Wilson Station Voted Best New Transit Facility By Streetsblog Readers

Uptown may have lost out in the Curbed Cup (in a very abbreviated voting period of just a few hours), but we have a Streetsie!

The Wilson station rehab beat out the Washington-Wabash station and the 95th Street station rehab to win the coveted title of Best New Transit Facility in voting sponsored by Streetsblog Chicago.

"What was it that took the Wilson station rehab over the top: the addition of elevators, the creation of a Red-Purple transfer, the brand-new entrance on Sunnyside, the restoration of the 1923 Gerber Building, or the jazzy art installation “Arpeggio” by Sri Lankan-British artist Cecil Balmond? Whatever it was, Streetsblog readers seem to be stoked about the completion of this $203 million project, slated for the end of this month."

Uptown Squeaks By Fulton Market To Advance In Curbed Cup Competition

It's on to the Final Four in the Curbed Cup competition for Chicago's best neighborhood.

At one point, Uptown led West Loop/Fulton Market by ten percentage points, but a late surge by WL/FM made it a close 51.2% to 48.8% victory.

Next week, keep your phones and laptops close, because Uptown will be up against the South Loop, which trounced Edgewater with 70% of the votes cast.

We'll let you know when the polls open next week. Enjoy your holidays!

Uptown In Round Two of Curbed Cup Competition

The lobby of the Uptown Theater

The polls are open once again!

Uptown is up against the clumsily named "West Loop and Fulton Market" neighborhood in the Curbed Cup competition for best Chicago community.

Polls are open only until Friday morning, so vote now.

This is Round Two -- we'll know tomorrow if we make it to the semi-finals.

VOTE HERE!

Uptown Advances To Curbed Cup Second Round

Good job, Uptowners!


Uptown will advance to round 2 of Curbed Chicago's "Curbed Cup." We beat out Lakeview with a final vote of 54.79% to Lakeview's 45.21%.

We will let you know when round two opens!

Annual Curbed Cup Vote Seeds Uptown Against Lakeview

It's Uptown versus Lakeview in the first round of the Curbed Cup competition for Chicago's best neighborhood.

"Uptown is a neighborhood that is a perfect union of old and new. The area is dotted with architectural gems including the Moorish-style Aragon Ballroom, the legendary 100-year-old Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, and even an Art Deco Post Office. In past Curbed Cups, Uptown was the reigning champ in both 2010 and 2011—so will they do it again this year?"

Voting goes on for only 24 hours, and you can do it here.

Uptown Loses To Woodlawn In Curbed Cup Semi-Finals

Close, but no cigar.

The final tally was 54.33% Woodlawn, 45.67% Uptown in the latest round of the Curbed Cup.

There's always next year. Thank you to everyone who loves our little piece of Chicago and voted for it in this annual tradition.

Time To Vote! It's Uptown vs Woodlawn In The Curbed Cup

24 hours to do it! It's the penultimate round of the Curbed Cup voting for best neighborhood in Chicago.

Vote here! Tell your friends, too.  But hurry. Voting ends at 11:30am on Thursday.

Uptown is up against Woodlawn, the sole South Side contender.

Curbed says, "The united Uptown neighborhood cruised through the first two rounds of voting, but it will have to overcome Woodlawn—the only remaining South Side neighborhood on the bracket—to advance to the final. In many ways, Uptown is the perfect representation of what a Chicago neighborhood should be—it’s densely populated, affordable, diverse, and close to the lakefront. There’s a reason why Uptown always does well in the Curbed Cup, and that is that its residents are almost fanatical about their love for their neighborhood. Will Uptown claim yet another Curbed Cup?"

Remember to vote!

Photo courtesy of reader Rick Baer.

Uptown Wins Second Round of Curbed Cup -- Up Next, Woodlawn

click to enlarge

By nearly at two-to-one margin, Uptown defeated Bronzeville in the latest round of the Curbed Cup voting for best Chicago neighborhood. The finally results were 65.77% Uptown, 34.23% Bronzeville.

Next up, we take on Woodlawn, the only South Side neighborhood remaining in the competition.

We'll let you know when it comes up. Well done, you!

