Where's The Beef?

" Chicago has had a lot of missed design opportunities in its history -- indeed, an entire exhibition of them, "Unbuilt Chicago," is now on display at the Art Institute of Chicago -- but this ranks as one of the most bone-headed.

McDonald's couldn't let go of its brand so it couldn't embrace the future. Economics trumped aesthetics. Nostalgia won out over modernity.

Modernity is about engaging how we live now and using the latest forms and technologies to take the everyday grind of life and turn it into art. Modernity expands perceptions. Nostalgia confines them by serving up sentimental, saccharine versions of reality."