Distorted

Gee?!?

If someone was going to go to the trouble of graffiti-ing something, couldn't that person, at least, come up with something more creative than "Gee"?

Gee Whiz!

I Hate Standing Here

I really don't like standing at the corner of Randolph and Wabash but I always seem to get stuck at the light. Yes, this is what you think it is: Pigeon Droppings. I think every pigeon in Chicago comes to this very spot to ... .

Yesterday, I happened to be walking down Wabash and noticed that, with the exception of Adams and Wabash, the other Wabash corners are not as, um, "spotted" as this one. Good to know. I'll be crossing Wabash at a different spot from now on.

Night Lights

Continuing on the Lights theme, here are the night lights of the city: street lights, street lamps, head lights, tail lights, building lights, neon lights, and the end of a sunlit sky.

Picture Frame

I thought the large gazebo in the Bloch Cancer Survivor Park created a nice picture frame effect for the snow dusted trees in the park.

Lights, Lace and Liquor

The Christkindlmarket is an annual event in Daley Plaza. German and American artisans sell their wares at little booths. They start after Thanksgiving and go until Christmas Eve. I'm pretty sure they have little heaters in their booths to help them through the cold days. These are just three of the many booths at the market. Now, I was there early in the afternoon so it wasn't as crowded as it gets in the evening and the weekends. The Gluhwein vendor is usually MUCH busier.

Lights

Lace

Liquor

Trees To Infinity

I was going to call this post "Tunnel of Trees", but this stretch of trees doesn't come close to rivaling a beautiful stretch of road in Northern Michigan known by that name. And it did kind of look like the trees continued in these straight rows out to infinity. The shadow patterns on the ground also caught my attention.

Puppet Bike

There's a puppet bike at the corner of Randolph and Michigan. It's there most days but I finally saw the puppet show. Two little fuzzy animals (a squirrel and a bunny?) gyrate wildly as music plays.

Lights in the Windows

A few downtown buildings are honoring the Chicago Fire Department this week through a lighted window display of the letters CFD. This is the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Building's display on Randolph (with the arches from the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park in the foreground).

Confetti Tree

I don't know what these trees are called but the flower petals are small, white, and round. When they blow off the trees, as they did in the Aon Center Plaza, they look like confetti has been liberally sprinkled all over the ground and in the water fountains. It's rather festive -- though that is probably not an opinion shared by the groundskeepers who use leaf blowers to clear the "confetti" off the sidewalk.


Here is the culprit:

Haymarket Tragedy Sculpture

There is a Haymarket Tragedy Memorial Sculpture at Randolph and DesPlaines in Chicago.

Plaques on the sculpture tell the story of the event. In short: On May 4, 1886, a public meeting had been organized to protest deaths of workers during a labor lockout (related to a strike regarding the eight-hour workday). The speakers addressed political, social, and labor issues. When police came to disperse the meeting, a bomb was thrown into the midst, killing at least eleven people. They never figured out who threw the bomb (or with whom the person was affiliated). Afterward, four of the organizers and speakers were sentenced and hung, one was killed in jail. Three additional organizers and speakers were sentenced but later pardoned. Over the years the Haymarket Tragedy (which used to be called the Haymarket Riot), has become a symbol for free speech, public assembly, organized labor, the eight hour work day, law enforcement, and justice.

Wind Chimes

In the plaza area of the Aon Center (previously known as the Amoco Building and The Standard Oil Building before that), there is a Sounding Sculpture by artist Harry Bertoia. These thin brass rods create a musical hum when the wind blows.

Glass and Mirrors

It's been quite a while since I've been to the Thompson Center (aka the State of Illinois Building). I'd forgotten that it has a rather interesting atrium. I like the design that was created by the lighting fixtures and the reflections on the glass on the side of the aisles.

Winter and Spring

One last picture from last weekend's Spring snow.
It was a heavy, wet snow so it clung to the branches.
These tree buds, though, made it tolerable because
you knew the snow wouldn't be sticking around very long.

In Like a Lion ... Out Like A Lion

The snow that came in this past weekend was really heavy and sticky. But since it was very windy, it didn't uniformly stick on things. Such as in this picture, where only the north side of the columns, light posts, and gazebo in the Bloch Cancer Survivors Park are coated with snow. It created an interesting contrast. It had the look of a shadow but wasn't. By the way, this park used to be the Old S Curve, before Lake Shore Drive was straightened out in the mid-80s.

Springing Back

Although they took a beating yesterday during that
freak Winter resurrection, these daffodils are survivors.

If You Don't Like How I Ride ...

... stay off the sidewalk.

I missed the shot where the horse was blocking the whole sidewalk.
But, I liked this one, too, since the three women walking
down the street don't seem to notice the horse.

Bumper Deer

This deer family can be found by the Aon Center (also known as the Amoco Building and, before that, Standard Oil Building) in the Loop neighborhood. They are made of car bumpers by an artist named John Kearney. There are several of his bumper animals scattered throughout Chicago (perhaps I'll do a tour of them one of these days).

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.

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.