My kind of town, Chicago is...

Where you can catch a glimpse of 'Transformers 3' filming in Chicago
(Luis Arroyave, Chicago Tribune, July 8, 2010)

In 10 days, good and evil will come face to face between Bella Bacino's restaurant at 75 E. Wacker Drive and a nearby parking lot. And from what “Transformers 3” producers have told Bacino's owner Linda Bacin, there could be casualties.

“They said there's a possibility my patio furniture might get ruined,” said Bacin.

OK, so that's not the sort of action and destruction many have come to expect from the Michael Bay-directed “Transformers” films, but fear not (or fear more?) — it's coming. The Chicago shoot, scheduled to take place Saturday through Aug. 19, will include low-flying helicopters, skydivers, fireballs and gunfire.

Bacin's Italian eatery, which she opened with husband, Dan, in 1982, might have one of the better seats in the city to watch the filming. The movie is scheduled to shoot on its patio (July 18-21), as well as the nearby Hotel 71 (July 19-21) and Trump Tower (July 27).

“I'm anxious,” Bacin said. “And I think I'll get a bump (in business). People will be curious.”

And then there's the exposure. Local businesses are hoping the third film in the franchise, whose first two movies have made a combined $721 million domestically at the box office, will do what 2008's Batman sequel “The Dark Knight” did for the city.

“For Hotel 71, our inclusion in movies like ‘The Dark Knight' has helped us sell rooms … guests identify with the property because of seeing it in the movies,” said Hotel 71 general manager Steve Shern in an e-mail.

Hotel 71 (71 E. Wacker Drive) is capitalizing on the upcoming shoot by offering guests a “Transformers” package, which is to include daily updates on filming locations and complimentary viewings of the first two films. The hotel's restaurant added a “Transformartini” and “Optimus Prime Burger” (named after the leader of the Autobots, naturally) to its menu.

Of course, the exposure for businesses, the Shia LaBeouf sightings and the awesome stunts will come with a downside. Expect closures on major downtown streets, including LaSalle Street, the Michigan Avenue Bridge and Upper Wacker Drive.

And then there's the possible loss of business during shooting. The blocked-off streets and crowds of onlookers could keep potential customers from the area.

Bacin said she isn't worried: “If someone wants to go to Bacino's, (security) will say ‘We'll walk you down in 10-15 minutes.'” she said. “They care about keeping the businesses whole. They want to make sure they leave it better than they found it.”

And her patio furniture?

“I told them to go at it and make themselves at home,” she said. “I've already sourced out replacement pieces.”