CHICAGO | General Developments

[george]

I vote Big Shoulders at Chicago & Milwaukee as preferred upshot Chicago coffee.
http://www.bigshoulderscoffee.com/

(Is there a favorite coffee thread?)

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by denizen467

...This further adds to Chicago's position as one of the top two or three coffee cities in the country, alongside SF and debatably one of the Pacific Northwest cities....

i'm not gonna argue that Chicago may stand out in the national scene, but dude, come on... Seattle and Portland are in a league all their own when it comes to cafes and the coffee 'scene' etc... just saying, we're still (and for that matter, most of the nation) in the minors...

EDIT: just read all the other posts about coffee... yeah, i totally disagree. we may have high quality options over Starbucks or 'the best coffee' and so on... but that's all opinion anyway. fact is, in Seattle and Portland, there are cafes fucking EVERYWHERE! there are areas of Portland where there are three or four within walking distance to one another. Chicago just doesn't stack up against the Northwest. now, outside of the Northwest, i might agree we're top 3...

quick anecdote: when my sister comes to visit from Portland she scoffs, "where are all the coffee shops here?!"
point is, they're few and far between. unless you count Starbucks and Caribou, which rarely have that nice coffee shop vibe.

i honestly feel like we're pretty far behind San Fran and NYC too, maybe even a handful of other cities now that i'm thinking about our notable LACK OF a strong coffee scene.

and incidentally, i live across the street from Metropolis. that place sucks. the coffee and espresso are AWFUL, just not good. and the hours suck. you'd think being located on a major college campus it'd be open later than 8 or whenever the fuck it closes...

[denizen467]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

EDIT: just read all the other posts about coffee... yeah, i totally disagree. ... but that's all opinion anyway. fact is, in Seattle and Portland, there are cafes fucking EVERYWHERE!

incidentally, i live across the street from Metropolis. that place sucks.

It's not opinion, it's the main consensus of coffee professionals, and of coffee geeks. You are talking about quantity and pervasiveness, not quality - ok, that's what most people understand, fine. Meanwhile, Intelly is conquering the country and beyond (opening in SF and NYC this spring, already ruling LA, preparing for Seoul, footprint in Tokyo). NYC mostly relies on other cities' companies for its best coffee; insane rents shove roasters and the quality coffeebars into outer boroughs; think of how much that situation sucks. You're right that Metropolis is now an underachiever.

This is making me hungry. What if the burger fairy also waved her wand Chicago's way and...

Smashburger began building out a space on Clybourn near Armitage, for an opening this spring. This will be their first city location after entering the suburbs a couple years ago with burgers and salads.

Adding to the just-opened Kuma's Too and Edzo's, this cements Lincoln Park - Lakeview as the epicenter of an unprecedented gourmet burger orgy: Butcher & The Burger, Indie Burger, Meatheads, Urban Burger Bar, Fatty's, DMK, and Epic are all only a couple years old. Add to that Etno (meat of all kinds) and Big & Little's in River North, and others. And all of that doesn't even include Five Guys, all the old indie standbys still operating, and pubs famous for burgers, like Grafton. I have no idea what the burger scene is in other cities and I don't care because I will be too busy eating. Bon bovine appetit.

[j korzeniowski]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

i'm not gonna argue that Chicago may stand out in the national scene, but dude, come on... Seattle and Portland are in a league all their own when it comes to cafes and the coffee 'scene' etc... just saying, we're still (and for that matter, most of the nation) in the minors...

EDIT: just read all the other posts about coffee... yeah, i totally disagree. we may have high quality options over Starbucks or 'the best coffee' and so on... but that's all opinion anyway. fact is, in Seattle and Portland, there are cafes fucking EVERYWHERE! there are areas of Portland where there are three or four within walking distance to one another. Chicago just doesn't stack up against the Northwest. now, outside of the Northwest, i might agree we're top 3...

quick anecdote: when my sister comes to visit from Portland she scoffs, "where are all the coffee shops here?!"
point is, they're few and far between. unless you count Starbucks and Caribou, which rarely have that nice coffee shop vibe.

i honestly feel like we're pretty far behind San Fran and NYC too, maybe even a handful of other cities now that i'm thinking about our notable LACK OF a strong coffee scene.

and incidentally, i live across the street from Metropolis. that place sucks. the coffee and espresso are AWFUL, just not good. and the hours suck. you'd think being located on a major college campus it'd be open later than 8 or whenever the fuck it closes...

would rather have a better craft brew scene, but they may have us beat there, too, in the nw!

if you want to see an insane beer scene nearby, go to grand rapids. if they do not have more breweries and brewpubs than chicago, at about a tenth the population (metro), i'd be shocked.

great beer scene in gr and michigan as a whole.

[kolchak]

I don't really like all the new yuppie coffee and burger places. They have a tendency to whitewash neighborhoods that still have some old school character and urban diversity left.

As Tom Waits said: "It's getting harder and harder to find a bad cup of coffee these days"

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by denizen467

...

right, so we agree. i don't know anything about coffee quality, but yeah, other cities certainly has a way more pervading coffee scene

and idk what got you on the burger topic, but yeah! i have notice we have a kick ass burger scene!

j korzeniowski

chicago isn't really a craft brew place like portland. we're more of a domestic beer, get drunk kind of place!

As Tom Waits said: "It's getting harder and harder to find a bad cup of coffee these days"

well that's just hipster silliness

[jc5680]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

chicago isn't really a craft brew place like portland. we're more of a domestic beer, get drunk kind of place!

this is just wrong too

[the urban politician]

Uhhhh....so getting back to the actual topic of 'Chicago Development' for which this thread exists, did anyone read the news of Robert de Niro's plan for a boutique hotel/restaurant on Randolph St in the west loop?

