The New Eastside Association of Residents is hosting their annual meeting on Tuesday, January 31 at the Buckingham (360 E. Randolph).

• NEAR President Alice Harper will not be returning to the board but will remain in an emeritus capacity
• Annual dues will be collected.
• Speakers include Anna Sitzloff, Eva Weir, Breelyn Pete, and a Chicago Park District Representative.

For more information view the flyer posted in the forums section –

NEAR Information

Current NEAR President Richard Ward’s web site is located at http://www.neweastside.org.

Or rather their eggs. The Cicadas who have been flying around the suburbs these past several weeks are all dying. The Economist has a terrific short article and photo about Brood XIII – “Locals call them “locusts” but the Magicicada species of North America are as harmless as can be. Having fed on root sap during their underground life, mature cicadas have no need to eat and indeed no mouths. With no bite, sting or poison, they are gentle, even helpless.” The article also mentioned some ways of preparing the bugs which are described as ”mildly crunchy, with a woody flavour and notes of almond, or potato”. Full article – http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9340263

Wikipedia has more information – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magicicada and information about our specific Brood – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brood_XIII. I did not see any around Grant Park, but they were very abundant out by Oak Brook. Presumably Grant Park being relatively new land and with major construction of underground parking garages occurring periodically the Cicadas did not get a chance to take root (so-to-speak).

Grant Park Advisory Council (GPAC) and Grant Park Conservancy will hold a public meeting Monday (June 18, 2007) night at 6:30 p.m. at Roosevelt University.

“Please come out and give us and Lollapalooza officials your input on Lollapalooza 2007 in Grant Park.  This year’s Lollapalooza will be: August 3-5, 2007.  We want to hear from you to make this a better event and work to reduce concerns.”

For more information see Lollapalooza 2007 meeting.

The architectural critic of the Chicago Tribune wrote an article that was published yesterday on why the Children’s Museum should not be located in Daley Bicentenniel Plaza.

Regarding the Plaza itself the critic writes: “Though Daley Bicentennial is not without merit — its rigidly symmetrical layout does frame views of Buckingham Fountain, and residents of nearby high-rises prize its quiet ambience as an antidote to Millennium Park’s throngs — its design is as outdated and outmoded as one of the John Travolta leisure suits that were in fashion when Chicago dedicated the 19.5-acre park in 1979.”

A discussion about the article and link to the full article on WindyChat.com. http://www.windychat.com/childrens-museum-has-yet-make-case-120.html

Mehta Brown writes on the Friends of Daley Bi blog on three ways to save the Daley Bi park from the Children’s Museum’s attempts to relocate there.

Three Easy Ways to Save the Park

“1) Call Mayor Daley’s office at (312) 744-3300, let him know where you live, and tell him that you are opposed to museum construction Daley Bicentennial Plaza.

2) Email Arnold Randall, Chicago’s new Commissioner of Planning and Development, arandall@cityofchicago.org , let him know where you live, and tell him that you are opposed to museum construction Daley Bicentennial Plaza.

3) Call a friend (or two,three…) who lives in Chicago, and ask your friend to take these same steps!”

The Save Daley blog is at http://savedaley.blogspot.com/.

She writes: “I’ve lived near Daley Bicentennial Plaza since 1984. Like many other others in the neighborhood, I’ve chosen to remain a Chicago resident and taxpayer as I enjoy family life.”

From the Chicago Tribune - “Aside from protecting the park, this project raises questions of safety and quality of life. This area of the city already is teeming with pedestrian and vehicle traffic, with much more to come via residential buildings planned. The museum site would add hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, descending on a three-tiered section of Randolph Street that can be difficult to navigate. Downtown Chicago, already so gridlocked and stressed that a proposed fee for driving there drew serious discussion, doesn’t need more school buses and cars on Randolph, Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive.”

Full article – http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0902edit1sep02,0,6286821.story 

Reilly’s comments at a Friends fo the Park meeting last month regarding the plans to move the Children’s Museum to the north end of Grant Park -

From ArchitectureChicago PLUS – “On the proposed move of the Chicago Children’s Museum to a new building in Grant Park -
Reilly: That’s been a bit of a political football. . . . That’s something that will be thoroughly vetted, building by building, in the [New Eastside]. I find it curious that there are certain organizations out there, that have in their charter a mission statement of preserving open space, that are actually advocating for additional building for Grant Park. I don’t understand that. How these folks can look [you in] the eye and say, yes, we’re here to preserve Grant Park, but please put this building in, I don’t understand that.”

http://arcchicago.blogspot.com/2007/06/chicagos-downtown-aldermen-pushovers-no.html

There is a meeting scheduled at North Harbor Tower tomorrow, July 10th. 

