[wierdaaron]

And yeah, south loop doesn't have those things now, we're talking about the potential for those things to come in the future.

River North had that sudden swell of high-end residential, combined with lots of underutilized older buildings that were easy to gut and turn into nightclubs and restaurants with lofts on top, which combined to help the neighborhood define its culture practically overnight. South Loop doesn't have that (West Loop does), but instead it has a lot of vacant land. It won't develop the same as River North did, but it will develop all the same.

Since it will be driven largely by new construction, I don't think the sloop will ever have the character as the other neighborhoods. It'll probably feel maybe more like Streeterville, with the street level scene dictated by designed spaces carved out of highrises. There's fewer opportunities for a savvy restauranteur to turn frumpy warehouses into amazing hotspots, and pretty much every structure that could be converted into residential already has been, but the potential is still huge.

Still, it's going to be a while.