BKV Group: Chicago City Guide

CHICAGO

CITY GUIDE

prelude.

Since being founded in 1978, BKV Group has lived up to our mission of “enriching lives and strengthening communities” – throughout the Twin Cities and outstate area. Locally, we are described as “the best kept secret in town” – not because of praise we often preclude ourselves from, but because of the steady amount of influential work we’ve completed, and our committed focus to achieving the highest level of client satisfaction possible.

The Midwest portfolio of BKV Group goes wide and deep over the past 40 years because as one of the very few “one stop shops” in Minnesota, we uniquely leverage a holistic set of services (architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, engineering, and construction administration) to craft a depth of project experience within housing (market-rate, senior, student, affordable, creative reuse, and high-rise), government (municipal, county, state, police, fire, city hall, library, jails and courts), education, corporate, and commercial design.

Creatively, BKV Group’s design teams share knowledge across practice groups and geographies to create relevant and meaningful design solutions that allow our clients’ dreams to become a reality. Innovation and sustainability lie at the heart of what drives our company, creating notable and lasting projects.

When asked why our clients value BKV Group, they tell us:

“It’s because you really care – about us, the project and our community. It’s the passion you bring to your work every day!”

our city.

Hog Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler; Stormy, husky, brawling, City of the Big Shoulders:

-“Chicago,” Carl Sandburg

Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago was formed near a portage point between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. A crucial nexus point for trade, Chicago grew and grew within its unique, swampland environment, then endured one of the most devastating catastrophes for a city of it’s size when the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 razed the city down to it’s building posts. Despite leaving over 100,000 homeless, the fire birthed a spirit of renewal and rebuilding that has stayed with it ever since.

The Second City has since become the 3rd most populous metropolitan area in the United States, and features an amazing diversity of architecture styles with the dawn of steel-framed skyscrapers propelling the foremost architects of the 1900s to reimagine what a modern U.S. city looks like. While also carefully managing it’s linked set of green spaces – from the lakeshore parks to Lincoln Park to the string of Parisian boulevards linking the city’s neighborhoods – Chicago references it’s past while always looking to evolve and adapt itself for the future.

In being the second most visited city in the nation, it’s cultural destinations – Millennium Park, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Willis Tower, Lincoln Park Zoo, and more – are complemented by character-rich neighborhoods which create a quilt of personalities you can feel block to block as you explore the city from it’s urban core, the Loop, to the surrounding communities to the North, West, and South.

Chicago, the city, may only be outdone by it’s prideful sports teams, world-renowned restaurants, and the blues, but the ingenuity and passion originally sparked by the fire, has never left, leaving the Windy City as being perpetually on the rise to define and redefine what’s possible for an international city to be.

CHICAGO RIVER WALK

FIELD MUSEUM ART

SOLDIER FIELD

MAGNIFICENT MILE

NAVY PIER

ART INSTITUTE SHED AQUARIUM

MILLENNIUM PARK

WRIGLEY FIELD

CHICAGO THEATRE

SKY DECK

our projects.

ARKADIA WEST LOOP

1407 ON MICHIGAN

STREAMWOOD VILLAGE HALL & PUBLIC WORKS

ELGIN ARTSPACE LOFTS

QUAIL PARK AT MORRISON RANCH

THE FYNN, ELMHURST

CITY CLUB APARTMENTS CINCINNATI

our office.

Main Telephone number: 312.279.0470

Chicago Office Resources:

Administrative Functions

Alexandra Maher x1000

IT/Software Len Parks x9131, Ryan Jellema x9511

Professional Services:

Project Scheduling Emily Rappe x9118

Training Request Lois Nicholas (pls fill out PO on SharePoint)

PTO Requests Bridget Wolff, Emily Rappe, Supervisor

Human Resources

Lois Nicholas x9107

Payroll Lois Nicholas/Bridget Wolff

Time cards Bridget Wolff x9519

Benefits Bridget Wolff/Lois Nicholas

Marketing Kyler Queen x8964

Marketing Coordinator Kim Campbell

Housing (Proposals) John Donnellon x2275

Government (Proposals) Rosalia Pranger x3414

Graphic Design Canyon Crosby x9119

*all of this information, and more, is also located in SharePoint!

our local faves.