A article this morning in the Tribune has some nice words about “340 On The Park”, the latest building finished in the Lakeshore East development project. 340 On the Park makes a bold contribution to the Chicago skyline rising 64 stories dwarfing its neighbors at 300 and 360 East Randolph.

From the Tribune – “The doors give onto a wide balcony with a knock-your-eyes-out view of Frank Gehry’s snaking BP Bridge, the trellis of his Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, Sears Tower, the skyline, you name it. On the same floor are a two-lane, 25-yard lap pool and a whirlpool with views out onto Grant Park. The tower’s residents — people in just a handful of units had moved in as of last Monday — will thus be able to indulge themselves and feel virtuous because they live in a green building. This may make 340 the Lexus hybrid of architecture.”

Read the full article. http://www.chicagotribune.com:80/features/chi-0722_towerjul22,1,3374521.story 

Regarding CRITICAL Children’s Museum Neighborhood Meeting on Monday, Sept. 10, 5:30 PM at the Daley Fieldhouse 

Editorial – We at New-Eastside.com have witnessed a variety of ever-increasingly aggressive tactics to characterize the New Eastside neighborhood (which includes the Lakeshore East development) as being partially supportive of the Children’s Museum’s proposed move to the current site of the Daley Bicentenntial Fieldhouse.

The recent meetings at each building presented only one side of the issue - i.e. Children’s Museum staff and representatives proposing the new location for the building.

Nearby public facilities such as the Family Fun Festival in Millenium Park has had boxes for people to write letters to the Alderman in support of the move, with no place to mark or record opposition to the move.

Roving college-age petitioners have been spotted in the neighborhood and surrounding areas who were hired by the Children’s Museum and who clearly upon questioning had no clear idea about what was involved in the proposed move.

A firm in Topeka, KS has been calling neighborhood residents at odd hours to solicit support for the move from central Chicago residents.

In the latest move, the Children’s Museum organization is expected to bus in hundreds of supporters in advance of the upcoming “neighborhood meeting” hosted by NEAR to take all available seats and shut out real neighborhood residents from expressing their opposition to the proposed move ( see http://blog.new-eastside.com/final-meeting-on-the-childrens-museum/, especially the comments). This was originally intended to be a meeting (again it is hosted by NEAR) open only to neighborhood residents.

While I can’t fault the Children’s Museum for being aggressive about what they think could be a good move in location for them — their blatant attempts to mis-characterize our neighborhood is regrettable.

While we hope the best for the Children’s Museum (our own children love it), we must condemn the current administration’s recent activities and hope the neighborhood is able to prevail in this issue and prevent the Children’s Museum from relocating across the street in Grant Park.

Peggy Figiel writes – “Hi All,

As you may already know the FINAL meeting on the Children’s Museum issue will be held this Monday, September 10 at 6:30 PM at Daley Bicentennial Fieldhouse.  This is a NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING hosted by NEAR. You must be bring the postcard you may have already received in the mail from Alderman Reilly or some form of ID to admitted!!  This is in response to the mass email the Children’s Museum has sent out telling people to have their family and friends get there early, take all the seats and pack the meeting!!  If they do not live here they will not be admitted!!

Reilly’s entire staff will be on hand to check the doors ALONG WITH MEMBERS OF THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPT.!!

We are asking everyone to attend this very important meeting even if you have previously attended your building meeting!  We need a HUGE turnout of opposition!!  We will have signs available and we ask you to get there as early as possible.

The CCM will present yet another design for the museum, this one apparently completely underground.  I hope everyone read the Tribune Editorial Board’s piece in Sunday’s paper opposing a museum in Grant Park.

We ARE being heard and need to make the FINAL EFFORT FOR VICTORY!!  There will be a lot of media present and we want to show a strong, final united front!  This issue has brought this neighborhood together like no other and that’s why it is such a great place to live!

We appreciate all the work everyone has done writing & e-mailing letters, making phone calls, and attending meetings.  AFTER THIS MEETING ALDERMAN REILLY WILL MAKE HIS DECISION PUBLIC AND THIS ISSUE WILL BE OVER!

