Theme Day: Green

Today is Theme Day on City Daily Photo and the theme, voted on by the CDP members, is GREEN.

Here are all things green from my farmers markets this past week: Cucumber, Fava Beans, Garlic Scapes, Kohlrabi, Mustard Greens, Sugar Snap Peas, Basil, Marjoram, Sage, Tarragon.

So many shades, so many flavors, so good.

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Theme Day: Fountains

It's the first of the month and that means it is Theme Day at City Daily Photo. February's theme, chosen by the CDP voters, is Fountains.

I'm sure this fountain provides thirst-quenching water ... during the summer ... when it isn't full of snow.

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It's Time for Hardware ... and THEME DAY

It's the first of the month and that means it is THEME DAY on City Daily Photo. This month's theme, chosen by the vote of CDP members, is TIME.

I found this interesting clock in the Rogers Park neighborhood. It is on the Clark-Devon Hardware store (at Clark Street and Devon Avenue) which has been a multi-generational family business since 1924. I really like the clock hands: the minute hand is a 3 13/16 gear wrench and the hour hand is a 5 1/8 inch box end wrench. (That I can even tell you the type of these wrenches is a testament to how customer-friendly and informative their website is.)

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Theme Day: Graffiti

Today is the first of October so that means it is Theme Day on City Daily Photo. October's theme, chosen by vote of all the people in City Daily Photo, is Graffiti.

Now this was a tough theme. Chicago banned sales of spray paint and indelible markers back in 1995. So the only graffiti we get is done by tourists and suburbanites and - let's face it - they save their best stuff for their hometowns. Yeah, you can find the random declarations of "A.B. Loves C.D. 4-ever", gang tags, and other less-than-enthusiastic exclamations done with Sharpie markers, but there's not much in the way of really deep thoughts like "Kilroy was Here" or "Clapton is God".

I have found these three, though.

The one on the top left is an old photo of graffiti that showed up under Lake Shore Drive in late 2008. I found the graffiti shown in the bottom photo in the Lakeview Neighborhood earlier this week. It seems to be Illinois' former governor striking a very Jailhouse Rock Elvis-esque pose. The one at the top right is interesting. I walked over to take a photo of the blank square that was painted over a graffiti portrait of the former governor in a striped prison outfit. (I was going to lament how if you don't get a photo of the graffiti when you see it, it could be painted over quite quickly.) But I found this graffiti portrait instead! It had to have been done this week. I'm pretty sure it is commentary on the mayor's decision not to run again next year.

None of these seemed to have any signature, but they must have been done by the same person. And that person seems to have a unique political sense of humor.

ADDENDUM

OK, after a few commenters mentioned that these looked like the work of Banksy, I did a little more internet searching. Although Banksy was apparently in Chicago in the Spring, I think these may actually be the work of a School of the Art Institute graduate known as CRO (aka Ray Noland). He seems to do a lot of graffiti related to Chicago politics and a number of his works were at the same location of the Golfing Mayor piece.

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June Theme Day: Funny Signs

It is the first of the month and that means Theme Day at City Daily Photo. This month's theme, chosen by vote of all CDP participants, is Funny Signs.

I almost didn't have a funny sign for this post. But then we saw this one while biking in Michigan this weekend.

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April Theme Day: The Color Red

Today is Theme Day on City Daily Photo. This month's theme, voted on by City Daily Photo members is The Color Red. I discovered that Chicago has a number of red icons.

Clockwise from top left

The CTA Red Line, Alexander Calder's Flamingo, The Wrigley Building with special red lighting, Alexander Calder's signature on the Flamingo, a certain restaurant with a big red tomato at the door, the CNA Building

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Waiting ...

... for their ship to come in?
... for the great Seagull King?

Who knows?

But these seagulls certainly think that this marina
is the place to be while waiting for it!

Today is December 1st, which means it is theme day at City Daily Photo. The theme is Waiting. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Theme Day: Doorways

First of the month means Theme Day on City Daily Photo. November's theme is Doorways. I have to admit I wasn't all that thrilled about the theme when it first won the voting.

But then I found this doorway. And I had a complete change of heart. Suddenly "Doorways" as a theme was wonderful. I had a fun doorway I could use! But I didn't have my camera at the time. So I had to write down the address and go back to get this picture.

Enjoy!



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Theme Day: Contrast

Today is October 1st so it is THEME DAY on City Daily Photo. October's theme is Contrast.

