Top 5 favorite Chicago spots

I feel that when I make this list I am not making a list quite as good as it could be, that I am sort of limiting myself in the ways that I experience the city and other such thoughts. Regardless, here are my top 5 places in the great city of Chicago, with a bevy of runners-up left out. No particular order, of course.

The Museum of Contemporary Art (on Tuesdays)
220 E. Chicago Ave.
As a poor college student I enjoy all things that cost me no money. Every Tuesday the MCA opens its doors to everyone and often that everyone includes me. There is a constant rotation of exhibits which range the gamut as far as style and media of presentation go (painting, sculpture, photography, video, etc). I enjoy being visually stimulated as well as occasionally thinking "Gee, I could've done that...and better" so this is the place for me. Talk about a great, fun, non-threatening spot to hang out with that guy/gal you don't know all that well, too.

Montrose Beach
The Lakefront, between Montrose and Foster
Each of Chicago's beaches has its own character and would be lying if I said that (of the ones that I have been to) I don't enjoy them all. However, I have been to Montrose more than any of the other beaches and I find it the perfect spot to chill come summertime, whether it is in the beach itself or in the surrounding parkland. I guess I like it because there are places where you can get away from commotion and crowds without straying too far from the city.

Kuma's Corner
2900 W. Belmont Ave.
The burgers are on the expensive side ($10, choice of beef, chicken or veggie patty) but they are served on a bagel roll, large, filling and are named after various heavy metal bands. Oh they are also...DELICIOUS. Don't pass up the IRON MAIDEN (Avocado, Cherry Peppers, Pepper Jack, Chipotle Mayo), the SLAYER (Chili, Cherry Peppers, Andouille, Onions, Jack Cheese, "and Anger") or the MAYHEM (Sliced Jalapeños, Pancetta, Pepper Jack, Gardinera Mayo). The prices keep me from this becoming a routine thing, which is probably a good thing for my waistline. Good beer selection, as well (their website includes a mini-diatribe against Miller and Budweiser, good for them but a tad ironic since they serve Pabst Blue Ribbon which is of course the beer of choice for hipster, punks and other "alternative lifestylers" but is similarly mass produced, although way way cheap).

Reckless Records (Loop store)
26 E. Madison
Reckless Records has 3 locations (Wicker Park, Lakeview and The Loop) and all 3 are worth a look if you are in the market for some new tunes (mostly of the indie rock, metal and punk varieties although there are hip hop titles). I enjoy the Loop store the most because of its proximity to UIC, the near constant influx of used vinyl dropped off by who knows who (students living in the Loop looking for rent money and suddenly not caring about the Bowie albums they borrowed from their uncle in 2003? Office workers looking to clear up some storage space?) and the fact that my friend Jeff works there and repeatedly hooks me up with the employee discount (it's not that big but it adds up). I've never gotten the "snobby record store dude" vibe (think High Fidelity) from any of their employees in years of going to their store which is more than I can say for Metal Haven (though I haven't been to their new location) or whatever that store in Charlotte, NC was called. Either way, Reckless is great for yet another reason: the albums on the listening station are relevant and as varied as the yearly employee top 10 lists. Note: As of my last visit there were still 7 copies of the second issue of the zine I co-wrote with my friend Evan, Earth Sucks. I forget how many of the second issue I sold wholesale to Reckless (15? 20?) but it seems like the first few almost flew off the magazine section while those last 7 stubbornly linger.

Quimby's Bookstore
1854 North Ave.
Quimby's is a bookstore that carries less than mainstream titles, comic books, strange porno mags, independently published zines and everything in between. The books range from art books on the history of graffiti to books explaining every aspect of Satanism to tomes on every conceivable political viewpoint. Most of the times that I have been there I have browsed for quite a while and bought nothing (again, because I am a poor college student). They have a no cell-phone policy which is a blessing for anyone who has ever begun to read a book at a chain bookstore only to be rudely interrupted by someone yammering about their current medical condition or their love life. Hopefully they are not priced out of their Wicker Park location...