PLEASE PLAN ON ATTENDING AND GETTING THERE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.

Thank you and see you on Monday.

Peggy Figiel”

Dear Friend of Grant Park,
 
We do much to improve the quality of life in the central city lakefront and Grant Park areas and our hard work shows in proven results.  Grant Park is Chicago’s front yard to the world and needs to be world-class in all of its 325 acres.  Along with the Chicago Park District, we have done much to green up Grant Park,  Chicago’s front yard, as well as promote and work on many environmental, architectural, art and design projects. 

You can support us by purchasing tickets to our Wine Down the Park event described below.  It is very convenient to purchase tickets and can be done on our web page described below. 

As you know, your support is very much appreciated and needed! In fact, our work in improving Grant Park and the surrounding area was publicly acknowledged this year by Mayor Daley and Superintendent Timothy Mitchell.

There is much information below about the event and a listing of our Board. 

Any help and support that you can offer are greatly appreciated.  Please spread the word about this event. 

Thank you! Bob. 

Please save the date, September 6, 2007, to be green and support the great work that the Grant Park Conservancy is doing in Chicago.  We invite you to be a part of our continuing environmental efforts to plant trees, help create greenspace, encourage environmentally-friendly living and “green” up Chicago’s front yard to the world, Grant Park.
To purchase tickets or to get further information on the Grant Park Conservancy please go to:  http://grantparkconservancy.com. 

In the lower right corner of the home page there is an icon to purchase tickets on line or you can mail a check to:
Grant Park Conservancy
410 South Michigan Avenue, Ste 467
Chicago, IL  60605

Food provided by the Art Institute of Chicago/Bon Appétit  
Chicago Park District
InPLAY 
Binny’s Beverage Depot
Entertainment provided by Roosevelt University and The Latino Cultural Center

A meeting with Alderman Reilly will be held at the Daley Bicentenniel Plaza Fieldhouse on Monday September 10th at 6:30 PM.

Notices have been posted in buildings and the Alderman’s office is reportedly sending a notice to everyone in the community. Reilly has help at least eight meeting with residents in various buildings near the Fieldhouse and this final meeting it being hosted by NEAR. In the previous eight meetings, only the Children’s Museum staff and representatives were given time to present the plan, in the meeting next Monday NEAR will present their analysis and views of the proposed development.

Mark your calendars! as this will be an important meeting. Monday September 10th at 6:30 PM.

FREE Millennium Park Concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Edwin Outwater conductor and Savion Glover tap dancer

Mozart Overture to The Magic Flute
Ellington Selections from The River * Featuring Savion Glover
Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition (orch. Ravel)

Conductor Edwin Outwater leads Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with special guest tap dancer Savion Glover performing to Duke Ellington’s Suite from The River. The program also features Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute, which honors the memory of Sir Georg Solti, who passed away 10 years ago this month, and a CSO tour de force, Mussorgsky’s spectacular Pictures at an Exhibition.

This concert is generously sponsored by The Port, Washlow and Errant Families and is a part of Millennium Park’s “Blockbuster Week.”

More information at http://www.cso.org/main.taf?p=3,11,6,1&EventID=9166

The “Chicago Outdoor Film Festival” has started in Butler Field at Grant Park. The City of Chicago web site and more information can be found at www.chicagooutdoorfilmfestival.us

Double Indemnity – July 24 @ 8:50pm
Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck

Written on the Wind – July 31 @ 8:42pm
Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Dorothy Malone, Robert Stack

The Awful Truth – August 7 @ 8:34pm
Irene Dunne, Cary Grant

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – August 14 @ 8:24pm
Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katherine Ross

Sweet Smell of Success – August 21 @ 8:13pm
Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis

The Sound of Music – August 28 @ 8:01pm
Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer

Quotes:
[Double Indemnity stars] “…one of the smokiest, sexiest, most dangerous film noir femme fatales, Barbara Stanwyck.”
Michael Wilmington

Sponsors & Partners: Charles Schwab, Metromix, Chicago Transit Authority, WNUA 95.5, Chicago Park District, Time Out Chicago 

The Children’s Museum has scheduled meetings at many of the buildings in the neighborhood to present plans for the Children’s Museum along the south side of East Randolph at the site of the present Daley Fieldhouse. The first meeting was held last night at North Harbor Tower (175 N. Harbor Dr.) and additional meetings are scheduled as follows. More meeting times at other buildings to be posted later.