Time To Vote! Uptown vs. Bronzeville In The Curbed Cup

After handily winning against the South Loop in the first round of the "Curbed Cup," the polls are now open in the next round. In this round, Uptown is up against Bronzeville.  The post reads:

"In the first round of Curbed Cup voting, Uptown easily defeated the South Loop to cruise into the second round. However, they’re going to face perhaps a bigger challenge in Bronzeville. Like many neighborhoods throughout the North Side, Uptown has seen a slew of new proposals and redevelopment projects, including the reopening of art deco-era Lawrence House as a new apartment complex, the opening of the Argyle shared street, and the pending redevelopment of the old Cuneo Memorial Hospital/Maryville Academy campus, and the renovation of the Wilson Red Line station.

Uptown has been a formidable challenger since the beginning of the Curbed Cup challenge way back in 2010, but will they have what it takes to make it to the semifinals?"

Voting is only open for 24 hours and started Tuesday morning. Vote here!

Uptown Advances To Next Round of Curbed Cup Voting

Uptown beat the South Loop handily, by a two-to-one margin, in the first round of the Curbed Cup competition for best Chicago neighborhood. So it will be on to the next round soon for another 24-hour voting window. Keep your polling fingers warm!

Curbed Cup Voting For Uptown Has Begun!

Uptown is once again one of 16 Chicago communities up for the "Curbed Cup," awarded to the best neighborhood in Chicago. In this first round, we're up against the South Loop.  The post reads:

Similar to the last few years, this anchor of Chicago’s Far North Side has continued to evolve and see new development in 2016. Notable projects include the reopening of art deco-era Lawrence House as a new apartment complex, the opening of the Argyle shared street, and the pending redevelopment of the old Cuneo Memorial Hospital/Maryville Academy campus. A number of developers have proposed new transit-oriented developments for the neighborhood, meanwhile discussion continues on a possible landmark district to help expedite the restoration of the Uptown Theatre.

Uptown has long been a formidable Curbed Cup challenger. The neighborhood took the big win back in 2010 and 2011—will 2016 be the year that Uptown reclaims the throne?

Voting is only open for 24 hours and started Tuesday afternoon. Vote here!

Time to Vote! Uptown vs. Pullman In Curbed Cup's "Neighborhood of the Year" (Updated)

The lobby of the Uptown Theater

The polls are open! It's the semi-final round of Curbed Chicago's competition for "Neighborhood of the Year." Uptown has defeated Lincoln Park and East Village/Noble Square in previous rounds. Should we win this round against the far South Side community of Pullman, we'll be in the final against the Loop, which squeeze by Lakeview by a handful of votes.

But we need to get there first. VOTE HERE. No registration, no identifying information, just literally 15 seconds to choose Uptown or Pullman and click. The polls are open for 24 hours. VOTE HERE. And tell your friends.

UPDATE: Uptown got its butt handed to it by tiny Pullman (population 7300), which defeated us with 61% of the vote. Hats off to the South Side getting the vote out to support its own, and to Pullman, which pulled off an incredible year, with the whole neighborhood being named a National Monument and all. The Curbed Cub final vote is open now, with the North Side being completely shut out. It's the Loop versus Pullman, and frankly, we don't care which wins. Uptown is home!

"Neighborhood of the Year" -- On to the Final Four!

Voting ended Wednesday around noon, and Uptown ended up with 62% of the vote in the second round of the Curbed Cup for "Neighborhood of the Year," handily beating out the Noble Square/East Village area. Well done, voters!

Curbed says, "Far north neighborhood Uptown has also made it to the Final Four, which was not a shocker considering how well Uptown has done in past Curbed Cup contests. However, Uptown better double down and prepare for a fierce challenge from the Pullman District. Pullman has been on a streak and its residents appear determined to take this all the way. Stay tuned for more Curbed Cup action next week!"

Now it's on to the semi-finals next week, so keep those voting fingers warm and ready to go.

Uptown versus Noble Square/East Village for Curbed Cup's Neighborhood of the Year

Uptown's Graceland Cemetery/Arboretum

It's Round Two, the semi-finals of the Curbed Cup "Neighborhood of the Year." In this round, Uptown is up against Noble Square/East Village.

Curbed says, "This time, the East Village/Noble Square 'hoods will be tag-teaming against North Side goliath Uptown." We're a Goliath? Cool.

