Morning and Evening

Here are a couple more shots of Chicago on my travels. This was sunrise last week as I headed north to a job. For those not in the know, this is looking out at Lake Michigan from near the intersection of the lake and the Chicago River.

I wish I could get a photo of the sunlight reflected off the condo buildings on the north side of the river. They look edged in gold leaf.

Here is a photo taken a couple weeks ago from Navy Pier.

One of my best friends, Terry, was in town to do a show at McCormick Place, a behemoth of a convention center south of downtown proper. I drove in to pick her up and go get supper. I decided Navy Pier, which juts into the lake, would be a good place; a variety of restaurants and ample parking.

When I picked her up, it was a lovely 70 degrees and sunny. She was staying at a hotel to the left of the buildings on the left side of the photo. It would be a 15 minute drive north to Navy Pier. As we turned onto Columbus Drive to head north, the Jeep was rocked with a blast of wind. We'd had the windows down but the wind coming into the Jeep was about 10 degrees colder than the air temperature when I picked her up. The locust trees in Grant Park, bright yellow, lost a chunk of their leaves which created this yellow curtain as we drove north. The smell of fall in the Midwest was instantly upon us. As we prepared to turn right to head into Navy Pier parking, the clouds rolled in. This is the view when we came out of the parking garage to the pier. Skyscrapers in Chicago were effectively cut in two.  The predicted cold front had arrived. Although I'm afraid of heights, at a time like this, I wonder what it would be like to be in the clouds or if there was a way to be above these.

We had a lovely 2 and a half hour dinner, with very attentive service. The sky grew dark as the sun set. When we left the restaurant, the clouds had passed. I should have tried to take some photos of the night skyline; it's beautiful; but I'd neglected to bring a coat and it was downright cold.

There is a joke in this neck of the woods. "Don't like the weather? Wait 10 minutes and it will change." Yeah.

Beverage:  Black Cherry Sparkling Seltzer

Deb

I Love This Town

I don't think I could live in the city. I value my more than postage stamp lawn, although I have to admit that it's more care than I can do right now. But when I have to go into the city, as I did in July to take the above photo, or last week, this town has a beauty I enjoy. Even though I don't partake of all it has to offer, and it has a lot of free stuff, just knowing I could is good enough for me.

Of course, getting there can be an exercise in supreme patience.

It's 7:05 a.m. and the Eisenhower Expressway going into the city is a parking lot. It's not any better to the left leaving the city. It used to be that going in didn't get "bad" until 7:15. Now, if you have to be somewhere in the city by 8, you best leave at 6:15 to be sure you get there on time. Still, when the skyline comes into view, it's so distinctive.

It doesn't matter that I've moved exactly one and a half football fields from the previous photo and it's 20 minutes later.

We're working in one of Chicago's oldest neighborhood called "Uptown". For many, many years, this was the end of the elevated streetcar line. Wealthy Chicagoans bought up the land and built large homes in the area and it was, if you can believe it, a vacation destination for those living in the city proper. Gradually, the city overtook the area. It's now not the nicest place to be. The grand old houses were torn down and the land used for apartments. Or the homes were converted into apartments which have long ago lost their sheen.

Neighborhoods come and go with the rise and fall of the merchants around them. There is a branch of Harper College here which provides a captive populace for those business owners, mainly restaurants, to eek out a living. Infrastructure improvements, including quirky bike racks, help make getting around the area easier.

One of the biggest projects is to completely redo the elevated line and its attendant station. There is a lot of history contained in the buildings.

The "glory" days of the neighborhood were in the 1920's-1930's when most of these buildings with the terracotta trim were erected. A lot of renovation and demolition has happened in the intervening years. Sometimes things were saved. Most of the time, they were not. The terracotta on this building, which is slated for demolition, will be removed and saved. The building behind the terracotta is not structurally sound anymore. The pigeon will have to find other digs.

In some cases, building owners understood the value of keeping the architectural details.

This is an example. I really like how the owners have maintained the colored terracotta features. It doesn't work for every building, but where it can be saved and preserved, it's beauty enlivens a neighborhood. This is an apartment building from the 1940's.

I finished my job and headed home.

