West-Loop.com

West Loop Neighborhood Information

The type of housing available in the West Loop is best categorized as "industrial chic lofts and condos." That's because the area used to be a warehouse district that left countless storerooms and manufacturing buildings in the wake of its heyday. Residential developers moved in and converted many of these large industrial sites into very nice lofts and condominiums. Some old structures were razed and completely rebuilt, but a true West Loop home is in one of its sturdy window-lined warehouses that have been carefully redesigned into high-ceilinged living spaces with exposed brick, visible ductwork, open floor plans, and a distinctive style that is indisputably West Loop.

The current real estate market in the West Loop community is overflowing with condos and lofts, available for prices between $200,000 and $1.5 million. The average listing price for units here is in the low $400,000s. The average home sales price for attached properties (condos, lofts, and such) is about $375,000 with an average market time of 144 days. Detached single-family homes are much harder to come by in the West Loop, however. The average sale price hovers around $215,000 after spending an average of 120 days up for sale.

The least expensive properties in the West Loop are generally one-bedroom units or studios with a small bathroom and garage or street parking available (often for an extra fee). Many of these units have been upgraded with new kitchen appliances, granite countertops, hardwood floors, updated bathrooms and other modern features. Some lofts have exquisite timber ceilings and the customary window-wall adds an element of natural light that every home owner dreams of.

Higher-end West Loop real estate offers a lot more space with three (sometimes four) bedrooms and garage parking for two cars. These condos, duplexes and penthouses are beautiful examples of urban sophistication. Top of the line finishes and fixtures, sprawling layouts with glossy hardwood floors and accents, gourmet chef's kitchens, designer lighting, and generous outdoor balconies and decks. And, because if the location just west of downtown, West Loop properties often have magnificent views of the Sears Tower and the rest of the Chicago skyline.

Transportation to and around the West Loop

The West Loop is easily accessible by expressway, Metra trains, the "L', and CTA buses. This accessibility and its proximity to the Loop make it one of the most attractive neighborhoods in Chicago.

The southern border of the West Loop is Highway 290 (the Eisenhower Expressway) that goes directly west. It connects the western suburbs to the city and merges with Interstate 88 and Interstate 355 around Elmhurst.

Some sources cite 90/94 as the eastern border to the West Loop, which is just east of Halsted Street. If the eastern border of the West Loop is the river, 90/94 cuts through the West Loop. Either way, easy access to the main thoroughfare of Chicago is a major benefit of this neighborhood.

The CTA also makes the West Loop extremely accessible. The Blue Line runs south of the West Loop with stops at Clinton/Eisenhower Expressway, UIC/Halsted, and Racine. The Green and Pink lines run to the north of the neighborhood with stops at Ashland/Lake and Clinton/Lake. Numerous bus routes crisscross within the neighborhood. The most accessible are the #8 Halsted, #20 Madison, #126 Jackson (only eastbound on Jackson, but goes westbound on Van Buren), #65 Grand, and #9 Ashland. The commute to the Loop from any of the eastern bound buses is only minutes, and the Halsted and Ashland buses can take you to some great spots just north of the West Loop.

The main transportation advantage of the West Loop is the Ogilvie Transportation Center. This is the main hub of MetraRail, the intercity commuter train system. These trains run on schedules and, while pricier than the L, are much cleaner, faster, and more comfortable. Most stops are in the suburbs. The #20 Madison bus will take you directly to the Ogilvie station.

Restaurants and Nightlife

One of the best things about the West Loop is the restaurant scene. Converted warehouses create instant ambience and visual interest for many restaurants in the area. There are two main areas for restaurants in the neighborhood: Greek Town and Randolph Street. Both offer numerous options for upscale dining, the casual lunch during the workweek, and places to meet friends on the weekends. The choices listed here are by no means exhaustive - go explore and find your favorite!

In Greek Town, there's one Greek or Mediterranean restaurant after another. It's fun to try each one and find what makes it unique. Rodity's has the best gyro meat (and it's rumored to be "just like in Greece"). Order the saganaki and your server will yell "Opa!" while he lights the flambé feta cheese tableside. Artopolis has a café feel, while still serving stuffed grape leaves and Panini sandwiches. It has great salads and pastas for a quick and reasonable lunch. Greek Islands has an exceptionally fun atmosphere and treat-you-like-family wait staff. If you're there with a larger group, definitely try the family style meals. Pegasus has fantastic outdoor seating with a mix of Greek and Mediterranean dishes. The seafood options are a big hit here. Mr. Greek Gyros is a Greek version of the local diner. You order gyros, burgers, and fries at the counter and pay less than $10 for a huge lunch. They also serve breakfast and dinner. On the other end of the scale is Santorini, which has an indoor wood-burning fireplace that creates a wonderful ambience. The fish is fresh and the vegetable moussaka some of the best.

