identified by the victim.

Sources for this post: NBC Chicago, Chicago Tribune, and WGN

Update
According to a story posted to the NBC Chicago Web site, a man was robbed of his iPhone on the Harrison L stop platform. The 20-year-old man was attacked and knocked to the ground by five men. Robberies of iPhones and iPads, nicknamed “Apple picking” have been a concern for District 1 Commander Christopher Kennedy. At a recent CAPS meeting Commander Kennedy remarked that overall crime in the South Loop is down, but robberies, including strong-armed thefts of iPhones and other electronic devices have been a concern.


SLC Note: The original blog post, “Teens Arrested in Roosevelt Rd. Shooting” did not include attributions. This was an error on our part. Thanks to an anonymous comment, we were made aware of our error. SLC regrets this oversight.

Around the South Loop: Volume 11

Where is Spring?
This has been a crazy spring. One day it's 80 degrees, hot and humid, the next it's 45, cold and wet. Below are some recent pics from around the South Loop and Chicago when it looked like spring had finally arrived. Enjoy!

Looking east on Roosevelt Rd.

"Chicago and South Loop"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

Around the South Loop: 2011 Volume 9: Spring Tease

Is it Spring Yet?
The thermometer rose to the low 60s this weekend. Compared to the recent cold spring days we've been experiencing, it felt like mid-summer. There was plenty of activity up and down Michigan Ave. Al fresco dining was in full display around and a welcome sight to those of us yearning for warmer days.

This sign recently went up in the space formerly occupied by Opera. We hope we'll see al fresco dining at 13th and S. Michigan Ave. once again.

Folks were out and about taking in the sights and visiting the Art Institute.

The outdoor seating at the Gage was packed on Saturday.

Caught a glimpse of this old train car with the seal of the United States Navy mounted on the back railing as I walked along Roosevelt Rd.

As noted in an earlier post, Donna's Café had its grand opening yesterday afternoon. Check out the slide show below to get an idea of what the day was like.

Around the South Loop

A lot has been going on in the South Loop. Most recently the road work on State St. and now S. Indiana Ave. The work on S. Indiana is expected to continue until November 14. Repair work on S. Indiana is a long time coming for some of us.

Parking is tough enough in the South Loop.

Take a walk with me as I go north on S. Indiana toward 16th St., on my way to work.

New South Loop restaurant, Ole' Hardwood is now open for lunch: yum!

Check out the view of the Orange Line train leaving the Roosevelt Rd. train platform heading for Midway. This is a familiar sight for hundreds of South Loop commuters.

Workers replace the lamppost at 1601 S. Michigan Ave. that was knocked down during last week's high winds.

Around the South Loop and Chicago

How's your eyesight? The American Academy of Ophthalmology was at McCormick Place for six days.

Happy Birthday to Lauren, my friend and waitress at Sweet Maple Cafe in the West Loop

The Original Five BBQ is coming to 1030 Taylor St. this fall.

Signs directing the crew and extras for the new Matt Damon movie, Contagion

Dearborn Park: It's still nice enough to play tennis.

The Roosevelt St. L platform was a fairly pleasant place to be yesterday afternoon.

Plants and vegetables are still growing in the community garden.

Emanuel To Get Reacquainted With Chicago

Emanuel was at the Roosevelt Rd. L stop this morning. Did you see him?

Click the link below to see video of this morning's "meet and greet."

Emanuel To Get Reacquainted With Chicago

Chicago or San Francisco?

With the fog hanging around for most of the day, the city on the lake was looking more like the city by the bay.

It isn't the spray from the fountain obscuring the view of downtown.

This view looking north up S. Michigan Ave. from Roosevelt Rd. makes it look as if the loop is vanishing.

Is it really "Doomsday" in Chicago?

"How bad is it?"
We're now into our fourth day since the the CTA made cuts to buses and train service. So, I'm asking, "How bad is it?"


What's changed?
Since late September, I have been traveling from the South Loop to Evanston for work. I generally take the number 12 bus to the Roosevelt Rd. train station. From there, I take the Red Line north to Belmont, and then take the Purple Line express to Davis. For me, nothing much has changed.

I decided to start walking the five blocks to Roosevelt Rd. on Monday, more for exercise than a time-saver, but other than that, it's the same commute, no better, no worse. The Red Line seems to come along fairly regularly (as it did before) and so does the Purple Line express. I'm sure there is another side to this story from folks who primarily take the bus (or buses) to work.

Your experiences
So, I'll ask again, "How bad is it?" Let me know your experiences, good or bad, and don't forget to take the CTA poll on this page.

Signs in South Loop corrected

City corrects signs
Remember those South Loop history signs that popped up all around the South Loop on S. Michigan Ave.? They were a nice idea and they were displayed in beautiful wrought iron frames, often near bus stops south of Roosevelt Rd.

Do you also remember, if you read the signs, that the text just ended abruptly without completing the thought and without any punctuation? Well, the signs have been corrected and now when tourists read them, they won't be laughing behind our backs. Seriously, we're glad they're fixed and we thank our Second Ward Alderman's office for following up on my post from September 24, 2009.

Wabash Ave. improvements continue

Stage II of the Wabash Ave. improvement project looks like its nearing completion. Walking north on Wabash this morning, we observed workers pouring hot asphalt near Roosevelt Rd. According to the CDOT website, construction should be completed by this fall.

Pedestrian traffic on the west side of Wabash is being routed around the construction, but none of the businesses are closed during these Streetscapes improvements. As reported earlier, popular South Loop restaurants Bongo Room, Eleven City Diner, and India Grill are open for business.

This current Streetscapes project is improving the roadway and sidewalks between Harrison St. and Roosevelt Rd.