Mayor Emanuel has taken some flack for spending $100 million on a gorgeous downtown amenity in the midst of a budget crisis, but it looks like his riverwalk gambit is going to pay off. The new promenade, which will be extended all the way to Lake Street by 2016, is bankrolled by a federal loan that must be paid off in thirty-five years. But judging from the massive popularity of the “The Marina,” “The Cove” and “The River Theater” spaces, which opened this summer, we’ll have no problem raising that debt via docking fees, retail rents, ads and sponsorships. On a warm fall afternoon, there’s no better standing desk for laptopping than The Marina’s sleek wooden counters, which double as benches for folks on the lower level. Look up from your work now and then to gaze across the river at the gleaming Trump Tower and the twin corncobs of the Marina City development, and wave to people on tour boats and river taxis. If you enjoy drinking and writing, feel free to grab a glass of cabernet from City Winery—we won’t judge you.
South bank of the Chicago River between State and LaSalle Streets
Today In The Culture, November 14, 2022: Save Our Skyscrapers | Alamo Drafthouse to Open | Return of the The Nutcracker DESIGN Advice To Feds: Don't Demolish Historic Early Twentieth-Century Skyscrapers In last Thursday evening's public hearing, reports Dennis Rodkin at Crain's, commenters urged the federal government not to "waste" historical buildings on State Street. "Four early twentieth-century buildings the federal government wants to demolish because of security concerns should be saved and rehabbed," commenters said. Tearing down the sixteen-story Century and…
