Merry Christmas, neighbors! We hope you enjoy a great day filled with love from family and friends.

Photo: Obscura Digital

Looking to really get in the holiday spirit? Art on theMART is partnering with WFMT to provide a curated selection of classic holiday tunes to go along with the winter seasonal projections! Grab your headphones, and head over to artonthemart.com to listen along! #artontheMART

Seasonal imagery started on November 17th, and will culminate in a special New Year’s Eve viewing. Bring your hot chocolate, and check out Chicago’s latest holiday destination!

TheMART has a new look! Wednesday – Sunday, now through December 31 from 7:00  – 9:00 p.m., theMART transforms into Art on theMART, the newest addition to Chicago’s vibrant public art scene and the largest digital art projection in the world! For more information, visit artonthemart.com.

Photo: Courtesy of Obscura Digital

The Allstate CTA Holiday Train is a holiday tradition unique to Chicago, which, due to popular demand, is now accompanied by the Elves’ Workshop Train. The Elves’ Workshop Train follows the Holiday Train on Saturdays to help ensure everyone has an opportunity to experience this one-of-kind tradition.

Complementing these two CTA trains is the Allstate CTA Holiday Bus, which brings the same holiday spirit and joy to bus riders as it travels throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods.

For a full list of 2nd Ward opportunities to view the trains and bus, please click here. The remaining times are also listed below.

CTA HOLIDAY TRAIN SCHEDULE:

CTA HOLIDAY BUS SCHEDULE:

Thank you to Tails-Up for donating this new message board!  Tails-up is a local River North business that provides daily dog walks, dog and cat sitting, and other pet services .

Check out their deal on My River North mobile app.   Haven’t downloaded the app yet?  Go to the App Store or Google Play to download our FREE app to keep up to date on River North News, Events and deals from local businesses who support our neighborhood.

Who’s that handsome fella posing with Liz from Tails-up? Why its Gus Falada, a local resident who frequents both the Ohio Place and Larrabee Street DFA’s!

On Saturday, November 10, Alderman Reilly hosted a Tulip Bulb Planting Event in River North.  Thank you to all the RNRA volunteers who came out in the cold to plant, Peet’s Coffee and Tea for donating hot coffee and Alderman Reilly who personally purchased the tulip bulbs which will blossom into beautiful purple, yellow and red tulips in the Spring

Over 100 Jumbo Darwin Mix tulip bulbs were planted in each new curb extension that is part of Alderman Reilly’s new traffic calming improvement project recently installed in River North.  Vital infrastructre improvements were installed in response to reports of speeding cars and pedestrian safety concerns along Erie Street, between Kingsbury and Sedgwick. Alderman Reilly allocated a portion of his Aldermanic Menu to fund the installation of these important River North safety improvements.

River North is home to a large (and growing) number of families, as well as several daycares and a popular park with robust children’s and dog amenities. All of these factors contribute to significant pedestrian traffic along Erie Street in River North.

Alderman Reilly asked the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) to survey West Erie Street, from N. Kingsbury Street to N. Sedgwick Street. CDOT traffic engineers developed a comprehensive traffic calming design intended to slow vehicular traffic and improve pedestrian safety along West Erie Street.

Concrete curb extensions have been installed on Erie Street, at the intersections with Kingsbury, Hudson, and Sedgwick Streets. Curb extensions narrow the roadway and help slow vehicular traffic, and bring stop signs closer to the driver. Curb extensions also reduce the pedestrian crossing distance and improve visibility between drivers and pedestrians.

For additional traffic calming, CDOT installed a speed hump and curb extensions mid-block on Erie Street between Kingsbury and Hudson, and another mid-block between Hudson and Sedgwick. Mid-block speed humps were installed on Superior, between Larrabee and Orleans, and will be installed on Huron, between Larrabee and Orleans.
Speed humps are self-enforcing traffic calming tools that reduce travel speeds as drivers are forced to slow down in order to traverse the humps.  The new speed humps will reduce overall vehicular and pedestrian crashes within this corridor.

With winter upon us, we must remember that many rely on walking and public transit as their primary mode of travel. Children, seniors and people with disabilities have a harder time navigating uncleared sidewalks after snow falls.

According to the Municipal Code of Chicago (4-4-310 & 10-8-180), property and business owners and occupants are responsible for keeping sidewalks clear of snow and ice. At least 5 feet of snow must be cleared from adjacent sidewalks. Snow that falls between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm must be cleared by 10:00 pm, while snow that falls overnight must be cleared by 10:00 am the next morning.

Fines range between $50 and $500 for residential properties and $100 to $1000 for businesses.

Please help report locations that DO NOT clear their sidewalks by making a “Snow – Uncleared Sidewalk” request with the City of Chicago 311 Service Request line.

Source:  Alderman Brian Hopkins 2nd Ward Newsletter:  12/4/18