Chicago Lights

The Loop Alliance is leaving the music-synchronized lights along State Street up through February.  It started out in December with Christmas and Holiday songs and greetings.   Now all the songs are love songs. (Today, I heard "My Funny Valentine", "I Will Always Love You", "All You Need is Love".)  

On a dreary winter day, as the 2012 blizzard begins, a little color is nice to see.  But, come Spring, I hope they bring the tulips back.

Go Do Good

This summer's art installation along State Street is called Go Do Good. Lots of great information about the art and the artist at the GO DO GOOD website. Check out the website and then go do good. ;)

Startled

Yikes!

It's April Fool's Day.

It's also Opening Day for Cubs Baseball!

Coincidence?

Nah, 'cause THIS is the year that they break that curse.

Really!

Framed

Reflection of The Boston Store Building (aka Sears on State) in the glass of the ornamental entrance of the Sullivan Center (aka Carson Pirie Scott Building).

Zero Zero

Stumbled upon this window display on State Street in the Sullivan Center (which was previously the Carson Pirie Scott Store). The display is called Zero Zero and is named after the address coordinates of its location at State and Madison (which is 0 North/South and 0 East/West and the starting point for the city's address system). According to the website it is a "re-centering" project, co-sponsored by the Chicago Loop Alliance and the IIT Institute of Design.

Absolute Bus Stop

Knowing that we'll get a lot of visitors downtown during the holiday season, Chicago is pulling out the stops and rolling out the red carpet. Or at least the red chairs. This is the bus stop at State and Madison (also notable as being 0 North/South and 0 East/West, the starting point of our city's grid system). Actually, the chairs are part of a certain vodka company's ad campaign.

Traffic

Just a glimpse of a slow traffic day on the river.

Churchill Corner

Strange that I never noticed this fairly large plaque at the corner of State and Goethe until yesterday. It commemorates the home of Dr. Frank Spooner Churchill and his wife Lucretia Mott Hallowell Churchill. The plaque indicates they were pioneers in the areas of food, water, air, sanitation, worker rights, and education reforms.

Oh That's What It Is

A few weeks ago, I almost fell over this thing when I was backing up to look at/photograph one of the Cardinal Banners. I didn't know what it was at the time. It says "State Street That Great Street" and looks a little like a hitching post. I know we have mounted police that patrol the Loop, but they usually don't tie up their horses. A few days ago I was in the area and saw one in use: It's a single bike rack.

State Street Bridge

Although the bridges over the Chicago River are usually referred to by the street the bridge is on, most have more formal names. For example, the official name for the "State Street Bridge", which has these two decorative designs, is "The Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Bridge".


According to the plaque and Wikipedia, Philippine and American troops had held Bataan for 14 weeks until finally surrendering it to the Japanese on April 9, 1942. The U.S. and Filipino army recaptured the island in 1945.