Riding the L: Let’s call it the Construction Line

Chicago construction from the Green Line train.

Right now, Chicago Green-Line commuters have the best seats in the house (it’s a BIG house, too) for watching our many construction projects. Within 2 stops on either side of The Loop, riders can get up close and personal with five major building sites, and one L-station rehab:

150 North Riverside – South of the train on the west shore of the Chicago River

River Point – North of the train, on the west shore of the Chicago River (at 444 West Lake Street)

Wolf Point West – north of the train as you cross the river

171 North Halsted – Just west of the river on looking south from the train

1001 South State Street – in the South Loop on the west side of the train

150 North Riverside – Giant red crane floating on a barge

150 North Riverside – Completely obstructing Randolph Place.

444 West Lake Street, aka River Point – Early progress

444 West Lake Street, aka River Point – Looking west across the river

Wolf Point West – Getting taller each day

171 North Halsted – on right, with the striped wall of 727 West Lake Street as backdrop

171 North Halsted – Tower crane visible over 727 West Lake, looking west

1001 South State – Early stages

1001 South State – Can’t get much closer to the tracks than this

Washington and Wabash – Notice there is no platform on the left side of the tracks.

Soon, you’ll be able to see a small portion of the Chicago Riverwalk construction as well, once it crawls toward Lake Street.

Instagram Finally Addresses #Hashtag Abuse

Instagram cracks down on hashtag abuse

Today, Instagram made a giant change in the way hashtagged photos are displayed, and in doing so took a huge bite out of users’ hashtag abuse. Previously, a user could (and many did) add hashtags to their photos hours, days, even months after a photo was originally posted. This allowed for an entire new round of “likes” from people searching a hashtag and clicking on the photos most recently tagged. Now, you can still add all the hashtags you want after posting your image, but your photos will no longer appear at the top of the search. That means adding 25 fresh hashtags, 3 weeks after you posted your photo, won’t show up unless the searcher is willing to scroll through 3 weeks’ worth of images bearing that particular hashtag.

I’ve talked about Instagram and hashtags before. Yes, hashtags have their place. But after seeing so many users game the system by continuously deleting, then adding, new rounds of hashtags, it’s nice to see Instagram taking steps toward rendering this tactic useless.

The Donald planning to add beacon to help illuminate Trump Sign

Trump beacon at the very top of Trump Tower

Trump beacon mid-height.

I took these photos from the L a few days ago, and had a brilliant idea: Why not take the beacon from atop the Palmolive Building and affix it to the top of Trump Tower? Palmolive has Vince Vaughn (for now) so they certainly don’t need to draw anymore attention. And since the Donald didn’t have the foresight to place his infamous Trump Sign higher in the Chicago Skyline, why not make sure everyone within a 25-mile radius knows exactly where to find it.

As you can see in the photos, there’s a decision to be made as the whether the beacon is most effective at the very top (I think this works best) or about two-thirds of the way up the building. The tippy-top option allows the furthest reach, and would be less likely to blind passing architecture tour boat captains on the Chicago River. But this isn’t a decision I’d be making; this is up to Mr. Trump and his minions.

And don’t bother taking credit for this idea; I’ve already printed a copy and mailed it to myself.

Replacing The Chicago River Barge

This gallery contains 9 photos.

When a good friend moves away, leaving you with no forwarding address, no means of contact, and no promise of so much as a post card, it’s hard not to wander back to the scene and relive those precious memories. Continue reading →

Stalking Aqua: My Year in Photos

You’ve seen them, right? The Instagram videos showing the 5 most-liked photos you posted over the past year? Well, you didn’t see one from me for 2014. Why? Because all five were the same subject: Aqua.