Randolph Street continues to attract new, independent, and experimental restaurateurs. Just about any restaurant you find here will be worth the trip, which makes the adventure that much more fun! On one end you'll find The Tasting Room and One Sixtyblue. The Tasting Room is just what it sounds - a great place to try new wines. Try a cheese flight to snack on, but leave room for all the other great options on the menu. They have small plate appetizers, pizzas, fondue, and tasting plates which include olives, meats, and cheeses from different European locales. One Sixtyblue has maintained its reputation for excellent service and intriguing, satisfying cuisine. You'll be surprised how quiet and private this restaurant will feel even at the busiest times. Friday nights offer a three-course meal for only $38 in order to get the weekend started right.Its barbeque and game menus are the highlight of this restaurant, but do not neglect the soup! On the other end of Randolph, close to Jefferson Street, are Blackbird and Avec. These two restaurants must be highlighted together since they are owned and operated by the same group. Blackbird is the more conventional restaurant establishment, while Avec is geared towards pairing smaller plates with wines from wineries in Europe that don't get much exposure. These two restaurants are favorites in Chicago and Chef Paul Kahan continues to gain more and more attention. Just west of Halsted is Sushi Wabi, which centers on the "non-materialist and simple approach" (as they proclaim on their website) and delivers some of the best sushi in the city. The spider roll and dragon roll are must-haves, while the tempura ice cream will finish of the meal with a light but satisfying note.

The West Loop isn't just ethnic and adventurous restaurants, though. The available nightlife can suit anyone's fancy - the late-night party crowd, the sports bar crowd, or the sit and chat for hours crowd. N9NE steakhouse boasts one of the most interesting and beautiful interior settings in the city. The steaks are great, but what attracts the later crowd is Ghostbar upstairs. With specialty cocktails and the sleekest décor, you can understand why the website states "Stylish Nightlife Attire Required." With comfortable oversized couches and seating at the bar, it's a great place to finish off a great meal. They serve wonderful desserts and execute great private events. Fulton Lounge offers an upscale atmosphere with excellent drinks and desserts. They're famous for seasonal cocktails, and the summer mojitos served on the outdoor patio seem like a concentration of Chicago summers. In colder months, sit by the fire inside and try a martini flight.

Union Park and Jak's Tap offer great places to enjoy a few beers and the game on TV. Union Park is a little more upscale with tile floors, rich red wall treatments and 15 plasma screens. It also has pool tables and tasty bar food. Jak's Tap has over 40 beers on draft and offers outstanding pitcher deals, making it a prime spot for groups. Watch the game on one of the 10 screens and enjoy the mouthwatering barbeque.

The Beer Bistro is just what it sounds like - somewhere you can get hard-to-find beers. They have more than 75 to offer you in an old-school atmosphere that will make you want to settle in for dinner. Take friends there you haven't seen in a while and catch up over some adventurous beverage choices. And keep an eye out for the beer classes the Bistro hosts! West Gate Coffeehouse fills a basic necessity every neighborhood should have: local haunt to hang out, study or read, and get cheap coffee refills. They have games, magazines, and WiFi to help pass the time or order a meal and spend the evening chatting with friends. The couches and comfy chairs will keep you there and the organic coffee and friendly staff will have you coming back.

Schools and Parks

The West Loop offers a variety of community services that will keep you occupied and connected to your community year-round. Here's a list of the local schools and parks for you to get plugged in immediately!

Schools

James Otis School: This school teaches grades K-8 and is a member of the World Language Magnet Cluster Programs. It is a part of GEAR UP, which focuses on college preparation, and has great after-school programs, such as Family Focus and Near Northwest Civic Alliance. The teacher to student ratio is 12.8 to 1, and many parents are enthusiastic about the care and attention provided by the instructors. The latest figures listed almost 600 students with equal numbers of boys and girls and the majority of the students as Hispanic.

St. Gregory Episcopal School: This all boys' school offers a small-town feel in an urban environment. Its entire enrollment, plus faculty is under 50 and the teacher to student ratio remains exceptionally low. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church and offers grades 1-8.

Francis Xavier Warde School: Francis Warde brought Catholic education to Chicago back in the 1840s, and this school carries her name as a tribute to her passion for superior education in a multicultural setting. Classes for students from preschool to fourth grade are held at Old St. Patrick's Church. Education continues through eighth grade at Holy Name Cathedral (751 N State St). Check out their website for detailed information about admissions, philosophy, and upcoming events.

