McPeddlers

That's a screenshot of the Chicago Chinatown website... This coming Sunday is the "Chinatown Festival" (basically a "Taste of Chinatown") and what better way to celebrate than by printing out a coupon from McDonalds for a Free Happy Meal!! Move over, General Tso!!

and

from the Tribune:

Peddlers balk at move

Expanding Wrigley no-sell zone would kill business, vendors say

By Lisa Black | Tribune reporter

July 4, 2009

Sidewalk peddlers who hawk peanuts, T-shirts and novelty items outside Wrigley Fieldreacted angrily Friday to an alderman's proposal to move them two blocks from the ballpark, saying that they not only add to game-day excitement but also need to earn a living. "We all went out there, got our permits and spent thousands of dollars on inventory, and now they are going to change the rules in the middle of the summer," said John Bakerbefore the 1:20 p.m. game. Several vendors said they will be unable to sell merchandise outside the immediate vicinity of the park. "If they do this, we will all be out of work," said Joe Sienkiewicz, 46, a self-describedWhite Sox fan and T-shirt purveyor. "We have families. We have children."

He rejects Ald. Thomas Tunney's argument that the measure would help clear streets and improve safety. Tunney, whose 44th Ward includes the ballpark, sponsored the measure to expand an area where street performers and peddlers are prohibited. Under the proposal, the ban would begin two hours before and end two hours after baseball games or concerts. Performers and peddlers who sell merchandise from a cart or temporary stand already are barred from the sidewalks on the ballpark's perimeter along Addison and Clark Streets and Waveland and Sheffield Avenues. The proposal would expand that zone to include both sides of Addison and Waveland between Wilton and Racine Avenues, and both sides of Clark and Sheffield between Newport Avenue and Grace Street. Tunney could not be reached Friday. He was quoted earlier in the week as saying, "It's a public safety issue. You can't walk to the park." Similar restrictions are in place outside U.S. Cellular Field and other ballparks, but some fans agreed Friday that they enjoy the rowdy flea-market ambience that enshrines Wrigley. "It's part of Wrigley Field. Why would you make changes like that?" asked Blaine Schmidt, 32, a former Illinoisan visiting from Florida. The roving peddlers sell T-shirts and caps, some more profane than others, for $5 to $10 less than those in nearby stores. Blagoi Eftimov, 28, said that "it would hurt me a lot" if forced to move several blocks away from the ballpark. "You interact with people. Everyone is out here to make money and have a good time." Others said they believe the proposal was aimed at performers such as the "bucket boys" who attract crowds that block the street. A traffic aide at a busy intersection before Friday's game said the peddlers usually remain behind barricades as required. "They're not really a problem," said Lucille Landry. She finds it harder to move along fans who linger in the street after the stoplight changes color. Sienkiewicz said the city could find other ways to improve pedestrian and traffic flow. "After the game, when the drunks come pouring out -- that's the safety issue," he said.