It took me a while to find inspiration for this theme. I had a few back-up plans but really wanted to do something that was still Chicago-specific. I suddenly got inspired as I was going to the library yesterday. I walked by the Art Institute and it suddenly hit me that I could do a contrast of one of the bronze lions that regally guard the entrance to the Art Institute and a real lion that prowls their habitat of Lincoln Park Zoo. (Further on down toward the library I took a completely different contrast picture just in case the LP Zoo lions wouldn't cooperate. But, since I found a cooperative lion, I now have a future Daily Chicago Photo regular post ;) )

So here is my Contrast Theme photo. A bronze lion, on the prowl in front of the Art Institute and a real lion, on the prowl, at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Yeah, I know and very much appreciate that the photography gods smiled down on me and "encouraged" the real lion to strike a very similar pose just when the lighting was right.

Here is a link to all the Contrast Theme participants: Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Theme Day: Big

Today is September 1st. In addition to being the start of meteorological Autumn and a new month, it's THEME DAY. This month's theme, chosen by vote of the City Daily Photo group, is

BIG

As it just so happens, Chicago is celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Daniel "Make No Small Plans" Burnham's Plan of the Chicago. If you aren't making small plans, they must be big plans! In addition to films, lectures and a musical (musical?!?), there is the Model City exhibit at the Chicago Architecture Foundation. It's a 1 inch:50 feet scale replica of main business district of the city from Halsted to Lake Michigan and Lake Shore Drive to Roosevelt. (According to the signage, at that scale, the average person is the size of a flea.) Every 15 minutes, the lighting mimics the sunlight on June 21, so the model city goes from a light pink (at sunrise) to golden to lavender to blue (at dusk).


Even a model city needs a cleaning. If only cleaning up the real city were as easy as brushing a feather duster around the buildings ;)

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Theme Day: Night

Today is Theme Day on City Daily Photo. The theme, chosen by vote of the CDP participants is "Night".

This theme day has been a bit of a NIGHTmare.

It's not like I didn't have any night pictures.

• That one of the moon over the sailboats would have been good ... if I hadn't posted it back in the beginning of July.

• Any of the ones from the movies in the park (Sunset Blvd. and Duck Soup) would have worked quite well ... if I hadn't posted them in the last two weeks.

• The Bug Zapper one was at night and would have fit the theme ... if I hadn't posted it earlier this week.

Like this black-crowned NIGHT heron, I'm scratching my head and wondering what I was thinking posting those night scenes already. It's not like I haven't known the theme was Night since July 2. Duh!

So here is my Night photo.
That's not an anchor light on the top of the sail boat mast, it's the moon.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants - all of whom saved their good Night Shots for the Theme Day!

Theme Day

Where are the boats?

The slips by the Columbia Yacht Club are EMPTY!

The mooring buoys in Monroe Harbor are EMPTY!

But the Playpen
(the local name for the area by the Ohio Street Beach)
is FULL!

Today is the CDPB July Theme Day and the theme is EMPTY. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Special Theme Day: Where is our Blogger?

One of our fellow City Daily Photo bloggers is missing in Tehran. Today is a special Theme Day on City Daily Photo to show support for his freedom and everyone's continued freedom to share information and pictures.

In 1998, Chicago renamed the road between the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium, shown above, as Solidarity Drive to commemorate Lech Walesa's campaign, known as the Solidarity Movement, to bring freedom to Poland.

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June Theme Day: Feet

Happy Theme Day. June's theme, selected by vote of the City Daily Photo participants, is Feet. I found 12,652 feet in this picture. How? I picked several of the more recognizable buildings and looked up how tall they are.


Here are the buildings I selected, their names and heights.


A – Lake Point Tower (645 feet)
B – 340 On The Park (672 feet)
C – Water Tower Place (859 feet)
D – John Hancock Building (1,506 feet)
E – Palmolive Building (aka Playboy Building) (565 feet)
F – Amoco Building (aka Aon Building) (1,136 feet)
G – 900 North Michigan (aka Bloomingdale's Building) (871 feet)
H – Park Tower (844 feet)
I – Trump Tower (1,362 feet)
J – Chase Tower (850 feet)
K – Chicago Board of Trade (605 feet)
L – AT&T Corporate Center (1,007 feet)
M – Sears Tower (1,730 feet)


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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.

Theme Day: Yellow

Today is Theme Day on City Daily Photo.
April's theme, voted on by the members, is Yellow.

This collage of yellow vehicles just kind of happened. It started with the yellow school bus on Lake Shore Drive. I took that picture "just in case" I couldn't find anything else yellow for the Theme Day.

Then I saw the yellow moving truck. A theme was developing.

Driving down Halsted, I found what I thought was the Holy Grail of yellow in Chicago: Yellow Cab #1. (Actually, according to a column by Eric Zorn, a local journalist, Cab #80 is the elusive one.)

The last one is a 'blond' in a yellow convertible, taken on one of the Spring Teaser days we had in early March.

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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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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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