Heading south on Lake Shore Drive gives you another view of the city part of Chicago. The John Hancock building, visible here, is not visible when you're coming in on the Eisenhower. That's the Sears, no Willis Tower you see coming in from the west. The two are too far apart to get into a small photo at these distances.

On a day like this, the best view was the one out my window looking east.

I don't have anything to compare this with. I have very little experience with the ocean so I don't know if it ever looks this blue green. The boats are inside the break waters so that area does not have waves. It was so incredibly placid and still. The big boat is The Tall Ship Windy which can be rented out for private parties.

Even when I curse my luck of having to drive in on a hot summer day when traffic ceases to move at 7:10 in the morning, they are the images that make me happy to live here.

Beverage:  Dr Pepper

Deb

A Foggy Day in Old Chi-Town

As promised, here are the foggy Chicago photos from a week ago. I was west of the Lincoln Park Zoo, just off Fullerton, for those who know their Chicago. This is about 2 miles from the lake itself. When I was done, I headed east on Fullerton to pick up Lake Shore Drive to go south toward "the city", i.e. the location of all the skyscrapers, and connect with the interstate to head back to the office.

This is just north of the zoo.

What was so interesting about this fog was that it came in waves. The sky would brighten a bit and then the next ribbon of fog would come. Lake Michigan is about a quarter of a mile east of here.

Turn right and get on Lake Shore Drive, the iconic road that winds from Hollywood down to 65th Street, running along the lake. It can be called "LSD", but most people I know who are natives call it "the Drive".

The zoo is to the right and the lake is to the left. The Drive was still reasonably busy at 10:15 a.m. so I didn't really oogle the lake. Didn't have to. The atmosphere of the heavy fog was enough for me.

Straight ahead of me should be the beginning of the "Magnificent Mile" if you approach it from the north. You see, to the right, the sign pointing to Michigan Avenue. Oak Street beach is to the left off the photo and the only true "S" curve left on the drive is approaching. Putting the camera away.

Now that traffic is stopped for the first of about a dozen traffic lights east of Chicago's downtown proper, I could pull the camera out for a last look at the fog.

To the left should be Navy Pier with Lake Point Tower and the ferris wheel. Um... The lake was a dark green color, not real choppy. The fog only went inland a couple miles and by the time I'd crossed the river, it was mostly gone.

We haven't had these kinds of fog in the 'burbs. I love being out in this, drinking in the water droplets, feeling the dew on my face. It takes a special kind of weather to get this heavy fog. I have no idea how tall it went either. As much as I'm afraid of heights, I'd love to be up in a multi-story building where the floor was in the middle of the fog and then above the fog. Of course, if I was above the fog, I'd probably be standing 10 feet from the window sayings, "Yes, I can see. Looks nice."

Beverage:  Huckleberry tea

Deb

It Can Be Lunch, Photo 11

It feels like I'm meeting myself coming through the door. While some aspects of what I do have changed in the 14 years I've done it, some things, such as hands on customer service have not changed.

This year, starting in January, there's been more hands on required. My boss said it's like there's this pent up demand for all things building. The recession hit Chicagoland, but not as badly as it did other places. I don't know why, but we managed to weather the downturn decently. It wasn't easy, but we did it.

Now, we find ourselves with phone call after phone call asking for our hands on services. It's meant a lot of time in the car for everyone, even me. Last month I went to Iowa and Wisconsin. This month, it's so far just been around Chicagoland, but there is the potential for another trip overnight somewhere to provide services.

I tend to eat better if I am forced to find lunch rather than scrounge the inner shelves of the fridge. I've been so tired at night that supper tends toward cereal or a peanut butter sandwich, neither of which produce leftovers. Yet, I know where there are really good salads and I rarely eat hamburgers on the road. The offerings around the office are very good and lunch can be the best meal of the day for me, unless it's 11:45 and I'm in the city and heading back to the office.

Such was my dilemma on Friday. I was in the city. It was a gorgeous day to be in the city, even if I was working.

The 98% ice on Lake Michigan is gone, thankfully. The sky was clear and there was a wind out of the south, carrying the warmth from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to the shores of the Great Lakes. I had hoped to stop and take photos of this spring beauty but I had to get back to the office. There was no time to gawk, no time to marvel, no time to sit and be.