Below faves located within a few blocks radius!

// Food + More!

Lunch & Dinner 1 Potbelly’s Retro-style chain, made-to-order toasted sandwiches, salads & baked goods. $

2 Just Salad Customized & seasonal salads, wraps & smoothies $$

3 Revival Food Hall Chic food court & bar, popular Chicago eateries $$

4 The Marq Seasonal and classic American dishes try the beet risotto $$

5 Shake Shack Great burgers, yummy shakes, can’t go wrong $$

6 The Berghoff Cafe German-American spot, Reuben, burgers, fries, sandwiches $$

7 Native Foods Creative, Californian-style vegan fare, including mock-meat dishes $$

8 Beatrix Market Grab and go salad, sandwhich, & hot food bar, includes basement bar $$

9 The Gage Inventive eats, long list of beers and wine, across from Millennium Park $$$

10 Sweetgreen Locavore-friendly specializing in organic salads, soup & bowls $$$

Cafe Grocery

11 Do-Rite Donuts & Chicken Artisanal donuts, fried chicken sandwiches & coffee $

12 Starbucks Multiple locations - Cafe, donuts, coffee $$

13 Big Shoulders Coffee Multiple locations - Cafe, donuts, coffee $$

14 Intelligentsia Coffee Multiple locations - Cafe, donuts, coffee $$

15 SouthLoop Market Urban grocery store, grab and go lunch options $$

16 Target Department store offering quick grocery, clothing, electronics & more $

Bars

17 Elephant Castle BKV fav, British pub serving fish ‘n’ chips and American beers on tap $$

18 Miller’s Pub Traditional American grub & craft brews $

19 Cindy’s Hip rooftop bar/eatery, popular for happy hour, late-night food and cocktails $$$

20 Plymouth Rooftop Ba r Three-level, year-round rooftop, massive menu $$

how to get around.

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)

“L” or Subway Train // Bus

The CTA operates Chicago’s eight ‘L’ train lines and 129 bus routes. Not all of the system’s train lines are elevated (which is where the term ‘L’ comes from). They do, however, connect the city via above-ground, street-level, and subway trains, and serve 145 rail stations all over town. Two lines operate 24/7: the Blue Line, which connects Chicago O’Hare International Airport and downtown, and the Red Line, with service between the North and South Sides via downtown.

Convenient CTA bus routes travel throughout the city, with stops every few blocks. Several lines offer Night Owl service, running until 2 am. or later. Get more information about extended hours of service.

For more information, visit: www.metrotransit.org. App download available through Ventra.

Bike

Chicago is a city made for cycling. There are over 200 miles of protected bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, conventional bike lanes, dashed/advisory lanes, marked shared lanes, and neighborhood bike routes throughout the city.

Divvy, Chicago’s bike-share program, offers over 580 stations and 5,800 bikes across the city, available for rent 24/7. Users simply pick up a bike from a self-service docking station and return it to a station near their destination.

For more information, visit: www.divvybikes.com App download available through Divvy.

Nearby Parking

Free parking is not readily available in most parts of the city. Therefore, booking with SpotHero is the most convenient and affordable Chicago parking option.

Review the spots and Chicago parking map to book your preferred spot through your computer or phone, or download the free SpotHero app to easily reserve parking on the go at any time.

Spot Hero allows you to pay per day or per month all through it’s app.

For more information, visit: spothero.com App download available through Spot Hero.

Additional Connections

Uber // Lyft

Download your free Lyft and/or Uber app for on-demand ridesharing throughout the city. Simply enter your current location and destination, review fare options, and request your ride.

Metra

The high-speed Metra commuter rail train connects outlying suburbs to downtown Chicago, and is a fast and easy way to travel to the heart of the city. App download available through Ventra.

Water Taxis

Chicago Water Taxi by Wendella Boats and Shoreline Water

Taxi by Shoreline Sightseeing offer fast, affordable, and fun connections between Chicago’s top tourist destinations, and are the perfect combination of sightseeing and transport.