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Apple will spend $4 million to renovate Chicago's North/Halsted triangle
Technically, I've now moved away from Chicago and am living in Los Angeles, but that doesn't mean I'm not still following the brand new Apple store being built at the intersection of North and Halsted in Chicago -- not only is that my old stomping grounds (I used to be a manager at that Borders), but hearing about and seeing the old place makes me a little nostalgic for that toddlin' town I left only a month and a half or so ago. And there's good news for Chicagoans just south of that Clybourne Corridor neighborhood. Apple will be spending a cool $4 million to redevelop the entire triangle, including that dirty old Red Line station sitting there as well (you can't tell, but the pic above is the old gas station that used to be there, with the train station in the background. In exchange (c'mon, this is Chicago, you didn't think they'd be doing it for free, did you?), Apple gets first naming rights for the station ("iStop" jumps to mind), as well as the chance at advertising in there for 10 years to come, with four more five-year options. But even with those conditions, this is actually great news for that whole area -- it's been on the cusp of getting really busy (it's just a city block north of the old derelict Cabrini Green neighborhood) for a while now, and an Apple store with a brand new El stop certainly won't hurt. I'll have to make sure and take a trip back -- they're saying the triangular store could be open as soon as Fall 2010. There's an excellent Italian place just under the Brown line track across from the Steppenwolf just north on Halsted, too. Ah, memories.
AT&T to provide underground service on Chicago subways
Good news for those of you who live with me here in Chicago and also don't have a car: while AT&T has gotten on the bad side of a lot of iPhone owners lately (seriously, that MMS delay is lame), they're at least doing one good deed for us Chicagoans. They've just announced that they're bringing cellphone service to our underground transit systems. Many's the time I've stood underground out on the Logan Square Blue Line station heading out to O'Hare, bummed that my iPhone isn't pulling up my flight times for one last check, but no more -- with a contract set up this week, AT&T says they'll have service up and running underground by the end of the year. And the deal will generate $3.1 million for the CTA, which could probably use the money.That may do little to soothe the pain of all AT&T has done to us iPhone users. But being able to use my iPhone underground while waiting for the train will definitely be nice.