I needed gas, but in the city, there is no such thing as "cheap" gas. In the last two days, I've seen prices climb 20 cents and I'm not sure why. I probably could have made it back to the office, but why chance it. There was a station next to the job I was at so I put a bit in the car and got myself a soda and a candy bar. There would be no time for lunch today. I had work to finish on deadline. I had to be back. And, as tired as I was, the caffeine and sugar in these products would keep me going just enough to get home and a ham and cheese sandwich and sliced fruit.

Actually, I just needed a bit to take the edge off, so to speak. It was so wonderful out that I didn't notice I was hungry until I got home and collapsed in a heap in the recliner. Some days, soda and a candy bar are it. That can be all you have time for. Yesterday, I probably could have gone without and just lived off the day.

Beverage:  Water

Deb

Oh the Places I Go, Photo 7

Monday's adventure.

In doing what I do, I'm on construction sites all over the Chicagoland area. As with any big city, one of the things you ask when you have to go to these places is, "Where do I park?" If you have to compete for a spot with the regulars, you can waste a ton of time and risk getting a ticket or towed, just to do your job. So, a client who arranges for parking is wonderful.

Thanks to my job, I look at structures differently. This is the junction of Lake Shore Drive and Illinois Street, a couple blocks from Navy Pier. There's an off ramp to the left and Lake Shore Drive is to the right. It was rebuilt, in this area, some years ago and both don't show signs of wear, even though this is right along the lake.

We talk about our infrastructure and how so many bridges and roads need to be replaced or resurfaced. All the expressways in Chicago have been rebuilt at least once since I've lived here.

The very messy "circle" interchange just west of downtown Chicago is finally undergoing a redesign. The "circle" takes it's name from how the Dan Ryan, Eisenhower and Kennedy expressways meet. Directions are marked but it's a maddening interchange and badly in need of a redesign. It's also in a space confined area.

I think there's a beauty in the stark design of our roads and bridges. Even traffic can have a visual appeal.

I see a lot of this and if you commute, it is perhaps your vision as well. I find myself, when I'm stuck in traffic, looking about to see the construction, see the interesting details of the roadway on which I find myself.

Life is a journey. If I'm going to be stuck in traffic, or in road destruction, as I like to call it, or parking under an expressway, I'm going to find the interesting bits about it.

Beverage:  English Breakfast tea

Deb

Summer Advertising

Two weeks ago, I was in Chicago at the University of Chicago, working. As the Bernard Mitchell Hospital is close to the university, it's not uncommon to hear their helicopter arriving or departing. During the late morning, there was a drone of an aircraft that wasn't a helicopter.

I have no idea what the banner is. East of the University is the 57th street/ Museum of Science and Industry beach along Lake Michigan. I'm sure that's where the airplane was destined. It circled the university 4 times before disappearing. Each time, it was headed from north to south and you couldn't read the banner.

We don't see these things in the suburbs. This seems to be strictly a Chicago and, more importantly, a beach thing in the summer. It's interesting to see what is deemed worthy to be hauled behind an airplane. Occasionally, you'd see sky-writing but that seems to have died out.

One thing we do see in the western suburbs are the blimps.

This is the MetLife blimp and it was out over the beaches near 47th street and Lake Shore Drive. Blimps are usually stored at the DuPage Airport which is straight west of me. I can remember seeing the Goodyear Blimp with its scrolling screen on the underside of the blimp, flying over the house at midnight. Blimps have a distinctive sound so, if you know what you're listening for, you know it's a blimp. They used to give rides when they were in town, too, but I don't know that they do anymore. I haven't heard a blimp fly over the house in a couple of years. Those are impressive since they don't fly all that high. My luck, they will fly over when I'm in the middle of a World of Warcraft raid.

Beverage: English Breakfast tea

Deb

Two Days Removed

Remember the shot in yesterday's blog post that had the Sears (Willis) Tower and the building next to it, which I learned is called the "311" building for its address? Well, I had to go back into the city again this morning. Wee bit different weather.

 

Isn't that an amazing sky? Spring is coming. 

I drove north along Lake Shore Drive and got this shot across from Lincoln Park. It's almost the same location where I took the southbound one on Wednesday. 