Honorable mentions, since I'm kind of wishy washy and want people to check out all sorts of things:
Myopic Books (http://myopicbookstore.com/)
Bourgeois Pig (http://www.bpigcafe.com/)
Alice N Friends (5812 N. Broadway, no website)
Lazo's (http://www.lazostacos.com/)
any of the Village Discount Outlet thrift stores (http://www.villagediscountoutlet.com/)
Museum of Holography (http://holographiccenter.com/)

The Rise of the Creative Class

Richard Florida's "The Rise of the Creative Class" received much attention because the notions it suggests fly in the face of what has been considered to be good public planning policy. Instead of attracting a steady base of families, as has been the case for decades, Florida says that cities ought to learn from attract what he deems the "creative class" and that the attractiveness of a city to this class of people with high-tech skills and off-beat interests are precisely more off-beat people. These cities (such as Austin, TX and Madison, WI) ought to have a high tolerance for varying races/ethnicities and sexual preference. At the time that this theory was formulated, the country was enjoying the benefits of the dot-com boom and it was the people in the employ of these same companies that were part of Florida's "creative class". The dot-com era is over, their demise having caused the recession that only became worsened by the events of September 11, 2001, and cities seeking to improve themselves merely through attracting the hipster set have seen the overall health of the city decrease even as the parts favored by the "creative class" may have flourished. Certainly this is not a catch-all as some cities have weathered the past decade quite nicely, but for cities to pin all their hopes on the promise of trendseters making their cities viable is not wise. It should be but a piece of a larger, much more complicated puzzle that includes addressing public policy, property taxes, improving education and public transport among many other variables.

Of springtime, stray cats and ugly buildings.

Is it spring time already? It feels like it might be but Chicago has that way of dumping a snowstorm in mid-April or having frost in June. Me? I don't put my winter coat away until July.

My internship is in Little Village near 26th and Pulaski and while there are several aspects that I could comment on (such as the marked difference between this neighborhood and North Lawndale on the other side of the Metra tracks) I'll mention this: I have never seen such a large number of cats wandering the streets in Chicago. Come to think of it, I don't recall ever seeing so many stray cats on the streets. They don't come near the levels of the insane Russian cat lady but they're definitely out there. Are these cats really strays or is this a cultural thing that I have somehow missed despite my Latin background and living in Mexico for most of my childhood?

On another note, I hate the Presidential Towers. One building that looks like this is fine. Two is acceptable because of symmetry and the appeal of all things "twin", three would be pushing it but FOUR identical buildings (albeit connected at the base) is insulting and ugly. I'm not really an architecture snob, but they could've done better.

Metro 2020

Chicago Metropolis 2020 is an independent study set up by the business community aiming to come up with a plan to improve the area as a whole, in terms of city planning. This channels the famous Plan of Chicago of 1909 (better known as the Burnham Plan after Daniel Burnham). However, times have changed and thus the focus of the plan has also changed. Whereas the Burnham Plan was centered on creating a "great city" this plan is centered on creating a city that is a good place to live for all its inhabitants, including its most destitute. A focal point of the plan is to redevelop areas that have been left behind in the cycle of suburbanization, urban decay and gentrification. This is an area which Chicago could very much benefit from as a cursory look through the south and west sides would find many ailing neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are suffering from the hand of the past, as unfavorable zoning codes and de facto segregation have created belts of poverty (whose inhabitants' biggest disadvantage is the color of their skin) that have only recently begun to shrink...only to be redistributed across city limits into poorer suburbs, particularly south of the city.

But I digress, Metropolis 2020 calls for a more sensible approach to city planning. Such an approach would focus partly on transit-oriented development (which would necessitate more transit than is currently in place), call for a reevaluation of segregationist practices that still endure, a new emphasis on parkland and other open spaces, and low-income housing subsidized by employers among other ideas. They are very much infant ideas in this report but perhaps some of them will be implemented in CMAP's new Go To 2040 program which was recently announced.

Another 2016 Olympics Post

Assuming that Chicago wins the Olympic bid for 2016, the effects on the city as a whole would be many. The obvious effect would be seen in infrastucture. The proposed Olympic Village near the lakefront south of McCormick Place as well as any new venues built for the games, particularly the proposed changes to Washington Park as the location for the yet-unbuilt Olympic Stadium, would endure for decades to come as testament of the games. Were the city to gain the nomination it would receive federal funds which most likely would be diverted to the expansion of transportation infrastructure. While I am not aware of any pressing highway projects awaiting funding there is plenty of maintenance work to be done (especially if there are any winters such as this past one between here and 2016 that leave behind a glut of potholes). The rest of the transportation funds would likely go towards funding the CTA's pet projects as of this moment: the Circle Line, the Red Line extension and the Mid-City Transitway (all of which I've referenced earlier) as well as perhaps a new line connecting the Olympic Stadium to the Olympic Village to the Loop...or some other worthy project.

