Askew

Tough to be Silver

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

Shades of Blue

There's really nothing all THAT interesting about this photo except that the Chicago River is a deep blue, the water in the harbor is an aqua blue and Lake Michigan is a light blue. I was struck by the variation in the color of each section of water. It's not usually so pronounced. This photo is from Friday March 11. By the time you read this part of the Chicago River will be a shade of green that does not exist in nature ;)

Pieces of the River

We get some very interesting designs in the Chicago River when the ice layer starts to crack, separate, and eventually melt. (Best part was when I was taking these photos, two different people stopped to mention that they like when the ice cracks like this and makes those great shapes.)

(Click to enlarge the photo collage)

Along the River

I like how the trees along the river, which are lit from the bottom with spotlights, look a little ghostly in black and white.

Lock Down

I've been holding on to this photo for about a week now because I was trying to figure out what they are doing to the Chicago River locks. They are currently closed and there seems to be some type of maintenance work going on. I think the gates are being replaced, but I can't seem to find anything about what they are actually doing. I don't think it is related to the Asian Carp threat, even though carp-related articles are about all that show up when I google "Closed Chicago River Locks November 2010".

Traffic

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

Riverwalk of Mirrors

When the city extended the Riverwalk past Michigan Avenue, they put mirror-like tiles under the Michigan Avenue Bridge section. If you look up when a boat is going by, you get a distorted "House of Mirrors" view of the boat.

Don't Mess Around on the Chicago River

If I were in this boat, I'd be nervous. The boat wasn't doing anything wrong, it just happened to be in front of the Coast Guard boat patrolling the river. I really hadn't noticed the big guns on the front of the Coast Guard boats before.

A Day Only a Boater Would Love

No, my camera lens does not need a good cleaning. ;)

This photo was one of the early bridge runs (when the Chicago Bridges are raised to allow the sailboats to get to the harbors from their winter storage homes) this year. However, since the

weather today looked almost exactly like this, I figured it was OK to post a slightly older (really only two weeks) photo.

What is the Fish Hotel?

The Fish Hotel is a project by Friends of the Chicago River to replace fish habitats along the Chicago River. It is a floating island that acts as a getaway place when the daily stresses of dodging boat traffic and bigger fish become too much for a little fish to bear. The hotel features native plants, growing in the coconut fiber mesh, that attract bugs for the fish guest's dining pleasure. They're planning to add a fish spa in 2010 (but no saunas or hot tubs).

Two Guests of the Fish Hotel

The Fish Hotel Buffet

Two Views of ... DuSable Harbor

Today's "Two Views" is of DuSable Harbor. Now (on the left) and when it didn't exist (on the right).

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

Fluorescent Fishing

A lot of people fish along the Chicago River and along the lakefront. The fluorescent green and orange fish poles caught my eye. Apparently, the fishing is quite good for bass, bluegill, and carp and there is even a city festival promoting the activity. According to a study done by a local newspaper, the fish is safe to eat in moderation.

Up Close

One of the Chicago River tour boats was passing under the Lake Shore Drive bridge just as I was walking over it. Couldn't resist taking a chance on a photo. I zoomed in a little too much - I thought the bridge was higher - and got quite the close-up.

Lining the Locks

The sailboat runs are getting larger as the weather gets warmer. (Hmmm. Thursday it was 77 degrees; today it is 54 degrees.) Let me rephrase that: "The sailboat runs are getting larger as we get further into the month of May."

Today's run was 22 boats - a pretty good number. After the boats get through all the bridges, there is one last step: going through the Chicago Locks.

(Click the Photo for a Larger view)

The locks keep Lake Michigan from draining into the DesPlaines and Mississippi Rivers (remember, the Chicago River was reversed in the 1800s - an official engineering marvel). It is a neat experience to go through the locks - either in your own boat or on one of the architecture/sightseeing cruise boats. There are rules about the order that boats enter and leave the locks. Everyone must wear a life jacket (but you should anyway on Lake Michigan). You have to hold on to ropes that hang along the sides of the lock's canal in order to secure your boat during the one-to-four foot water surges that occur when the locks open.

In this picture, the boats are lining up along the walls waiting for the Lake Michigan side to open so they can get on with their sailing. These are hardy sailors because it's pretty chilly and windy on the lake today.

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.

First Bridge Run of the Season

Another sign of Spring in Chicago is the twice-weekly bridge run. Along the Chicago River, the bridges are raised to allow sailboats to get to the harbors from the boat storage yards. Saturday was the first run for 2009. The number of boats will increase through the Spring, but there were only about ten boats in this "parade". These are the hardy sailors who brave the fluctuating temperatures (Saturday it was 73 degrees and sunny; today, Sunday, it is 50, foggy and rainy) to be the first ones in the harbors. (Yeah, it really is worth it.)

Although I think they tested the Lake Shore Drive bridge, shown here, earlier this month, they must not have been able to test the Michigan Avenue bridge. It was stuck for over an hour on Saturday afternoon.

Peace and Love

A little graffiti on the Riverwalk