Damn that area really has heated up FAST.

[sammyg]

Originally Posted by kolchak

I don't really like all the new yuppie coffee and burger places. They have a tendency to whitewash neighborhoods that still have some old school character and urban diversity left.

As Tom Waits said: "It's getting harder and harder to find a bad cup of coffee these days"

You know Blacks and Latinos like good coffee too, right?

[Mikemak27]

WLCO, West Loop Community Organization, will shoot down any plan that is higher than their apparent 10 story limit west of Halsted. With bozo NIMBY'S like them in charge, they will only hurt their own property values. They should stop drinking the kool-aid.

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Uhhhh....so getting back to the actual topic of 'Chicago Development' for which this thread exists, did anyone read the news of Robert de Niro's plan for a boutique hotel/restaurant on Randolph St in the west loop?

Damn that area really has heated up FAST.

No I did not read it, but I would have liked to have read it.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

did anyone read the news of Robert de Niro's plan for a boutique hotel/restaurant on Randolph St in the west loop?

say what?

link, please.

where on randolph exactly?

[BorisMolotov]

Smashburger began building out a space on Clybourn near Armitage, for an opening this spring. This will be their first city location after entering the suburbs a couple years ago with burgers and salads.

I walked by one once in a strip mall once and just smelling the air significantly raised my cholesterol. It probably tastes pretty awesome though.

[tintinex]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

say what?

link, please.

where on randolph exactly?

I found this article doing a quick search

http://chicago.grubstreet.com/2013/0...robert_de.html

http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.co...oreUserAgent=1

[Vlajos]

The burger thing is really boring.

[kolchak]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

As Tom Waits said: "Its getting harder and harder to find a bad cup of coffee these days."

well that's just hipster silliness

Well, actually its a metaphor:

That cities are becoming places for the upper class. The proliferation of upscale eateries and cafes and clothing stores serves as a constant reminder.

For me it is exactly an urban development issue. Chicago would be better served were the focus on keeping Chicago's population economically diverse and unfortunately development these days isn't like that. We're looking at long term transformation into a giant bedroom community. Its the parking podium plague.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by kolchak

Well, actually its a metaphor:

That cities are becoming places for the upper class. The proliferation of upscale eateries and cafes and clothing stores serves as a constant reminder.

For me it is exactly an urban development issue. Chicago would be better served were the focus on keeping Chicago's population economically diverse and unfortunately development these days isn't like that. We're looking at long term transformation into a giant bedroom community. Its the parking podium plague.

Chicago's population is economically diverse. It's time to stop excluding the suburbs when talking about Chicago. In fact, Chicago's numbers look really bad when we only talk about city limits. Chicago's numbers look a whole lot better when we include the burbs.

Chicago needs the suburbs, and the burbs need Chicago. And plenty of middle class and lower income people, as well as wealthy people, live outside the borders. The fact that areas of the city are really gentrifying are a blip in the radar, as much of the region (and many parts of the city) are absolutely not turning into Paris 2.0.

[kolchak]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Chicago's population is economically diverse. It's time to stop excluding the suburbs when talking about Chicago. In fact, Chicago's numbers look really bad when we only talk about city limits. Chicago's numbers look a whole lot better when we include the burbs.

Chicago needs the suburbs, and the burbs need Chicago. And plenty of middle class and lower income people, as well as wealthy people, live outside the borders. The fact that areas of the city are really gentrifying are a blip in the radar, as much of the region (and many parts of the city) are absolutely not turning into Paris 2.0.

I apologize for excluding the suburbs but I have to cordially disagree. Declining incomes in Palatine and Blue Island don't counterbalance shrinking diversity in the city center - which as an urban dweller is more chiefly my concern.

[joeg1985]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Chicago's population is economically diverse. It's time to stop excluding the suburbs when talking about Chicago. In fact, Chicago's numbers look really bad when we only talk about city limits. Chicago's numbers look a whole lot better when we include the burbs.

Chicago needs the suburbs, and the burbs need Chicago. And plenty of middle class and lower income people, as well as wealthy people, live outside the borders. The fact that areas of the city are really gentrifying are a blip in the radar, as much of the region (and many parts of the city) are absolutely not turning into Paris 2.0.

But isn't the point of talking about our Chicago's development and keeping Chicago alive and sustainable and thriving as a competitive city to only talk about Chicago as a city? I mean, we don't control how the suburbs are planning themselves and their economic vitality.

I'm not discounting the need to think like a region but you also have to think about keeping yourself sustainable. It's not fair to say that all the poor can simply go live in the burbs. That doesn't make for good city planning.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by kolchak

For me it is exactly an urban development issue. Chicago would be better served were the focus on keeping Chicago's population economically diverse and unfortunately development these days isn't like that. We're looking at long term transformation into a giant bedroom community. Its the parking podium plague.

what?

the gentrified areas of chicago are a drop in the bucket compared to the unceasing vastness of chicago's ghettos and bungalow belt. i mean, we're talking like what, maybe, MAYBE, 20 sq. miles out of 225 that have seen full-blown yuppification. i have a hard time sounding the alarm over that. "oh no, almost 10% of chicago has fancy coffee shops and expensive hamburgers! how are we regular joes supposed to go on living? the horror!"

if you lived in some coastal hyper-gentrified boutique city like boston, you might be closer to having a point, but chicago ain't no coastal hyper-gentrified boutique city like boston. this city is gigantic and most of it is still pretty messy.