Tough to be Silver

A Silver Man takes a break along the Riverwalk ...

River Walk

A glimpse of the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel between the trees along the Riverwalk.

Two Views of ... The Riverwalk

The work on extending the Chicago Riverwalk has been completed. So this "Two Views" is "During Construction" and "Done". I think they completed it fairly quickly (it was only March when they were still filling in the area that would be the walkway). There are plaques set in to some of the decorative boulders that discuss the tour boats, wildlife along the river, and historical events.

Done

During Construction

Chicago Bridges

Here is another one of the art panels that line the Chicago Riverwalk. This one is about the Chicago Bridges. Apparently, after the Chicago Fire, the bridges were re-built as wooden swing bridges. The first iron bridge was built at Rush Street in 1856. It was destroyed by a cattle stampede (those were the wild early days of Chicago) in 1863 but re-built a year later.

Riverwalk Extension

I've previously posted a photo of the city's project to extend the riverwalk. This is the view of the work they're doing from Michigan Avenue to Wabash.

May Theme Day: Shadows

Today is Theme Day and the theme, chosen by vote, is Shadows. ( Click here to view thumbnails for all participants )

I was walking along the Riverwalk in early April (shortly after the theme was selected) and noticed that the shadow in the Chicago River, created by the Columbus Street Bridge, was pretty interesting. It resembled a pool that is used for swimming races - the kind with the lane dividers. The shadows from cars, taxis, and trucks that drove over could be the racing swimmers.

Here's a side view of the shadow and the bridge that created the shadow. Plus there's some bonus shadows: the railings from the Riverwalk create some geometric shadows along the sidewalk.

Chicago Rising

This sculpture, created by Milton Horn in 1954, is called Chicago Rising from the Lake. Amazingly, this piece of art sat in a storage facility for over 10 years until someone re-discovered it. The Department of Cultural Affairs brought it back to life and installed it on the Columbus Drive Bridge in the late 1990s.

It is a 12 by 14 foot bronze relief that weighs almost three tons. According to various websites, Chicago, shown as a female figure, is rising from Lake Michigan and is surrounded by items that are representative of Chicago's industry: a sheath of wheat, a steer, and an eagle. I'm assuming those are symbols for commodity trading, stockyards and meat processing, and financial institutions.

Peace and Love

A little graffiti on the Riverwalk

Ramps (the edible type, not the skateboarding ones)

Early Spring means Ramp Season in the midwest. Ramps (Allium Tricoccum), a cross between onions and garlic, have a very short season - a few weeks - so you have to enjoy them while you can. They are the first green edible item to emerge after winter -- kicking off the new growing season. For seasonal eaters that means the days of root vegetables, root vegetables, and more root vegetables are over. There is a great local organization called The Land Connection, and its big fundraiser, recently held, is called RampFest. Local chefs cook up dishes highlighting ramps.

These are ramps and they make a great pasta sauce (more a ramp pesto). They are also great in omelettes.
OK. So what do ramps have to do with Chicago? Well, according to a few sources, they are probably the reason for the city's name. The Potawatami word for wild onions (also skunk but we'll ignore that variation) is Checagou. Apparently there were a lot of ramps growing here in the "old days" and the area had a distinct aroma. One of the Riverwalk Murals memorializes the impact ramps had on Chicago (the ramps are at the top of the mural, above the boat).

Riverwalk Murals

Today we're back down to the Chicago Riverwalk. The passage under Lake Shore Drive has 28 large painted tile murals by artist Ellen Lanyon. They present the history and significant events of Chicago.

This one focuses on the Museum Campus and Buckingham Fountain. There are postcard-like illustrations of the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium, which make up the Museum Campus. There is also a short description of the 1909 Burnham Plan, which preserved the lake front for parks, monuments, and museums. If you look very closely, it also has a subtle outline of the original lake front shoreline in the background.

100 and Counting

This is my 100th Daily Chicago Photo post! Thank you to everyone who looks at these posts and thanks for all the great comments that make me feel so artistic!

Enough of that! On to the photo ...

Along the Chicago Riverwalk, below Lake Shore Drive is a tunnel with 28 large painted tile murals by artist Ellen Lanyon that present the history and significant events of Chicago. Each mural is a composite of mini-scenes that are part of Chicago's history. There are so many different references in each that you're bound to notice something new each time you look at a mural.

This one, for example, has the Marshall Field Clock in silhouette, the Art Institute Lions, the River boat traffic, part of the base of the "it-will-always-be-called" Sears Tower, and some peregrine falcons. What I only recently noticed was the mini-blizzard scene in the middle left section.

Building a Mystery

They're not building a mystery -- they're building a river walk. Or, rather extending the river walk. You could walk/run/bike along the river from the lakefront to Michigan Avenue but then you had to climb stairs, cross Michigan, and descend stairs to continue (and then do that again at Wabash). Now they are working on creating "under-bridges" with the long-term goal to have the river walk run to State Street. To do this, they have to create a walkway. Here, they are filling in the planned path with gravel shipped in on a large barge.