360 Randolph, Wednesday, July 18 @ 6 pm

195 Harbor, Thursday, July 19 @ 6 pm

155 Harbor, Monday, July 23 @ 6:30 pm

400 Randolph, Wednesday, July 25 @ 6:30 pm

Local residents had expressed concerns about the Children’s Museum locating along Randolph last year so the museum considered moving to a location at Monro and Columbus, however this location was opposed by the Friends of the Park and the Grant Park Conservancy Council.

Now the Children’s Museum is looking back at their originally proposed location at the site of the Fieldhouse much to the ire of those who thought the plan was dead last year. Be sure to attend your buildings meeting to see the detailed proposal and presentation and have a chance to express your opinion to the new Alderman who will be in attendance at each meeting.

The large planters on the last block of East Randolph (across from Outer Drive East) have been removed. For the past couple of weeks, these had been blocking pedestrians and causing people to have to walk into the street to pass.

See previous post with photos — http://blog.new-eastside.com/planters-along-randolph/

Also, see Richard Ward’s letter to the Alderman and the statement from Brendan Reilly — http://blog.new-eastside.com/planters-along-randolph/#comments 

Of course it would be nice if the community finally got the Pedway and we could walk underground.

Mary Owen of the Chicago Tribune wrote an article about the recent Lollapalooza meeting at Roosevelt University hosted by GPAC. Chicago sign a five year deal last October to hold the 3-day concert in Grant Park following the success of last year’s concert.

However, a number of neighborhood residents had complained about the noise levels and are concerned that scant attention is being paid to local and state noise statutes. The concert will be held August 3rd through the 5th this year.

From the Chicago Tribune – “The stage changes weren’t enough for Richard Ward, president of the New Eastside Association of Residents, who said he’s frustrated because it appears to him that local and state agencies will not enforce noise ordinances. “It’s one thing to have three hours of music, but 39 hours?” Ward said.”

 Full article – http://www.chicagotribune.com:80/entertainment/chi-lollapaloozajun19,1,3870498.story

Magellan Development Group has published the Spring edition of the Currents Newsletter promoting Lakeshore East and the area.

Topics include: – Lakeshore East named “2007 Development of the Year” by the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association, 340 Sales Office moved to Lakeshore East, Aqua Breaks Ground, Sales Office to Move to Shoreham, Jeanne Gang’s Aqua Design, Regatta Orientation Program, Cafe Roma to open in Shoreham, and 340 on the Park and Chandler “Top Out”.

 View the newsletter here – http://www.lakeshoreeast.com/pdfs/MGL_CurrentsSP07Pweb.pdf 

In the past week a bunch of planters have appeared along Randolph St.

On the east end of the street on the south side across from Outer Drive East this presents a problem as the sidewalk was not very wide to begin with and now more than half the sidewalk has been claimed by the behemoth planters. 

Click on the thumbnail to view the full photo.

I just missed it in this photo but picture the “weave” pedestrians must now engage in when passing others along the sidewalk. Our family’s double stroller barely fits on the remaining strip of sidewalk. You can imagine with passing groups or during special events such as the Fourth of July fireworks how sidewalk traffic will have to spill out into the streets potentially causing obstacles for drivers.

Also, in this photo you can see a city worker or contractor picking up a beer can that has already been attracted by the planter. Not only do they block the sidewalks, but they also serve as garbage bins by passers-by.

Click on the thumbnail to view the full photo. 

In talking with several other residents about the poorly planned decision to place planters on this sidewalk, one person mentioned “where’s Natarus when you need him?” Well, we do have an Alderman who the majority of voters in the Ward voted for in the last election – Ald. Brendan Reilly who just recently took office.

You can call his office @ (312) 642-4242. Tell him to look at the photos at http://blog.new-eastside.com or come out and watch the “Randolph weave” himself. By the way, Mayor Daley’s office number is (312) 744-3300. I’m sure it would not hurt to call his office as well.

Bob O’Neill writes that there will be a Grant Park Conservancy meeting on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 – 6:30 p.m.

The meeting will be at Daley Bicennteniel Plaza (337 E. Randolph just east of Columbus Drive) regarding the Children’s Museum Plans for relocating to this area.

He invites that you “Please come out and give us your input on the newest plans for the museum.”