All in Chicago

Off-Kilter

Today, I ventured out with an infrared camera. My subject was the Chicago River from Michigan Avenue to Chinatown. The output includes high contrast monochrome images, with some color tossed in. These are classic tourist shots, but with a twist. Along the way, László Moholy-Nagy and Bertrand Goldberg make appearances. After watching a documentary on Moholy-Nagy, I had to bend things a bit.

It's a Gasser (II)

Today, Jack B. Siegel made his second pilgrimage to the Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, Wisconsin. The Chicago Wise Guys were the feature attraction, bringing colorful cars, crews, carts, tools, and trailers for a day of nitro racing. The roar of the engines were ever present, at times deafening. These guys know how to haul ass down the quarter-mile track, sometimes reaching speeds close to or exceeding 200 miles per hour.

Moving Day

On August 2 and 3, 2021, the CTA moved The Vautravers Building located at the corner of Clark and Newport 35 feet to the west so that the curve in the Red Line ‘L’ tracks could be straightened out. Wolf House and Building Movers engineered and handled the move using state-of-the-art equipment. The move was part of the $570 million Brown Line Flyover Project. Preparations for the move began in April 2021.

Odds and Ends II

I am now out daily with camera in hand, sometimes on foot and sometimes by car. This past week saw me up at Fort Sheridan and the Fort Sheridan Nature Preserve, as well as at the Bahai Temple and the Home Alone house in Winnetka. I also made it downtown to Michigan Avenue, Oak Street, and North Avenue Beach. It has been hot, but as anyone can see, there is still a lot to see and experience.

Emerging Slowly from the Dark

The Cytokine Storm Hanging Over Our Heads: Lincoln Park in the Age of Covid-19. Donald Trump didn't create Covid-19, but he foisted it on us by trying to protect his bid for re-election. We now see the world differently. The clouds hanging over Lincoln Park on the last Saturday in June 2020 capture what Trump has done to the U.S. Hopefully bluer skies are in the not too distant future.

Bernie in Chi Town

Senator Bernie Sanders brought his presidential campaign to Chicago on March 7, 2020 for a massive rally in Chicago's Grant Park. Somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 supporters participated in the afternoon rally. Sanders spoke for 35 minutes. He relied heavily on well-worn phrases and proposals, including Medicare for all, immigration reform, and elimination of student debt.

Russian Renaissance

The award winning Russian Renaissance appeared In Chicago today to exhibit their virtuosity. The quartet performs using traditional Russian folk instruments, including the balalaika, the button accordion, the domra, and a contrabass balalaika. They played a variety of world music, including works by Béla Fleck, Tchaikovsky, Django Reinhardt, Galliano, and De Abreu. It is obvious why they have played in major concert halls throughout the world, and won the 2017 Prize Competition