Rush-hour traffic snakes along the Chicago River. Rain and mist dim down the city, reducing movement to a crawl. How long will we be? With each breath of the bus’s sodden passengers, its windows steam. The compass-point of the Wrigley Building bleeds into the general gray, seeming to recede. The Trump Tower does its Flatiron…
Rush-hour Wrigley
A sewing-machine store
I admire the old businesses that just keep going. This sewing-machine store in Wicker Park was probably discovered by the young, do-it-yourself crowd just in time. We write a lot about the dynamism of cities but less about the things in them that do not change. The hoary businesses that go undusted for decades; the…
Mosses for meditation
Among the most unusual items in the Garden Show was this panel, displayed on an easel in a wooden frame, entitled “Mosses for Meditation.” It certainly is arresting, and, when photographed, acquires an additional novelty. The plant matter becomes abstract, and its scale impossible to determine. Well, it is certainly very beautiful-looking, but how long…
Transmuted
Our path to the Garden Show the other day took us through the labyrinthine halls of Navy Pier. Had the weather been fair, we would have walked the length of the pier outside, but heavy rain forced us to bob along in the crowd jamming the corridors inside. There, we shuffled through a low dim…
A moment by the Mart
I happened to be driving along Wacker Drive this evening, and, for once, was truly happy to have to stop for a red light. I seldom come this way in a car, and this was my one chance to take a picture of the repairs underway on the historic Wells Street Bridge. Not only did…
By the river tonight
The night is penetratingly damp, and freakish flurries of snow have been falling. In between times, though, the city looks lovely.
Buy me spring
Desperate as we are, Mr C. and I willingly plunked down the price of admission to enjoy an indoor version of spring. It lasted just a few hours, and flowers bloomed under fluorescent lights, but hey: there were tulips and daffodils and delighted smiles in abundance. The Chicago Flower and Garden Show comes along just…
They gazed
Visitors to the Chicago Flower and Garden Show paused to look out at the half-frozen lake, the piers, and the misty city.
Romance, with rain
Banal in itself, Navy Pier offers perspectives of the city and water, romantic even on a gloomy day. As the rain fell, dappling the water, the ice pancakes like lilies, the most stalwart visitors remained outside, unfurling their umbrellas and pulling up their hoods.
Looking for signs
If you’re looking for signs, this spot on Broadway is the place to be. Walk through the wrong door, and you may find a soulmate instead of lunch.
Snow-capped
I love seeing these guys when it snows. Impressive in any weather, the Board of Trade Building is sparely adorned with Art Deco ornaments representing trade and the commodities, the general theme being harvest and abundance—not to mention wealth, for those who grow rich through farming and trade. Flanking the big clock are these two…
