l o o p e r: 12.2005

2005 Really Over...

The end of the year is here, and I want to take a moment to again thank you my reader. This li'l blog started out nearly a year ago, and little did I know how it would change my life and the life of those around me (some for the worse, some for the better). Keep coming back...

I am taking a couple of day's off for a short break, but I look forward to continuing to bring you images of my neighborhood, the Loop in Chicago in the coming year.

Best wishes and Happy New Year...

Another Loss...

Yet another cultural icon for the city of Chicago is going away. First it was the loss of the Marshall Fields name to Macy's, and now we are going to loose The Berghoff. I have shown a few of these images before, but I felt it important to show them again along with a couple of ones not shown before.

Two times during the year, the sun is just right to create this reflection on the Berghoff building. The previous one was taken in September, and this one was taking last March.

Completed in 1872, only months after the Great Chicago Fire, the two adjoining Italianate buildings give one a glimpse of what the Loop was like in the 1870's. It was discovered in the last decade or so that the building on the left has a pre-cast cast iron front which was bolted together. This is supposedly one of only two remaining cast iron front buildings in the Loop.

The restaurant opened in 1898, however, I don't know when they added the neon sign.

I shot this image last March, and it has become one of my favorite photographs that I have taken.

In May, I was standing across the street again with my camera, and attempted to recapture the essence of my previous image.

A couple more shots...

(edit) Thanks Chicagoist for the link!

Random Mondays...12.26.05...

This week it's random night shots around the central Loop.

Daley Center.

Lights shining down from 69 W Washington.

Chase Bank Bldg. at Madison and Clark.

This one was by accident.
Camera was on a tripod, timer set, when somebody walking by asked a question (I can't remember what... "Where is Marshall Fields perhaps??") and I got this.

Stairs leading down to the Pedway, Daley Plaza.

Merry Christmas!...

More Christmassy Goodness...

Tonight I bring you random holiday images taken in the Loop last night.

Shoppers rushing across State Street at Washington. I used my tripod for this one, and took about five shots with the timer. This one was the most interesting.

I took this shot a few weeks back, but without a tripod, it was just too blurry. Last night, I got a much clearer one.

Partially working light display on the Goodman Theater Building. This LED display is great when it works... Which is less and less often. (Also note the "Orient L" in the background.)

The Chase Holiday Tree. They liberally used blue LED's which give it an amazing blue glow.

And finally, a few more shoppers scurrying about at Marshall Fields.

The Final Rush...

This being the last holiday season that Marshall Fields will be Marshall Fields, (before it becomes Macy's next September) I have been taking more pictures than usual of the holiday shopping chaos going on in front of the store on State Street.

Here is the view this morning before lunch.

The next several images were taken today during the brief moment when the sun was beaming down State Street. (I have been waiting for a moment when the planets aligned, it was before Christmas, the sun was shining down the street, and I wasn't at work.)

There was a time when crowds like this were normal throughout the year, but now people are at the mall the rest of the year.

Note the bag in tree. (Some of you will get it...)

More horny goodness.
It is hard to guess what will be here next year. The clock and sheath of wheat are definitely not very Macy's. Probably red stars.

Macy's

This evening I took a few moments to snap a few images of the crowd.

Art Institute Holiday...

Images taken of the front of the Art Institute recently.

The two bronze lions that flank main entrance were made for the opening at its current location in 1893. The lions are not identical, and thus are named for their poses:

The south lion "stands in an attitude of defiance,"...

...while the north lion is "on the prowl."

Fun with Photoshop

Info on lions from here.

Architectural Lobotomy...

Like may people who share my appreciation for architecture, whenever I see bad things happen to a building, my heart is saddened just a bit.

Well, this time I saw it, as it was actually occurring. I was walking down Belmont Ave just east of the Red Line this past Saturday, and first saw this bazaar cutting on the underside of the bay windows on this familiar building.

As I continued down the street, I heard the sound of a saw and realized that this building was being disfigured right in front of my eyes.

This man was actually cutting into decorative carved limestone on the underside of the bay windows. Limestone which is at least a hundred years old, and would cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace.
WTF???

I crossed the street to see if I could find out why they were permanently f**king up the facade of this lovely old building, but I couldn't get their attention. They either couldn't hear me, or were ignoring me.
I understand this is just one of thousands of similar buildings in Chicago, but that does not make it right to destroy such detail. Whatever reason it was that they felt the need to do this destruction, there has to be a better way to handle it.

I will be up that way again this weekend, and I am dreading what will be left.

Random Mondays...12.19.05...

This week I bring a few images from my recent trip to Anaheim, as well as a couple of seasonal images.

First up, the cartoon like tree that graces (however ungracefully it may be) Daley Plaza is seen with the Daley Center as backdrop. While the "tree" is actually a combination of dozens of actual trees attached to a steel frame.

Perhaps not the smartest place to relax. Midway Airport, on the night that the Southwest Airlines plane slid off of the runway.

Quintessential Southern California... No need for further explanation other than this was the seen as we waited for the airport shuttle at our hotel.

View of Illinois as we prepared for our landing last Monday.

As a follow up to my previous post on the clock at Marshall Fields, I found this image taken several weeks ago.

Meet Me Under the Clock...

A Chicago tradition is to meet up with friends or family under the clock at Marshall Fields (the question always is, which one). Since I live closer to the clock at State and Washington, I bring you a collection of images taken this year of that famous clock.

Blending in with the silhouette of the buildings behind.

Taken from the corner of the Hotel Burnham.

Fall leave with a bit of breeze obscure the reflection of the clock across the street.

Taken during a snowstorm last January. We go eight inches of snow, and I had a blast taking pictures with nobody around.

Again during the snow storm last January.

Yes, there is another nearly identical clock at State and Randolph. So nobody feels I left it out, here is one of the few images I have of this one.

California Adventure...

In part 3, my final entry on my trip to Disneyland, I bring you images from the stepchild park across the way from Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure. More amusement park like, DCA was fun, but I wouldn't recommend a full day there.

Here the Orange Stinger is reflected in Paradise Bay with California Screamin and the Maliboomer in the background.