The Berghoff Has Left the Building...

Well... By the time you are reading this, the end has come for the venerable Berghoff restaurant. I did a few posts on the Berghoff this past year well before I knew of the impending closure.

For today's post, I thought I would dig up a few images from the past year and present them again.This shot was taken this past January on a chilly, but sunny day. Another perfect use for 16:9 format.


Another sign, from another time, soon to be gone.
Perhaps they'll open up a Subway sandwich shop across the street.


Saturday crowd, lining up for lunch.


This shot from last September was an attempt to recapture the reflections captured the previous March.


The March shot that captured me.


I have taken dozens of shots of the reflection of the sign in the window this past year. None (in my mind) equal the one I took last March.

Here is the result from January...


...And last May with the neon lit....


...And the shot from last March that started them all. Of the more than 15,000 images I have shot in the Loop, this has become one of my absolute favorites.


Previous Posts on the Berghoff:
12/28/2005: Another Loss
09/22/2005: Reflections on the Equinox
05/09/2005: The Berghoff

Random Mondays... 02.27.06...

Sorry for the lack of posts lately... Sometimes life gets a bit busy. Today's randomness covers an assortment of images taken over the last few weeks.

540 W Madison, again... (Previously here and here.)
I pass by this place all the time while going to the grocery store after work, and if the light is right, I will pull out my camera and attempt to take pictures.


An unexpected window behind the bar at N9ne from Washington Street.


Another shot of the Kennedy , this time from Monroe (which is now closed I think, for renovation).


On a Saturday in late January, I was walking down Jackson and couldn't help but notice the silhouette of the pedestrians crossing the street.


RAM (Racine Art Museum)... While driving back to Chicago last weekend, we drove down Main Street in Racine, Wisconsin. RAM is devoted to Contemporary craft, with a focus on materials.

Cabrini Gone...

Rushing around in my rental car this past Saturday morning, I happened upon Division Street and saw this. I absolutely had to stop the car and trudge out in below zero temps to get a few snapshots of the highrise on it's deathbed.

For once, I am not upset to see a building come down. If only they could take the rest of them down. Nobody should have to live in what these buildings became.


One of the remaining buildings still occupied in background.


You have to hand it to residents using color to attempt to make the place more tolerable.


I am guessing fire stairs... And the small openings were trash chute's.

Inside MAM...

Yesterday I posted about MAM using exterior images, and as promised, today, it is all about the inside. I had a very difficult time sorting through more than 50 images of the interior, but I managed to bring it down to this group.

I will begin with standing in the main hall, looking up at the underside of the Burke Brise Soleil.





They sell a postcard of this image, but why buy an postcard when you can do it yourself. I happened to get lucky with a person at the other end of the space, unfortunately, the floor (unlike the postcard) needed to be polished.


Round Elevator from the bridge entrance.


Round Elevator from inside.


Afternoon sun shining in the West Galleria.


West Galleria between the beams.


Same shot, earlier with different angle.


East Galleria and it's shiny floor.


East Galleria looking towards the entrance to the regular collection.


Person on bench in East Galleria.


Different person, different angle.


Looking up at the West Galleria from the lower level.


Light-well East Galleria.


Oh, and they have art too! Really good art!

This was the first time I have had the opportunity to visit MAM, and I was quite impressed, not just with the Calatrava wing, but the collection itself. It was quite simply, amazing. They have a fantastic collection of 20th century art, covering a very broad range including fine examples of Pop Art, New Realism, Minimalism, Post Minimalism, Contemporary Art, and a lot more. The trip was so very worth it, even if the temp on Saturday never exceeded 3 degrees.

Thank You MAM...

I have returned from a couple of days in Milwaukee. We survived the cold (although I don't recommend vacationing during single digit weather), a bad HoJo experience, and arctic ice. I must say; while there is no doubt about my gratitude of calling 60602 my home, I had a great time in the land of cheese.

The primary purpose of our trip was to see the "Bruce Nauman Works with Light" at the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM). Located on the lakefront, at the edge of downtown, MAM is a real feast for the eyes. The Quadracci pavilion (shown here) was architect Santiago Calatrava's first completed project in the US. Opened in 2001, the building itself is worth the price of admission alone.


Unfortunately, weather was such that they were not able to open the Burke Brise Soleil while we were there. I have seen it once on a brief visit several years ago.


The view looking down the bridge connecting the museum from downtown to the lakefront.


Same view about fifteen feet to the right.


East end of the bridge next to the prow.


About 15 feet from the prior image on the approach to the round elevator (which was very cool on it's own.).


Tomorrow... The interior!

Away for a couple of days...

I am away for a couple of days, will return by Monday. (Oh, and thanks for taking me over the 30,000 mark today!)

I See Red...

I understand why buildings change the lighting on their buildings for different holiday's, but it surprises me that Valentines day warrants the unionized manpower to change the color gels on their outdoor lighting.
So tonight, in honor of Valentines Day, and for my Valentine... I bring you a series of shots taken tonight from the top of Marina City showing buildings lit up red for the occasion.

First up, the LaSalle Wacker Building in the foreground, and the red in the background is 540 W Madison.


I took about 80 shots from the rooftop tonight, but unfortunately, the wind was not to my favor, and many of them just didn't come out. Of the several attempts to capture the Sears Tower, this one was about as good as it got. Also included... 311 S Wacker (aka: White Castle Headquarters).


Looking north, Chicago Place looming in the distance.


This pic is actually amazing when you think that I was two miles away. I am amazed at how clearly you can see the front of the Field Museum.


The top of the Heritage at Millennium Park has become a new addition to the forest of holiday lit buildings.


OK, not taken tonight, nor from the top of Marina City, but about a week ago when I was hanging out around the Lake Street Bridge. The Merchandise Mart is always a good one to rely upon to know what holiday is next. (Note the Sterling on the right in the background.)

Random Mondays... 02.13.06...

Today's randomness is from images shot over the last ten days.

First, at about 7:02 AM this past Thursday, I awoke to the sun rising and reflecting on the west side of the Jewelers Building.


The demolition of the Joyce (correction: Julian) Hotel on Belmont near the Red Line.


What was once a Holiday Inn from the 60's, then a Quality Inn, it is now a Crown Plaza Hotel (imagine the luxury from Holiday Inn to Crown Plaza) on the corner of Madison and Halsted.


Opposite corner across the intersection, the new MB Bank building.


Escalators at what is still Marshall Fields (in name only) State Street store. Notice that the green lighting which has filled the atrium for the last three years is gone. (As a side note, I highly recommend "Frontera Fresco" in food court on the seventh floor.)

Traffic and the Lake Street Bridge...

Last week while walking home from work, I took a short detour and set the camera up to capture traffic movement on the Lake Street Bridge. I have been having a lot of fun playing with the setting on my camera, and learning how to use it to my advantage. I feel like I have so much more to learn, but be assured, as I go, I will post the better test images.

Here are some of the results.


I took a couple dozen shots, trying to time the traffic movement to maximize the effect, but this turns out to be harder than I thought when working with a 2 second timer and a long shutter speed.


The next two are taken from approximately the same position. The second one has less traffic, but the Green Line is approaching overhead.





Lastly, the Metra tracks below the bridge which were carrying traffic below me.