Saturday, February 28, 2009

March Theme Day: Glass

Today is City Daily Photo's Monthly Theme Day and the theme is glass.

The Tiffany Stained Glass Dome in the
Chicago Cultural Center is the largest in the world.
It is 38 feet in diameter and contains
about 30,000 pieces of glass.
It was completely restored in 2008.

This Astrological Chart is just the center section but
I think it gives a sense of the
detail and beauty of this architectural charm


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Sliver of Sunset

Although it was just a narrow view, there was a lot of color packed into this sunset. The building with the gold spire is the Carbide and Carbon Building. Chicago legend has it that the green, black and gold Carbide and Carbon Building was designed to resemble a bubbling champagne bottle.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Dark and Stormy Night

Lots of rain and wind in Chicago last night.
And, of course, fog.
The fog was lighter in the evening than
during the day when the fog made all the other buildings disappear.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

To Shadow and Protect

We had a hint of Spring yesterday.
(Although, Winter isn't quite done with us.)
The angle of the sun on this mounted police officer
created such a great shadow
-- you can see the reins and even fringe of the horse's tail --
as they clip-clopped along Randolph Street.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Through the Glass, Darkly

I took this photo through the windshield (I didn't think it would be a good idea to stand in the middle of the street to take a picture). I think that is why it looks darker and grittier than in "real" life. The title is "A Full Life Turns Mistakes into Miracles". I couldn't find anything on the artist, though.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

A Little More Winter

Chicago had a little more winter this past weekend.
This is a view from the Peggy Notebaert Nature Center
where I had gone for the Winter Green City Market.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Night Cloud

I was able to see Cloudgate at sunset on Friday. Not a view I often see. We were in the Cultural Center for a lecture from a very interesting "sustainability humorist" named Doug Fine. Before the lecture started, I was looking out the window and took this view.

Friday, February 20, 2009

The Virtual Waiting Room

Cubs tickets go on sale today. Always a sign that Spring is on the way. (Of course, there was that time that the Cubs' Home Opener was called due to snow, but that's beside the point.) This picture is for all of us poor Cubs Fans who sit in the Chicago Cubs Virtual Waiting Room all day, always stay through the last inning, always throw the ball back, and always wait 'til next year.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

What a Choice

So the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has started putting advertisements on the ceilings of buses and el trains. This is an ad for US Cellular, although, I'm not sure how the question is connected to phone service.

If you think about it, an ad on the ceiling of a bus/el is a great idea. As any public transportation rider knows, we'll do anything - stare at the silver hand pole, read the emergency exit instructions over and over and over - to avoid eye contact with our fellow riders.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Permanent Park

Today I'm posting the third of the four relief carvings on City Hall. The four relief carvings by the entrance to City Hall "represent ... four principle concerns of city government: playgrounds, schools, parks, and water supply".

This one focuses on Parks. The figures in the carving seem to be planting trees and, perhaps, pruning the branches.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The Bowman

This is a 17 foot tall bronze statue near Michigan Avenue and Congress. It is called The Bowman and was the work of a sculptor named Ivan Mestrovic. When looking up information about this piece, I found out that the archery bow is intentionally missing. The artist meant for the viewers to imagine the weapon.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Sunday, February 15, 2009

What a Difference a Day Makes


















Chicago is holding a Snow Days Festival, which includes dog sled races, snowboarding demonstrations, and a snow sculpture competition. (They made the snow blocks up before this week's February Thaw and protected them from the sun with large cooling blankets.)

These pictures are of a sculpture called Palm Trees by "Team Michigan". The far left one is from Friday. The nearer one is from Saturday.

I like swooping owl and the pun in the name. I have a few more snow sculpture pictures I'll post over the next few days.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Van Buren Valentine

I didn't set out looking for a Valentine themed photo for today. I stumbled upon this one, though. While looking up more information about it, I learned that it is the Van Buren Metra Station, where this Stephanie Brooks art quote is located, that is the actual art structure. It is a replica of a Parisian rail station designed by Hector Guimard. I'll have to go back and get a picture of the whole station to share here.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Prehistoric Zoo

A collection of colorful wax dinosaur models
behind a decorative window grate looked like
a miniature prehistoric zoo.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Going ... Going ... Going ... Gone

Carl Sandburg wrote

"The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over the harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on."

Yesterday, however,

The fog came in
like a stampede.
It pounced on the lakefront
smothered the buildings
and then moved on.





Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Four Snow Moons

Four photos of the February Full Moon (also know as the Snow Moon).
as it rises over Lake Michigan and Lake Shore Drive
















Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Under the Bridge

I just like the range of geometric patterns
created by the bridge supports, the sunlight and the shadows.

Monday, February 9, 2009

I Don't Have a Clue

It isn't often you see five people standing around a canoe on the Chicago River.

Not "by the Chicago River" or "near the Chicago River" but "on the Chicago River".

So I haven't a clue what this scene was all about. It didn't really look like a racing scull and, if it was, why was it on the ice -- the river hadn't thawed enough yet. I also don't know how they got on the ice or where they went.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

What's Everyone Looking At?

I was out enjoying the unseasonably and much-needed warm (in the 50s) weather yesterday when I noticed a whole line of people on the Michigan Avenue Bridge taking pictures. So I checked out the view to see what everyone was looking at.

I don't know what they saw but I saw this: A beautiful blue sky, an interesting reflection of the hotel in the still and thawing ice of the Chicago River and a stream of sunlight providing a very cool looking white stripe in the blue river.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Topsy Turvy

It never fails. I'm sitting in traffic and I see something that I want to capture to post here. But ...

my camera isn't out ...
the traffic light changes ...
the sun goes under a cloud ...
the intended subject moves.

I thought it was interesting that this cement truck had the Friends of the Chicago River logo on it. The cement mixer part was turning so one side was right side up for my view and the other side was upside down.

By the time I thought to take a picture and got out my camera, the upside down side was facing me.

And the turning light for the lane the truck was in was green.

I figured: Snap this picture now, and just flip the photo for the blog. I took the picture just as the truck started to pull away.

Doing the math, though, if the organization was established in 1979 (as it says), then its 25 year anniversary was in 2004 and this year will be its 30th anniversary.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Makes You Wonder

Last year, for reasons not entirely clear, the owners of the Illinois Center complex of office buildings added a bright red canopy to the main entrance.

According to a blogger about Chicago Architecture, it was meant to liven up the "dark and sober" design of the black boxy office buildings.

While it does add a splash of color to the landscape, I can't help thinking that the designer is a fan of the Rolling Stones and was inspired by their logo.

Today is National Wear Red Day. Take care of your heart!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Coast of Rush Street

OK, if you live (or lived) in Chicago, you know that Rush Street doesn't run along the "coast" or even the beach. But, here on the Rush Street side of the 600 North Michigan building is a very large, three panel mosaic of the crashing surf.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Schooling

Last week, I posted a photo of one of four relief carvings on City Hall. I went back and got the pictures of the other three. I'll be posting them periodically.

The four relief carvings by the entrance to City Hall "represent ... four principle concerns of city government: playgrounds, schools, parks, and water supply". This one focuses on Schools. Like the Water Supply relief, this carving is very detailed. I interpret this as the student reading a book under a tree with her teachers making sure she keeps up her studies.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Camouflage

This grouping of trees reminded me of a painting by an artist who's name I can't recall. She did a painting of birch trees and "hid" an appaloosa horse in the spots of the birch trees. I thought of that painting when I saw these.

After I downloaded the picture and was setting it up for publishing, I noticed that there was a bit of wildlife that is camouflaged within the trees. A pigeon, at the bottom right, snuck into my picture.


Note: Thank you to Sharon of Phoenix Daily Photo who knew I was referring to the artist Bev Doolittle!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Swirl in the Sky

The swirl in the clouds caught my eye.

Then I noticed that Lake Michigan was a beautiful shade of blue
and the sunset was creating a pink hint along the horizon.
The weather people say that we've hit bottom --
meaning that the average daily temperature starts
going up now. The key word there being "AVERAGE".
I know winter isn't over by a long shot, but it is still nice
to start seeing colors creep back after so much white and gray.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Many Paths and Passages

Today is THEME DAY. I've never participated before because (1) there was only one theme day I could have participated in since I started this blog and (2) I didn't know the registration process. CityDailyPhoto has made the registration process easier so here is my first Theme Day picture.

February's Theme is Paths and Passages. I selected this photo because it has so many paths and passages in it. There are the obvious streets, in this case Wells and Wacker, which allow passage through the city. There is also the bridge, which allows passage over the Chicago River. The bridge has a sidewalk, providing people a safe path across the bridge without worrying about getting in the way of the vehicles. The Chicago River is the path between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River (via the Sanitary and Ship Canal, DesPlaines River, and Illinois River). Lastly, there is Lower Wacker Drive, the secret speedy path under the city for intrepid and impatient drivers.

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