It comes as no surprise to me. I, along with the rest of Chicago, love that building, and I can’t walk by without snapping photos like a tourist on a 3-hour layover. This marvelous brainchild of Chicago Architect Jeanne Gang (not this one; this one’s a monstrosity), with its unique wavy balconies and window “lakes,” is most appealing on sunny days, when those pools of glass reflect the blue skies. As with most photos I share, I’ve whittled my collection of Aqua shots down to a reasonable few for you to see. You’ll notice just how different this beauty looks from each angle and perspective.

What’s missing? Photos from inside Aqua, looking out over Chicago. Hopefully, I’ll have the chance to go up there someday soon.

Aglow beneath the clouds

Reflected and framed for your viewing pleasure.

From Lakeshore East Park

Two faves – Aqua and Divvy. Note this is the 2013 bike.

Aqua’s reflection in the Blue Cross Blue Shield building.

Zooming in shows off the reflected blue sky.

Straight-up brilliant

I prefer Aqua in the sun; when absent, she still looks marvelous.

I’m not alone. These two seem to be stalking Aqua as well.

Light clouds add to the mystique.

Aqua aglow.

A peek at Aqua, from deep within Lakeshore East Park

Looking ominous.

Growing above the trees.

The north face.

Looking up from another angle.

From Lurie Garden, she is partially hidden behind BCBS

Looking especially bright.

When the sky looks like this, everything’s better.

The Duel

Zooming in from a different angle.

I see Slimer from Ghostbusters in this shot. Call me crazy.

Yeah, I got carried away with the filters on this one.

 

Framing the Grand Canyon

The Lime Kiln Point Lighthouse, Washington State

It started with this Instagram photo. A reflection of the Sears Tower in a building, and the thought that it lent itself well as a frame. I revisited this natural framing concept again on a trip to Washington, and this lighthouse photo became one of my favorite shots.

Fast forward to the first vacation of 2015 and my first trip to the Grand Canyon. As forewarned, I wasn’t ready for the scale of magnificence. Nor was I ready for the imminent danger of visiting the Grand Canyon. While I hadn’t given much thought, if any, to safety precautions for tourists, I was surprised at how close we were to the canyon’s edges. Sure, there are railings at the overhangs and main lookout points. But there are also a multitude of wide-open accesses to shear drops and gorge openings.

I, admittedly, have a paralyzing fear of heights. Or, “unprotected heights” as I like to call them. I’m fine in skyscrapers where I know a window won’t give way if I lean on it. But put me on a ladder, or the edge of a 1000-foot drop, and my knees weaken and stomach churns. Add in treacherous footing from the snow and ice of winter in the Arizona mountains, and it was even harder for me to stand close to the unprotected edges of the canyon. Further exacerbate the problem with the absolute certainty, in my mind at least, that I’ll drop my camera(phone) if I so much as consider holding it out over the railing, even if one exists, and I’m admiring the sky behind me instead of enjoying the spectacular beauty in front of me.

Which leads me, eventually, to the following photo gallery. Framing the Grand Canyon was just my way of not having to get too close to the edge. And certain death. Standing back from the canyon’s edge, I took several photos using trees and limbs as framing, with canyon walls in the background. I got brave a few times and managed to get shots down into the canyon too. But many of these “framed” shots are my favorites from the trip.

First lights after sunrise.

That 2-foot stone wall will keep you safe.

Even when there’s a railing…

The Grand Canyon

Looking Up: My Year in Photos

I bumped into a lot of strangers this year. I probably passed by a fortune in dropped change, too. Not because I stare at my phone sending text messages when I walk, but because this was the year I learned looking up was the best way to walk through Chicago. Skyscrapers are wonderful beings, but to fully enjoy them, they must be seen from the base, not just by admiring the skyline.

My Instagram hashtag #UpChicago never took off the way I’d hoped, but I’m over it. I still have fun capturing images of Chicago’s high points from street level. Here are a few of my favorite Looking Up photos:

I had a REALLY difficult time deciding what to include here. Sorry, there are a lot of pictures. I hope you’ll take the time to scroll through them all.