When looking for an Olympic host city from the 1970s on, I wanted to look for a city whose very image had been transformed as a result. Barcelona sprung to mind first but perhaps it was because I was only 6 at the time of the games. The articles I found talking about urban regeneration in Barcelona following the games were written in regards to the upcoming London 2012 Olympics. To me it never seemed as if the city of London was in any need of a makeover as far as image went and although London certainly has its dodgy areas (as every major city does) from my limited knowledge it does not seem as if London is in any dire need of urban renewal. Nevertheless the articles centered on the definite changes that Barcelona has undergone around its Olympic developments. What was once a dingy, unused port became the Olympic Village and is now an attractive neighborhood. However, Barcelona underwent a change that some Chicagoans fear will repeat itself. The cost of living in the city almost tripled following the games and many of its poorer inhabitants were priced out. The poor sections of the city of Chicago are already being squeezed out of the perfect city that some in power relentlessly market. The Olympics could cause some of that movement to increase.

Governing compares IL and LA

Katrina trumps Blagojevich. At least that is what the state report cards at Governing magazine would appear to indicate. How is it that a state with a bigger population, higher median income, larger political clout, etc scores lower on this scale than a state that recently underwent the biggest natural disaster in recent US history?
It seemingly all comes down to politics. While Hurricane Katrina certainly did shake up the state of Louisiana financially and infrastructurally the state was overall united by the tragedy and sound fiscal policies were put into effect to curb the damage wrought by the storm. On the other hand, Illinois did not suffer from a crisis that remotely approached the destruction of a large hurricane and state government is controlled in all 3 branches by the Democratic Party (following a scandal plagued series of Republican administrations) yet its leaders cannot come to agreements on fundamental areas. Louisina planned for its post-Katrina budgets assuming the worst and thus received budget surpluses as a result of federal money flowing into the state as well as unforeseen economic investment. Of course, this is not to say that the article finds the state to be exemplary but rather that it is doing a capable job under duress. A criticism that is specially voiced is the manner in which projects are approved, which involves many layers of bureaucracy and could further be streamlined or done away with. Illinois, on the other hand has had a tough time getting its budget into balance because of outstanding debts and a populace that is averse to raising taxes (but what populace isn't?). Unmentioned in the article is the split between the Chicagoland metropolitan area and the rest of the state. Downstaters are not interested in funding rapidly aging infrastructure for Chicago or helping expand their rapid transit in the same way that Chicago-area residents are not terribly excited that their tax money goes to fund roads they will never drive on.

The CNA Plaza Building

I looked it at for a few moments earlier today and quickly realized how much I would hate it if it was a duller color. In fact, I learned from Wikipedia that it is almost identical to a building in Milwaukee that stands out in MKE but would be beyond unassuming and drab in Chicago.

I wonder what the daughter of the woman who was killed by a falling window from this building in 1999 is up to now. Her mother is dead and she witnessed it and of course that has affected her, most likely in a negative fashion, but on the other hand her family received am $18 million lawsuit. Sue everyone. USA USA.

Patio Man

I am no patio man, but I grew up around them. Now, the suburb I grew up in did not completely fit the mold that the "sprawl people" David Brooks speaks of in "Patio Man and the Sprawl People" as Streamwood was roughly half developments from the 1950s and 1960s- which due to their smaller size in comparison to the newer mini McMansions had become a bastion for blue collar families, single mothers and immigrants- and half newer sprawl development. The mentality inherent to these patio men, that of reckless consumption married with unsustainable sprawl, that of children with last names as first names with schedules as jam packed as those of workaholic executives was apparent in some of the population of my suburb. It is only some of the population because as Brooks pointed out the truly classless society in "sprinkler cities" (that is cities consisting of nothing but patio men") are in the Sun Belt and suburban Chicago is far from the Sun Belt. Of course, I anecdotally know of families who did move to such cities from the town I reluctantly called home all those years so this phenomenon does not exist in a vacuum.