Chicago Virtual: Technological savvy and conventional classroom techniques are blended for an effective academic environment at this K-8 school. It has open enrollment and individualized curriculum. Students can participate in numerous sports, a writers club, Student Senate and Student Ambassadors, After-School Matters, and web design programs. This school has a great record for students meeting or exceeding state standards, and 98% of students report a safe school environment.

Whitney Young Magnet High School: A magnet school with an exceptionally diverse population, Young High School's typical graduating class has a 95% college attendance rate. Over 20 AP and over 60 honors level classes are offered, but books aren't the only focus: they even have a ski and snowboard club. With a student body over 2,000, their students consistently place in national academic competitions, but also participate in a varied performing arts program. Application for admission is available at all elementary schools beginning in October, and after the student completes the admission exam, families will be notified by the end of February.

Parks

Union Park: Residents in the area persuaded developers to sell 13 acres of their subdivision at a discount to the city in order to create Union Park in 1853. It became the place to see and be seen. In the early 1900s, African American families began to move into the area and Union Park was one of the only racially diverse parks since many were off-limits to African Americans at that time. The park became an important cultural stage to many famous and influential musicians, including gospel music artist Thomas Dorsey, trumpeter Sunny Cohn, and jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis. Now you can register for badminton, basketball, conditioning, and seasonal programs on line, go swimming, or practice your tennis swing at Union Park. This remains one of the busiest and most accessible parks in the city. It is also the site of the annual Pitchfork Music Festival that highlights indie rock bands from across the country.

Skinner Park: Formerly Jefferson Park, Theodore Dreiser used this park as the setting of Sister Carrie. Back then the park was located in the one of the most fashionable neighborhoods, but after the fire of 1871, the area began to decline until the warehouses and factories moved in. In 1955 the park was renamed the Mark Skinner Park since the adjacent school had the same name. The park's lake was filled in at this time to accommodate a baseball field and school playground. There's a kid-friendly Halloween event every year, as well as basketball, baseball, indoor soccer, and cheerleading offered year round. Go to the Chicago Park District website to register.

Events and Festivals

In the West Loop, there are a hundred ways to get involved in your community - for fun, for education, or for charity. The websites for galleries, schools, and restaurants help keep you posted on upcoming events, but the best way to stay informed is talking to those around you. Talk to your kids' teachers, your favorite server or bartender, or the curator at your favorite gallery to find out what to pencil in on the calendar.

Regular Events

Annual Around the Coyote Festival: Hundreds of promising artists performing and selling their products under one roof! This festival has been held in Wicker Park for the last 19 years, but the West Loop is now home to the city's largest art event. Musicians, painters, sculptors, printmakers, poets, and many more have a chance to showcase at this festival, and new-comers can vie for the title of Best New Artist. Go to the opening night on Friday and stay through Sunday to experience it all. It takes place in Plumber's Hall (1340 W Washington Blvd).

Annual Randolph Street Market Festival: Antique/vintage everything is on display at this festival, from cars and bikes to jewelry and vinyl recordings. Once known as the Chicago Antique Festival, more than 200 dealers will show off their collectibles on Randolph Street from Ogden to Ada. Live music and great food vendors will entice you to stay all day.

First Wednesdays: Don't have all the time that you'd like to research wine? Every first Wednesday of the month, Just Grapes has a season appropriate wine tasting (sometimes they feature a certain grape, too). The cost is $25 a few weeks in advance or $35 at the door, but the knowledge you'll come away with is worth every penny.

Annual Eve of the Eve: December 31st usually stands out as the time for black tie parties, but the non-profit organization HighSight has designated December 30th as the night to get dressed up for charity. Black tie is optional, but an evening is always more fun dressed in your best - especially for a good cause. HighSight provides scholarships, mentoring and leadership programs to local students.

Annual Taste of Randolph Street: A smaller version of Taste of Chicago that highlights the restaurants on Randolph Street. This is not your usual street festival with turkey legs and funnel cakes. Some of the most adventurous restaurants call Randolph Street home and they bring out their favorite dishes to share with festival goers. In between food samples, check out the fantastic jewelry and home accessories available for sale. Or just spend the afternoon in front of the stage listening to great local bands.

Greek Festival: Once a year Halsted Street from Van Buren to Madison shuts down to let all the Greek restaurants and shops flood onto the street. Enjoy the best gyros in town and stock up on your candles, incense, and taro cards. Get your fortune told while you watch the belly dancers make their way through the crowds. This festival is a must!