Nevermind that there is a breeze out of the north northwest that makes the air temperature hover around the upper 30's. It's in the mid-40's. I sometimes miss my college days when deciding not to attend English class was a choice. It would not have been a choice to ditch work, park the car and walk along the lake, as much as I would have liked to. This is the area where those cars were photographed being stuck during the Groundhog Day blizzard. You've seen the photo. I'm not reposting it here. I don't want to be depressing when the sun is shining so brightly. 

Beverage:  Water

Deb

Ethereal

We often gripe about having to drive into the city. It's often not a pleasant trip. I've done it for so long that it's pretty much a mindless drive. I turn on WDCB and head east.

But yesterday was quite the scenic day. It made me glad that I always have my little camera on me and reminded me of why I love living here.

We had drizzle all morning. The combination of a large body of water to the east and warmer air created an impressive fog bank. You get kind of used to seeing the skyscrapers of the skyline obliterated on cloudy days. It wasn't until I got into the downtown that I realized this was a different kind of cloudy.

 

I forget the name of the building in the forefront. That's the Sears, oops, Willis, Tower in the background. The clouds and fog seem to wrap themselves, like a shawl, around the buildings. Almost anything of 10+ stories had fog wisps above the 10th floor. 

Jon and I headed to this job he's had for the past 4 years. My photos going northbound on Lake Shore Drive are blurry and not very good. I think the combination of the gray and the drizzle just didn't lend themselves to through the windshield photography. My little camera has proven itself great for doing what I need it to do when I need it to do it. It's just that if I'm driving, I can't compensate for water on the windshield. 

Heading southbound on Lake Shore Drive after lunch, it was a different story. The drizzle had ended but the fog remained. It was so cool. Lake Shore Drive's "technical" speed limit is 45 but I don't know anyone who drives that. I could drive 50-55 while shooting photos and not get honked at. 

I really like this photo.

 

The north end of Michigan Avenue with the Hancock Center is just barely visible. I was across from the Lincoln Park Zoo when I took it, for those who know their Chicago. It's almost like they are ghosts of buildings, suggestions. They did become more visible as you got closer. The fog was still heavy but you could see the top of the Hancock in between cloud drifts. 

I think, however, this is the best photo to come from the drive. 

 

This is Lake Point Tower. It's a condo building that sits the farthest east off the near north side. Just south of it is the point where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan. To the east of it is the lake and, what is wholly obscured here, Navy Pier. Lake Michigan is to my left, just concrete barriers away. This section of Lake Shore Drive is about as close as you'll get to the lake. 

I love how this is almost a black, white and gray photo. The only color is the red from the taillights of the car ahead of me and the almost imperceptible green traffic lights. I love how the fog cuts the building off, making it ghostly and completely removes the park and buildings that are Navy Pier to the east. Lake Point Tower sits almost defiantly east of the Drive. 

It was damp and cold doing what I had to do, but when I get photos like this, accidentally, really, it makes the drive in worth it. I know I have quoted this poem by Carl Sandberg before.

The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on. 

Yes, this was his inspiration.

Beverage:  Huckleberry tea

Deb

Who remembers?

There’s a road I’d like to tell you about, lives in my home town
Lake Shore Drive the road is called and it’ll take you up or down
From rags on up to riches fifteen minutes you can fly
Pretty blue lights along the way, help you right on by
And the blue lights shining with a heavenly grace, help you right on by
And there ain’t no road just like it
Anywhere I found
Running south on Lake Shore Drive heading into town
Just slippin’ on by on LSD, Friday night trouble bound
And it starts up north from Hollywood, water on the driving side
Concrete mountains rearing up, throwing shadows just about five
Sometimes you can smell the green if your mind is feeling fine
There ain’t no finer place to be, than running Lake Shore Drive
And there’s no peace of mind, or place you see, than riding on Lake Shore Drive
And there ain’t no road just like it
Anywhere I found
Running south on Lake Shore drive heading into town
Just slicking on by on LSD, Friday night trouble bound
And it’s Friday night and you’re looking clean
To early to start the rounds
A ten minute ride from the Gold Coast back make sure you’re pleasure bound
And it’s four o’clock in the morning and all of the people have gone away
Just you and your mind and Lake Shore Drive, tomorrow is another day
And the sunshine’s fine in the morning time, tomorrow is another day
And there ain’t no road just like it
Anywhere I found
Running south on Lake Shore drive heading into town
Just snaking on by on LSD, Friday night trouble bound

I suppose it really dates me to say that I remember when this song was a hit. I found the lyrics on the Internet but I would dispute some of the words. Still, it's close. Three years after it was released, my family and I came to Chicago for the first time and drove Lake Shore Drive. I remember being thrilled to finally be on the road that the song discussed. The song always, always pops into my head when I get to drive LSD on these beautiful early fall days.

Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah, a medley of their hit.

Beverage: Irish Breakfast Tea

Deb

Another reason I live here.

We've had a spate of days that make me love where I live. Fall is fast approaching and these kinds of days, where the highs are in the mid to upper 70's or low 80's and the nights are in the mid to upper 50's or low 60's, are glorious. I've been fortunate to have to be out and about.

My route on Thursday took me north and south on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.

The day was perfect with puffy clouds, a light breeze and warm temperatures. If I hadn't had so much to do, I might have considered playing hooky for an hour and just sitting by the lake.

In all the frenzy over how we came to be, how life originated, I think there is some credence to life beginning in the oceans and then coming onto land. Although there are a lot of cities and towns that spring up in an area which is a natural crossroads, I grew up near one such place, I think people gravitate to areas where there is water. It's not just that there is a convenient source of drinking water, but I think there is an affinity that's in our genes to be in the presence of water. I think we're attracted to it. We live next to water. We live on water. We play in it. We derive food from it.

I sometimes think about moving away, getting away from the hub-bub that is metropolitan life. I've remarked before about considering retiring next to the Mississippi River. There is an example of wanting to be near water. In spite of the potential for flooding, we park ourselves next to running water. It's soothing and, in the case of Lake Michigan, ever changing in view.

If I lived closer to the lake I probably would, like so many others, spend more time just being by it. I love to watch sunrises over the lake. Watching the lights of the city come on is just magical as you stand on the deck of one of the boats that offer cruises of the lake. I remember sunrises and sunsets along the Mississippi and the few times I've gone to the ocean, watching either the sunrise or the sunset over the ocean has been a highlight of the trip.

Yes, there is something about water that draws me in.

Beverage: Dr Pepper

Deb

Reflection on a drive

Hmmmmm. Didn't post yesterday. I thought about it, but that's as far as it got. 

It was busy yesterday. I had to go back into the city to finish servicing some instruments at the University of Chicago. But that didn't turn out well as my contact was unavailable. He's always said I never have to call first and has, on one occasion, been slightly irritated that I called him first before leaving the office. "No no. I'm always around. Just call when you're 10 minutes out." Um.....and if he has an emergency to handle, which he did yesterday, that left no one to let me into the instrument locations until noon. As this was 9:10 and the only thing I had to do in the city, that's not an optimal time frame. Oh well. Back to the office. I have bids to get out anyway.

It was a beautiful morning yesterday. Clear, sunny, with a calm lake. I drive north on Lake Shore Drive and am reminded why I like living here. 

This was taken last year, in August, I believe, but the same view was had yesterday. Chicago is a very dynamic city. There is always something to do here, even if I don't take advantage of it. It's also very pretty. For all his smarmy-ness, Mayor Daley has seen to it that Chicago retain landscaping that befits a major city. There are planter boxes in the center of boulevards. There are parks everywhere. To the right is the Museum Campus area where the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium share a large open space of green. 

The first time I came to Chicago, with my family in 1973, Lake Shore Drive ran between the Field Museum and the Shedd. You accessed either via a tunnel under LSD. This tunnel was well known as a place for street musicians, gangs and "Oh lord! What's THAT smell?" One of Mayor Daley's first big urban projects was to relocate northbound Lake Shore Drive west of the Field Museum and turn the former street into a large green area. 

I think it's the lushness of life in Chicagoland that keeps me here. I have no family here. And, realistically, with Carole happily ensconced in the Seattle area, no real reason to stay here. But I love 4 distinct seasons. I love visiting my friend who lives near Wrigley Field. I love the museums, the music, the potential, if you will. And that is what keeps me here. 

Blue skies. Warm sunshine. Green grass. A chance to drive with the top down and the wind in my hair. I gotta get rid of this cold.

Beverage:  orange juice

Deb