Saturday, June 16, 2012

Pizza Fest! Noon To 10PM Saturday & Sunday

A little music to get you in the mood. More details about the festival can be found here.



click to enlarge



16 comments:

  1. Just wandered up for a bit. The band was good... but otherwise a very sad event... as best I can tell... there was not a SINGLE pizza vendor from Uptown, Buena Park or the surrounding area. How could that be? No Gigios (right around the corner), no Bojonos, no Michaels, no Fornello, no Rosatis... no bars were there either serving... to Crew, no Uptown lounge... that same crappy corn dog stand at every fest was there. Worse yet, they announced 7 vendors for Ribfest... seriously... 7 vendors! Uptown Business Partners should be doing us better for $5 door fees (the same as some of the biggest fests in the city).

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  2. The UBP said the placement of the stage would direct music AWAY from the residents. Did no one with this organization bother to get on Wilson, look east at Broadway, and figure out the stage is DIRECTED at all the residents, including at least 4 highrises, so it affects hundreds? Who was the genuis that did this set-up? Facing the music towards, oh, I dont know, Broadway and the Wilson EL station would have made a hell of a lot more sense. This set up is crazy and VERY inconsiderate of the neighbors that live in the immediate area.. Shame on Uptown Business Partners...

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  3. i stayed away based on my experience the last time i went to the pizza fest, when it was in a parking lot in lincoln park. only a handful of food vendors, the highlight being the stand that told us they were out of pizza - at a pizza fest.

    another reason why i never pay to walk thru these fests. the outfit that puts these street fests on must make a mint, really.

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  4. Someone in the Alderman's office really dropped the ball on this one...besides the complaints about the pizza vendors and the "earful" from the placement of the music stage, did NO ONE put two and two together regarding the traffic? I don't recall hearing anything from Cappleman's office about the crater shutting down northbound Sheridan and westbound Montrose to begin with, let alone any heads-up to us voting constituents that there would be no way to get from Lake Shore Drive to the Sheridan Park area of Uptown without detouring around the "Pizza Fest" detours. No notifications. No message boards on LSD until you're past Irving Park Road. And I notice that there STILL hasn't been anything from our Alderman's office about all the parking restrictions, detours, reroutes, and expected huge crowds for the impending Pride Parade (except for a message board on LSD that showed up because some of us inquired about it and NOT because the Alderman's office asked for it).

    Why didn't the Alderman's office put the word out about Pizza Fest detours and whatever the work is in the middle of the Montrose/Sheridan intersection? Is the work in Montrose/Sheridan and the paving project on Montrose going to be finished in the next two weeks BEFORE the Pride Parade? Why are we hearing more about the Pride Parade from the 44th Ward and Alderman Tunney than the 46th Ward, when half of the parade is in the 46th Ward? And why is the Alderman more interested in doing "sustainability" seminars than in communicating with his voting constituents about nuts-and-bolts "what is going on NOW that is affecting what your shopping trip and commute will be like today?" sorts of basic information that affects us all? Is the Alderman going to pay attention to the people who voted for him, or is he going to concentrate on "group hugs" and only take advice from people who don't have any vested interests in our neighborhoods?

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  5. I thought it was pretty cool and a step in the right direction. Band was good, but there not many pizza vendors. I got my $5 worth of entertainment though for sure.

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  6. I cannot believe all the complaining and whining that takes place in the ward when something is actually showcases us in a positive way. So you had a little hassle getting around for a couple of days by driving half a city block out of your way. As for the music being directed towards the resident, I live a couple doors in and current have my windows wide open enjoying the music from the comfort of my living room. The music only goes until 10 pm so big deal, you have to listen to a little music for a couple of days. If you don't like it, find something else to do while the fest is going on. We need more positive things to bring people to the neighborhood to show them that Uptown isn't a "scary place" that only has shootings, drug dealers and the mentally ill roaming our streets.

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  7. Bear, calm down. You're coming off as one of those people who NEEDS to be RILED UP all the TIME because life is so BORING otherwise!!

