Quote:
Originally Posted by blazingfire
If the South Loop was actually as dense as the picture makes it seems, it would be a destination neighborhood like the West Loop, River North, etc.
On paper the south loop should be very walkable and all, but in person it just misses all the marks
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It just needs a bit of time to develop. There are nice spots in the neighborhood – Printers Row, South Michigan, Motor Row starting to get there – but they're all disconnected. The city could also be doing a lot more to promote walkability, but that's true across the central area.
It's got great fundamentals – it feels the most connected to the Loop and the lakefront of the Loop-adjacent neighborhoods, it's right on Grant Park and the Museum Campus, etc. It's puzzling to me that so few prominent restaurateurs have thought to set up shop here.
I think getting this stretch of S. Michigan and Printers Row connected is the first step (mostly via the 1000M-adjacent lots on Wabash north to Ida B. Wells, plus that giant lot that SAIC seems to be doing nothing with at State/Harrison), then taking care of that whole Wabash/Roosevelt intersection.
Getting the western third of the neighborhood connected to Chinatown via the 78 will help a lot too. South of 14th or so still has a long ways to go.