The March Issue Of Chicago Magazine

I just finished reading the March issue of Chicago Magazine, the cover story of which is titled "Who Runs This Town? The 50 Most Powerful Chicagoans, Ranked." The answer to that is J.B. Pritzker, Illinois Governor, number #1, and Brandon Johnson, Chicago Mayor, #2. And enough of that. Far most interesting was the article in "The 312" section about La Salle Street, the financial center of the Midwest, which is evidently economically distressed due to corporate restructuring, employee downsizing, and the popularity of work from home (so you actually don't have to work). The purchase of the James R. Thompson Center by Google is considered a positive step, but everyone agrees more needs to be done. La Salle Street Reimagined, an initiative started by the former mayor to revive the area, has five projects in the works, but Brandon Johnson, the current mayor, has eliminated funding for La Salle Street Reimagined in 2024 to cover budget shortfalls, which is giving the jitters to proponents of the plan. Canceled because it was the former mayor's idea? In other words, politics as usual?

Another article, titled "Raising L," is about a grassroots advocacy group that is unhappy with the current state of the Chicago Transit Authority (the CTA), which they say has become unreliable, with "L" trains scheduled every 5 or 6 minutes often running every 30 minutes. Of course, it is the same with the RTD here in Denver. There have been cutbacks in service, and the light rail trains now also run every 30 minutes, but RTD actually announces those cutbacks and change the schedules, so people know what to expect. What a concept! Do you think it might work in Chicago, too? Combining these issues with all those vacancies on North Michigan Avenue (the Magnificent Mile), as well as the prospects for the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs this year, and it looks like Chicago has it's work cut out for it. But as they often say in both business and government, there are no problems, just opportunities. And so, Chicago currently seems like a city with a lot of opportunities. And yes, that is indeed a photograph on the right of the Chicago Board of Trade, anchoring the south end of La Salle Street, that I took in 1973. All seemed well back then. See what happens when I leave town?