    If you go to the alderman's site, you will see this about the parade route, and the staging areas for the parade. Why does it matter if we know what will be closed two weeks, or a week, before? Maybe it's that this is the first time the parade has started here and maybe the parade committee hasn't worked out every single detail yet?

    It's ONE day. It's not the Congress Parkway project, the rehab of Lower Wacker, the closing of the Green Line, or expressway reconfigurations, all of which Chicago has managed to survive. It's ONE day. Here's my prediction: It won't be perfect on Sunday. It won't be easy to get around. People with no tolerance for anything out of the norm will be frustrated. If that's too awful for someone to contemplate, I think maybe a day trip to Lake Geneva or Great America might be in order.

    Another point: The alderman is not in charge of the Pizza Fest. I live half a block from the stage and I wasn't bothered by the music, which was facing in my direction, nor am I freaking out because I can hear the metalic clang of the booths and stage being disassembled right now. I enjoyed the music, and closed my windows when I didn't want to hear it. I bet James wasn't in charge of booking the pizza vendors, either. You complain that he's doing something picayune like holding an environmental seminar, but feel that he dropped the ball by not booking the proper pizza guys and he's responsible for the stage facing the wrong way? And then you complain he has the wrong priorities? If you have complaints, talk to Business Partners.

    But my neighbors are loving it, right here by the stage. One of my neighbors posted on FB that he and his partner were sitting on their deck, drinking wine and enjoying hearing Berlin's set. Yeah, it's been HORRIBLE, hasn't it? Unbearable? My 90-year-old neighbor told me how much she liked it!

    I disagree with your statements implying that Cappleman's not involved in the lives of the people in the ward and is only looking for pats on the head from outsiders. He's not Shiller, as much as you seem to feel the need to paint him with that brush. Could it be that the lukewarm reaction to your own pet project, moving the Wilson el so there's an exit at Sunnyside, is the reason you are pulling out Shiller-era accusations?

    In the time he's been in office, we've had communication, town halls, a real zoning committee; the closing of the REST shelters and their takeover by someone competent; a court-appointed receiver at Lawrence House; $135million dedicated to the overhaul of the Wilson el; earnest talks about restoring the Uptown Theater, with a target date of the money being in place by the end of 2013; etc., etc. Those are not to me the results of having an alderman who is most interested in people outside of the ward.

    YMMV, of course. If you feel that portraying him as another Helen Shiller is the way to get your longed-for Sunnyside el, or that freaking out about the direction the stage is pointed at a street festival, or that you don't know RIGHT NOW what streets will be closed a week from now is a way to influence people against James, that's your perogative. But from here, it just looks like a lot of unnecessary drama.

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  8. I passsed by on the bus and it looked pretty lame, didn't stop and had fish katsu instead. My arteries thank me.

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  9. I'm not going to complain, I brought my grandchildren an we had a nice time. I was glad to see a fest on Wilson.

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  10. Can't believe the winning, either. I live half a block away and understood noise would be considerable. 1st world problems...must be tough. May have had to go inside, close the windows and put on the AC...and probably still some noise. I don't know how you survive bear and super hero!

    And about the LSD closure, I guess I figured out last week or so that with the repaving, it has been a headache as is, so maybe best to avoid altogether. I guess I also figured with the 100+ some other festivals each summer in the country's 3rd largest city there MAY be some parking restrictions, road closures, or traffic. Crazy idea, I know.

    You certainly should let whatever business groups and Aldermen will listen to you your concerns. In the meantime, I will be praying for you and your severe life difficulties given the two blocks shut down for two weekend days. Tragic the things you go through. Just tragic.

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  11. Wasn't too impressed with Pizza Fest, but I also realize that the first year of any fest tends to be underwhelming. Hopefully if this becomes an annual event, it will improve. Music seemed good, vendors were lame and too expensive. Really, I paid $5 for a piece of pizza I could usually get for $2 to $3. And I think there were only 3 pizza vendors? Overall, a fairly lame fest, but hopefully it is a starting point and improves if it continues.