Looking up between 200 and 230 W. Monroe

4-Pack at East Van Buren.

Looking up at Franklin and Monroe

This one is all about that fire escape. I believe this is the Clark Adams Building. The Rookery is on the right.

Corner of Wacker and Franklin

Looking up at The Wit

An Aqua duel.

Middle of the street, 100 block of E. Van Buren.

Looking up along Monroe Street

The sky, the angle, make this shot totally different than the previous photo.

This was one building, until an earthquake broke it into two.

300 S. Riverside Plaza

Different angle. I was asked to leave.

123 N. Wacker

Big Stan stares down a challenger.

Chase Tower, 70 W. Madison.

150 N. Michigan

My favorite Chicago building.

Stand in the courtyard outside the new Asado Coffee, and look up.

Not a big fan of this building, but I like this perspective.

Chase Tower in the fog

An alley between Madison and Monroe.

Looking up along Monroe Street

Roosevelt University

With a cameo by the Sears Tower

Curveball; this shot is from Milwaukee

Mies vs. Mies

Sears’ neighbor.

Reflections are cool. One of the nice things about having multiple skyscrapers.

Or Willis. Get over it.

One of my favorite building corners in the city

W. Calhoun Place, 200 block

Looking up at Chase Tower and clock

When the sky is blue, it looks like an iceberg.

The Chicago River Barge: My Year in Photos

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it could have been the goofball who saw fit to create the barge’s own Twitter account that drew me in. (He’s pretty funny.) Continue reading →

Riding the L: My Year in Photos

 

 

2014 was the year I discovered iPhone photography. Having never been a fan of lugging a camera around, I now had a device in my pocket allowing me to capture life’s everyday moments that would have otherwise slipped by.

Riding the L: Looking out the back window

In the spring, I boarded a near-empty Brown Line train in The Loop and made yet another discovery: while the CTA doesn’t allow passengers riding the L to stand up front with the conductor, many trains have an accessible window in the last car. And standing in back of that last car became my window on Chicago. At last count — no, skip it. I’ve lost count of how many shots I’ve taken riding the L. But I’ve selected a few to share with you here.

 

Orange Line at Quincy

Crossroads, Lake and Wells

Purple Line, having just crossed the river

Orange Line, leaving the Loop

Brown Line, about to cross the Chicago River

Orange Line, nearing Midway Airport

Brown Line, southbound approaching Chicago Ave

Pink Line at Canal

Purple Line heading to Sedgwick

Pictures *of* the L can be just as good as pictures *from* the L

Orange Line, Harold Washington station

Brown Line leaving Chicago Ave

Pedestrian bridge at LaSalle and Van Buren

Brown Line in black and white

Purple Line rounding the bend from Chicago Ave

Orange Line on Wabash

Purple Line at Washington and Wells

Blue Line towards O’Hare, as Chicago fades behind you

Riding the L: An Orange Line excursion

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a few other times: When riding the L, sit or stand at the very back of the CTA train. Look out the back window. Have your camera ready. Now, take a ride on the Orange Line with me.

Regardless of where you stand on Trump Tower, it is impossible to miss when Wabash meets the Chicago River.

Once you’re south of The Loop, while staring at one of my personal favorites, the Roosevelt University building, know that someone might be staring at you, too. Namely, a bizarre, oversized moose. Blowing a bubble.

Riding the L – Leaving the Loop

 

Tracks cross as the architecture gets smaller.

Criss-crossing track

 

Now you look straight east as the train takes a westward tack.

Looking due east.

 

A left turn through Ping Tom Park, and the city swings back into view.

Near Ping Tom Park

 

With the skyline fading in the background, industrial areas dominate the scenery.

 

On the southeast side.

 

Freight trains and commuter trains jockey for position. Though not literally; that would be dangerous.

Tracks along tracks

 

Colorful freight engines become a welcome diversion. You’re almost to Midway.

Colorful engines on real trains.