Chicago revitalization plan: Despite uncertainties, $15.5 billion proposal for downtown is moving fo

I have a buddy with season tickets to the Cubs, so I fly out with my son (now 10) once each summer to meet him and his son (now 8) for a three-day home stand. Last year we caught the Cardinals for three games against the Cubs when the former were something like 5 games back...what a great time. They have a very cool children's museum as well.

The attractiveness of any city seems to depend so much on what you are seeking at that particular point in life. When I was single and in my late teens and early 20s no city outside New York really had any appeal for me (and I am from a very small city in the West). In my 30s, the charms of places like Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and even DC became increasingly appealing. Now that I am in my 40s my love for my wife has deepened to the point where I am much more interested in conversing with her than trying to read her lips on or near the dance floor. Also, my RA has progressed to the point where physical comfort HAS to be a consideration -- so we like to take short trips to smaller places with particular charms: Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Toronto and Montreal, Tucson, San Diego. Santa Fe, San Antonio, Boulder and Denver (and maybe Colorado Springs if time permits). New Orleans used to be on the list, but I have not been back yet since Katrina. I enjoyed the music and the food SO much the two times I visited before Katrina that I am afraid my heart will be broken if I return to find many of my favorite little nooks and crannies have disappeared.

where the hell do you get your statistics?

Per ca pita economic output may be the best in the world.

It is silly to compare Tokyo, London, Paris, Hong Kong together or in relation to Chicago.

Economically Chicago is larger than any of those cities (Merc exchange & center of US commerce). In addition having the University of Chicago as the center of global economic learning (more Nobel prizes in Economics than any other institution)...

Arts: Chicago Art institute, Museum of Science and Industry (any better?), Field Museum (any better?).

Theater arts: The Chicago Theater, Steppen Wolf, the real Second City - home of SNL comedy legends.

For sports - no contest Bulls, Bears, Hawks, Cubs, Sox...

For beauty - nothing like LSD. Nothing like a modern Wright on the lake or a Brownstone in Grant Park. Far cleaner than Paris. Though the architecture in Paris and London is a beauty from an earlier period. Nothing done in the last 100 years to rival Wright or Ludwig.

Architecture - Frank Lloyd Wright (the best known architect in the world)... Ludwig Mies van der Rohe... needs no further mention.

So Chicago if having to be compared - the 2nd City of the USA is the second capital of the world in terms of economic activity, and other measures.

Here in DC we are expanding our metro system out to Dulles Airport (I think 30 miles out) and a few other locations and its only costing us about 900 million? Its coming from stimulus money so its pretty nice.

after a while they will print money with no gold to back it up! the second great depression is coming! be afraid be very afraid!

Sure it's only money, they'll print more.

First of all, I wonder who's going to get all those contracts . . . . . and yeah, it's a big step in the right direction, but all the surrounding streets need updating as well. I really think 90/94, 290, and 55 need double decker style lanes. I've lived in chicago most of my life, and traffic has always gotten worse, but espicially over the last 5 years. This new 'hub' could really help, but only with the right solutions to already gridlocked street and highway system

send some of that cleanup money to Philly. there are parts of Philly that make Lebanon or Baghdad look pleasant. Chicago is already clean enough

Comprehensive Public transportation is needed throughout the country! This is a step in the right direction! less cars on the road and therefore cutting harmful emmissions is vital if the earth is to survive! global warming will kill us all unless we end personal transportation and instead move to mass transit!

I go back to Chicago as often as I can...

Kev
Las Vegas, NV

Chicago is by far the cleanest city of the big 3 NYC, LA, Chicago.

As for public transportation - LA is horrible. NYC and Chicago - are the only cities with robust public transportation usable by the masses - that actually go places both lower, middle, and upper class need to go. Not even much smaller cities with green credit like SF, Portland, or Seattle... have the public transit system Chicago has in place. And Chicago is no NYC when it comes to subways.

This plan is what Chicago needs - and will put it far ahead of any city other than NYC in terms of future economic growth due to excellent public infrastructure. Chicago will be a desirable location that may even rise to the 2nd capital of the world.

A little stimulus package money from Chicago's favorite President I'm sure.

Have you ever been to Chicago?
They got a lot more shit to fix besides the streets.

The plan looks like a big step in the right direction, now only if they could fix the highways and streets as well.