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  12. Partner and I stopped by Sunday shortly after noon. We both enjoyed the music. It was sad that of the three pizza vendors, none was an Uptown institution. We were ironically amused though as we sat at a table just outside Uptown Pizza and Ribs and watched Dominoes deliver the Ethiopian market.

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  13. If you don't like the way something is being run, then volunteer to help organize next year. Otherwise, shut your pizza hole. Griping on here doesn't serve much of a purpose other than to give too many people a platform to gripe.

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  14. I went on Saturday night solely to hear Berlin, and was blown away by how awesome Terri Nunn looked and sounded. The festival itself was pretty laughable, but I had a great time watching Berlin...

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  15. Alexander, your passive/aggressive post amuses me...thank you for the chuckle.

    My issue, if you bother to read it between talking to your friends at the UBP was nto the music, it was the fact they clearly stated that they would position the staging to avoid the neighbors... you know, those of us that live her and pay property taxes, vote, etc? God Forbid our thoughts are asked or considered ... and they did not. Instead they placed the staging in perhaps one of the worst places possible, have buildings work as a megaphone if you lived East of the staging...

    ..so, yes, it is a first world problem. Guess what, I live and work in the first world, so I have first world expectations. Next time I set up living arrangements in a third world country, I will appropriately amend my expectations. But until then, a little respect for the immediate neighbors would have been appreciated...

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  16. TSN, with all due respect, I was not complaining about the noise from Pizza Fest--I was simply noting that the previous comments registered that issue. As far as "my pet project of moving the El stop to Sunnyside" goes--my "pet project" is to see that my neighborhood gets heard, whatever it is that is ends up supporting. Unfortunately, it turns out that our experience has been one of discussing issues cordially then being summarily (and disrespectfully) dismissed.

    I don't care if an event is a Pizza Fest, a Rib Fest, a Pride Parade, a community yard sale, or a series of fundraisers to retire political campaign debt--I want our neighborhood and our ward to be seen as a safe and welcoming place for our visitors, and I want our neighborhood and ward residents to feel like their opinions and needs are ALL being taken into account and being responsibly considered and balanced before decisions are made. One of the best ways to make constituents feel valued and respected is to communicate clearly in a timely fashion. So I'm supposed to check the website for information? I still don't see mention of the partial major intersection closure at Sheridan and Montrose. I see the series of links about the Pride Parade, but I have to scroll down a ways on an inconspicuous link to see where and when (some unexpected) parking restrictions take effect and figure out that I could be ticketed and towed if my car is still parked there at 5 a.m. on Sunday. Why hasn't the 46th Ward Office done a better job of communicating these things? Do they WANT a bunch of pissed-off people complaining to them about being towed or about not being able to find parking near home on this Sunday? Make it clear, please--*I* know the gory details, but there are lots of people who don't have the capability or skills to figure this out. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, you know. And, of course, if someone suddenly figures out at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday that thousands of people have suddenly converged on Uptown and they want to go to Lake Geneva or Great America, they may be S.O.L. if the street closures have stranded them. Too bad, as you say. Truman Square won't have that problem, but big parts of Buena Park and Sheridan Park will, and it's nice to know that the Alderman cares about them enough to give them a clear heads-up.

    Nuts and bolts stuff, R. Nuts and bolts...the simple stuff. It matters. If you let someone from Humbolt Park have a bigger voice about an accessibility issue on a block within Buena Park, it doesn't go over well in Buena Park. If you cut off someone making a valid point in a public meeting in order to "stay on the agenda" and then immediately adjourn the meeting, it comes off as disrespectful. Social workers should understand theses things, whatever stripes they wear.

    And thank you for enjoying Pizza Fest and the bands--I wanted to hear Berlin myself, but I was caught in traffic while they were playing, as I was coming home from an out-of-state business trip and from also tending to my elderly parents who live out of state. Such is the life of those who have many responsibilities.

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