Chicagoist: Olympics 2016? Show Chicagoist The Money.

jeff

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 17:42:15 -0600

Considering the fact that the CTA has totally melted down this year, all any other city has to do is have the USOC & IOC members that are doing the choosing & Chicago loses out.

Mister C

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 14:15:38 -0600

Missus B, My facts are straight. John Bryan (ex-CEO of Sara Lee) raised almost all of the private money for Millennium Park. Pat Ryan (the Executive Chairman of Aon) may have coughed up some dough for MPark, but did it at John Bryan's request. Pat Ryan is already in charge of the Olympic bid but John Bryan could also help raise money (if he's not already involved in some fashion). Just like I said. Nice try at snarking, though. But it's generally a good idea to know what you're talking about first.

rich

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 14:00:06 -0600

I would not be surprised that the venue is plan somewhere else and these donators are buying land around what the real site might be. The city just needs to get the friends of the park to be against the current site, do a little anti-PR and bam the donators become rich because that how it was planned. I would laugh my a$$ off if that does happen. Hmmm maybe I should look into buying some land around the city.

NSH

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 10:47:00 -0600

nm well they will need the extension to 130th st for the olympic scavenger hunt in the landfills. Or better yet they could set up the Olympic Village in the Hegewisch trailer court. Hopefully they can make the Chicago Olympics will be more like MTV's gauntlet.

nmpkm

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 10:03:37 -0600

I can see the Circle Line, but I don't think any potential Olympic venues would be south of 95th, unless they were in Indiana or something. How could it impact the Red Line extension?

bainard

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 09:56:39 -0600

I've said it before and will say it again, that logo is 8,000 different kinds of hott. Here's the real question -- will the Olympics be enough to get the Circle Line and Red Line extensions done, because that may be what we need now, more than anything.

Missus B

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 09:33:06 -0600

Dear Mister C, Please get your facts right, it's Pat Ryan, not John Bryan, but nice try.

Mister C

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 22:02:26 -0600

I would think that John Bryan (ex-Sara Lee CEO who raised the millions for MPark) would be able to shake some cash loose from the city's elite (if he's not already part of the effort). One might also assume big developers (and the real estate industry in general) could be enticed to fork over some green, since it would (in the long run) help fill up some of the billion condos being thrown up hither and yon. Oh, and Oprah should be good for 10 million or so (think about the endless amount of specials she could do before/during/after).

Jen

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 21:33:54 -0600

That logo is so much better than the one designed for NYC 2012.

Joey

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:18:06 -0600

Moe, I certainly would hope the infrastructure improvements would be in place for this, because as we've seen the past week, starting with the shooting last Friday, we can barely handle getting people home during normal rush periods, try adding all the extra attention the Olympics would bring. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the exposure, but let it be done without fracking things up for the people that already live here.

moe

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:00:31 -0600

chris, complaining of congestion in chicago... A suburbanite transplant I'm guessing? Not giving a damn about NIMBYs is what made and continues to make Chicago great. Build the skyscrapers, bring in a million flights through O'Hare, and keep it busy, that's Chicago. The olympics are just what we need. Not the games themselves, but the media exposure (sick of LA and NYC all the time), the improved transit infrastructure, and the economic boost that is sure to follow is WELL worth 3 weeks of additional visitors. Let the world go elsewhere? How about let the world come to a fine city built FOR it?

Chris

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:15:07 -0600

Oy. I seriously hope that the Olympics goes somewhere else. I'm not a big fan of the Olympic Committee and I would hate to see the city completely congested for the duration of the games. Let the world go elsewhere.

Patrick McDonough

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:02:11 -0600

Lets do it!! What do you suggest Mayor Daley sells next to pay for the Olympics? Navy Pier? City Hall? Lets pay all the debts Chicago has first, than start on new debt.