One click, no registration, no gimmicks. Takes literally ten seconds to vote. The polls are open only for 24 hours.  CLICK HERE and vote your conscience.

Uptown's Up For "Neighborhood of the Year" in the Curbed Cup (Updated: We Won This Round!)

photo copyrighted by DesignSlinger

Update: We won! 64% to 36% over Lincoln Park. So we made it through the first round. We'll be up against another neighborhood in the semi-finals soon, and of course we'll let you know.

Original Post:  Uptown has won the Curbed Cup for "Neighborhood of the Year" twice, and came close to a third win last year, but those hipsters in Logan Square did some overnight stuffing of the ballot box and we crashed out in the next-to-last bracket.

We're up again this year, against Lincoln Park in the first round. Want to vote for Neighborhood of the Year?  GO HERE. It's open until noon-ish Thursday, so hurry! No registration, nothing but a click is required.  Again, VOTE HERE.

Here's what Curbed says about us:

"Uptown is one of the quintessential Chicago neighborhoods. The area has a long history of being a destination for live music and nightlife. The neighborhood has also been a strong Curbed Cup contender since the competition began six years ago. Uptown took home the first two wins and then made it to the third round of voting last year. It's a neighborhood with a lot of action and an active online presence. The area is currently witnessing a flood of investment, with many of its aging apartment complexes and office buildings being redeveloped. Uptown may even get its own landmark district, which could finally see that the neighborhood's iconic Uptown Theater finally get the renovation it so badly needs."

Uptown Loses To Logan Square In Curbed Cup Semi-Finals

In a repeat of what happened to Andersonville in the first round, Logan Square pulled out a late voting surge to win the semi-final round of the Curbed Cup.  No three-peat for Uptown as Neighborhood of the Year. (Insert sad face here.)

Vote Now in the Semi-Finals of Curbed Cup: Uptown vs. Logan Square

On to the semi-finals for Neighborhood of the Year, and it's going to be a toughie to beat Logan Square, who already scored a last-minute defeat of Andersonville in an earlier round.  Time for some payback?  Voting takes 30 seconds and no registration is required.  It's open for 24 hours only, and early returns show the two neighborhoods neck and neck.

Curbed says:

"Welcome to the final week of Curbed Cup voting! Today's match is sure to be an intense one with Logan Square and Uptown facing off for a chance to take on either Lakeview or Bridgeport to win it all. The residents of both neighborhoods have been keeping their eyes on the prize since the first day of Curbed Cup voting, but now one must be eliminated. So far, Uptown has defeated the proud West Loop and Streeterville neighborhoods and is hoping to gain a third Curbed Cup victory. In a very heated race, Logan Square pulled off a controversial last minute win against Andersonville to go on and conquer the Loop. As always, voting will take place for 24 hours, at which point a winner will be announced. The winner of today's match will take on either Lakeview or Bridgeport for the glory that is the Curbed Cup."

Vote here (no registration, just a click).

Next Week In The Curbed Cup: Uptown vs. Logan Square

After decisive victories against the West Loop and Streeterville for Chicago "Neighborhood of the Year," Uptown goes up against Logan Square next week.  We'll let you know when voting opens for its presumed usual 24-hour period.

Uptown Sweeps Round 2 Of Curbed Cup

Impressive showing, folks!  In the quarterfinals of the Curbed Cup for Chicago neighborhood of the year, Uptown rolled over Streeterville with 70 percent of the vote.  On to the semi-finals in another few days!

24 Hours To Vote For Either Uptown or Streeterville

And it's on -- a 24-hour period in which to vote for Uptown or Streeterville as neighborhood of the year in the 2014 Curbed Cup drama.

Here's what Curbed has to say:

"A match between dense Streeterville and far north Uptown might seem like an odd pairing, but both neighborhoods are known for their civic engagement and pride. Streeterville defeated North Center last week during the first round and sailed to the next round. And after handily knocking out the popular West Loop neighborhood, Uptown proved that it is not messing around and is looking for yet another Curbed Cup victory. Uptown is going to be the neighborhood to beat here, so Streeterville folks are going to have to get out the vote en masse if they hope to make it to the final four."

Vote here!  (No registration required, just a click)