Occasional Events

The parks, schools, restaurants, and art galleries all have special events for the neighborhood. The parks give you an opportunity to sign up for a league of baseball or indoor soccer. Get some exercise and get to know others in your area. During the warm months, don't miss free movies in the park. The local schools have regular plays or events for kids. Skinner Elementary has a Halloween festival just for the young ones. The art galleries not only have regular open houses at the beginning of an exhibition, but also panel discussions or "meet the artist" events as well. Find a gallery you consistently appreciate and go to their website to find out what their artists are up to. Many local restaurants have specials on tasting menus or cheese or wine flights. Some, such as the Beer Bistro, have classes on beer. Next time you're at your favorite neighborhood eatery, ask the wait staff what events they having coming up and make a night of it.

Artist Life - Galleries

As the West Loop began its regeneration, artists moved in and became responsible for creating one of the most exciting and concentrated areas for art in Chicago. The galleries represent countries all around the world, politics from underground to party-line, media from digital video and sound to the more conventional watercolors, and ages from 10 to 80 year olds. Make a night of an exhibition opening and you will not be disappointed! Here are a few of the available galleries, but keep an eye out for the next best thing - it will most likely be in the West Loop!

G. R. N'Namdi Gallery: The G.R. N'Nambi gallery is owned and operated by George N'Namdi and his son Jumaane. George began the gallery in Detroit, Michigan in 1981, which makes this gallery the oldest and largest existing African-American owned gallery. The Chicago site is one of three locations (the others are in Detroit and New York) and they consistently have exhibitions. G.R. N'Namdi has some of the most impressive clients: The Art Institute of Chicago, The Detroit Institute of the Arts, The Metropolitan Museum, The Studio Museum of Harlem, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York. It also publishes a biannual magazine "The Collector." Their focus continues to be on educating the public about the cultural and historic significance of artists' collections. The gallery has been known to have historic pieces, but also to encourage new and emerging artists to gain exposure.

Walsh Gallery: This gallery is dedicated to contemporary Asian art and is on the cutting edge of new media art. It has a New Media Lounge where visitors can view video pieces from the emerging artists of Korea, China, and India. In addition to new media, the gallery's website expresses a focus on "large-scale sculpture, installations, and photography." The gallery's artists and curators remain consistently busy around the world sharing their art at different fairs and special exhibits in Cologne, Paris, Shanghai, Seoul, Hawaii, and Venice. However, the gallery is especially interested in educating local peers and artist collectors on contemporary Asian art. The gallery director Julia Walsh and the City of Chicago created a panel discussion called "Technologically Challenged: Contemporary Art in South and East Asia," which focuses on the influence technology has on emerging art and artists in Asia. The gallery encourages rental of the space for private corporate events and even offers luxury tours of Asia with visits to "artist studios, galleries, and museums in China, India, Korea, and Japan."

Mi Elements: Specializing in artistic yet functional home and office furniture, the artists from this gallery will create something customized for your space. The artists featured at this gallery include a watercolorist, a photographer, a blacksmith and furniture builder who only uses concrete. Each artist incorporates a new approach to his or her materials in order to create something totally unexpected, yet beautiful, elegant, and usually functional. Some of the art remains only aesthetic in purpose, but most of the pieces are meant to be used in the home or office.

Thomas Robertello Gallery: This gallery knows how to get attention. There's a new exhibition every month and the gallery and its artists get consistent press exposure. The collections are not media specific, but "exhibit painting, sculpture, video, photography, installation, and drawing." The art forms might be expected, but the art is not. The pieces always have a new perspective or a new approach to a more traditional form. Here you'll find impressionist landscapes, garish portraits, postmodern sculptures, and transformed household items. The gallery interests itself in not just its own success, but the proliferation of excellent and inspiring art around the country and around the world, so the website links you to dozens of interesting artistic events that are not just in Chicago.

Packer Schopf Gallery: The new space for this gallery is twice the size of the space it occupied just two years ago. The artists here could contend to be the most varied a single gallery features. One review commented that the work of a contemporary photographer could be found right next to the work of a self-taught senior citizen. Media forms include handkerchiefs, illustrations, photos, animal bones, and comics. This is also the place to find great folk art that makes urbane statements. Each new exhibition has an opening reception that's open to the public. Check out www.art.newcity.com to read updated reviews on the exhibits.

FLATFILEgalleries: One of the most sizeable galleries in the West Loop is also one of the most polished. This gallery provides artwork to some of the largest and most prestigious companies and buildings in Chicago. The list of participating and associated artists remains one of the longest and continues to grow season by season. The gallery started out exclusively featuring photography, and while this medium remains most significant to the gallery's collections, contemporary art and sculpture are now included. Do not neglect to visit one of the 30 art shows each year!

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