Pixels of Chicago

I had imagined that I would be posting images while I was in Chicago, but I had such a good time that I never seemed to want to sit down in front of the computer and put it all together! (Can you blame me?) After I got home, I managed to corrupt some of my image files on my jump drive and then there was that bit with the dog and her tooth… So, here, FINALLY are some pictures from my trip to the Windy City. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cloud Gate – the monumental sculpture located on SBC Plaza is a major feature of Millennium Park. The 110-ton elliptical sculpture was designed by the celebrated British artist Anish Kapoor. At least, that’s what the postcards said. This is me, trying to stop “The Bean” from rolling away (left). Because it is kidney bean shaped, you can walk underneath and through it. The sculpture itself creates an interesting abstract pattern in its reflection. (I’m the tiny person at the bottom with the lime green jacket at my hip (right).)

The Lurie Garden – nestled behind the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (designed by Frank Gehry) in Millennium Park, Jamie had never before seen this 2.5-acre garden, which we happened to stumble into. It was gorgeous – a well-tended bit of earth in the middle of skyscrapers. Just what I’d need to in order to live amidst all that concrete, steel and glass.

The Crown Fountain – water flows from two 50-foot glass block towers into a shallow reflecting pool. The towers depict video of real people from Chicago. In the video, if the person is pursing their lips, water flows out from a spigot in the side of the tower. If the person is smiling, there is no water pouring out of the spigot, but it might be pouring out from the bricks themselves. It was the coolest and most interesting fountain I’d ever seen.

Navy Pier – Located on Lake Michigan, Navy Pier has been a Chicago landmark since it first opened in 1916. Originally designed as both a shipping and recreational facility, the Pier also served as a military training site during two world wars, a venue for concerts and exhibitions, and the temporary home for a once-fledging University if Illinois’ Chicago campus. Today, Navy Pier showcases a unique collection of restaurants and shops in addition to unequalled recreational facilities. That’s from the postcard. Now, here’s pictures of the gate leading into Navy Pier (left), Jamie and I with a view of Chicago’s downtown in the background (middle), and my cup from Billy Goat Tavern, home of the double cheezborger, which apparently helped spawn an SNL skit (although I’d never seen it). Also, horses from a musical carousel that was designed specifically for the Navy Pier.

Tribune Tower – Prior to the building of the Tribune Tower, correspondents for the Chicago Tribune brought back rocks and bricks from a variety of historically important sites throughout the world. Many of these were incorporated into the lowest levels of the building and are labeled with their location of origin. Included are pieces from the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, petrified wood from the Redwood National Forest, the Great Pyramid, Notre-Dame, the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall. There are 136 fragments in the building, and most recently a piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center was added. It is Jamie’s favorite building in Chicago, and while walking around it we found a piece of Edinburgh Castle – another place that Jamie and I have visited together!

Sculptures – a moose and King Lear.

View from the Signature Room – I already posted a picture of myself enjoying a martini on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Tower… here’s the view (in the two rightmost pictures you can see Navy Pier, and the building that’s sort of wavy with three waves to it? Oprah owns a floor of that building!):