Intriguing Suggestions to Help Attract More Tourists to Chicago

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Originally Posted by Kamms

I hope no one relies on the Chicago Fire tv series to get a sense of Chicago; this show is awful.

Since we have kids our perspective is more from the Disney Channel show "Shake it Up Chicago".

[gomexico]

I think a casino in Downtown Chicago would be an important, positive and successful addition to the tourism picture in the city. Let's keep the money in the city, that's flowing to Indiana, out to Elgin, Des Plaines, Joliet and Aurora. It would help keep some of the convention business thinking of going elsewhere.

[marothisu]

I think a Casino would be very, very positive for the economy, but in all honesty I'm more concerned with the people who go there. I think it really depends on how they bill it. I think it would have to be a sort of upscale (maybe not at upscale prices) place.

Trust me, where I grew up in Minnesota...the gambling age was 18 so I was able to gamble even the day I graduated high school and any summer I spent there. Some of the most depressing places ever and no offense, but the type of people who inhabit them are not the type of people I want lurking around my neighborhood here in town. I know it sounds bad, but I mean really...

It can be done in a good way, but I will be livid if they just make any old casino. Bring in really good performers. Make it really nice. Don't make it cheap enough where someone who shouldn't be gambling actually goes to gamble and I'll listen more. IMO though if they want to make the old Post Office into a casino, they'd have to get more development going right around that area. More food options, entertainment, etc...or wherever they would decide to put it. There's a reason why Vegas is so good. Most of the casinos in the midwest are surrounded by nothingness. Although this would be in the middle of Chicago, it can be greatly enhanced if there are "things" RIGHT around it within walking distance.

I think if it was a big and good enough casino, things would work themselves out. I am sure business owners would start developing that area.

[Link N. Parker]

Actually I thought they were going to put a casino in that building at State and Randolph? Block32 or whatever it is called?

[marothisu]

Block 37. Don't know how big it would have been, but it's certainly interesting. Easy access to a casino via public transit.

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Block 37. Don't know how big it would have been, but it's certainly interesting. Easy access to a casino via public transit.

This is a good idea. Cleveland's casino has direct indoor access to its rapid transit lines.

[RH3Flatlander]

A few thoughts:

1) Chicago will not get a Super Bowl without another team/stadium, or without a serious renovation to Soldier Field. Until this last season, Soldier Field was the smallest stadium in the NFL (Oakland's will be smaller next year). Daley had a chance to build an 80K seat retractable roof stadium out in Cicero as well as an opportunity to bring the Cardinals back to Chicago, and he buckled under the pressure of his constituency to rehab Soldier Field because "Da Bears have to play in Bear wedder, durr....durr...."

2) Cable cars along the Chicago River would be awesome, make it happen.

3) As some others have pointed out, a casino in Chicago would have to be done tastefully, almost Monte Carlo-esque. If this is the vision, I think it's a good idea. The old post office would be perfect for this, otherwise some location near McCormick would be great as well. I don't think this is the kind of thing we need to put smack dab in the middle of the city or on Navy Pier or North Michigan Ave as others have suggested. Make it a destination for those that want to partake in an upscale casino experience. A really nicely done Casino (not some garbage you find in Joliet or Hammond) would be an international attraction. And you can say what you want to about casinos and attracting urban blight, but they do contribute a ton of $ to local infrastructure and services.

4) Go ahead and turn Cermak/McCormick into Chicago's version of LA Live. Rahm wants to do this. It's part of the reason why the CTA green line stop at Cermak was planned. I've heard visions of playing up Chicago's Blues/Jazz heritage in the area and putting in a few staple attractions along Cermak (hotels, maybe casino, new arena, blues/jazz museum, large brewery, Chicago sports hall of fame, etc.) along with some more restaurants and nightclubs in the area to make it more of a Beale-like destination. Urban purists cringe at these sort of developments, but the fact of the matter is that they draw tourists, and unfortunately, Rahm won't be able to achieve his goal of 70m tourists by selling the charming walkability of Bucktown, Oak Street, and Andersonville alone.

5) I'm not a huge fan of light shows on the skyline, just because I think our skyline can speak for itself, and because other cities have already done that idea to excess. Leave the skyline alone.