The North Avenue beach house is defiantly jaunty amid winter’s grey light and treacherous incrustations. Summer’s monument, the cruise-liner telegraphs to us, not an SOS, but the joy and innocence of summers past and to come.
Thank you, everyone
Thank you to everyone out there, whether in California, London, or Jakarta, who has been visiting my blog and taking the time to check out its photographs and written entries. I really appreciate your comments and praise, and, even more, our casual “conversations.” A special thanks to my 78 followers–I can’t quite figure out what…
Snow in the city
At last some snow has fallen in the city. It was brief, but, while it fell, it fell fiercely. I always look forward to snow, because it muffles the clamor of the city, bringing a degree of peace by slowing it down. Riding the bus along Michigan Avenue was more enjoyable than usual, because the…
Backlands
The backlands: this is the Chicago you only see from the el. Its alleys, fire escapes, backyards, and balconies are unselfconscious because all-but-invisible, save for the instant you peer down on them from the frigid el platform or a moving train. There’s a gnarly, ugly, decrepit, character to much of the terrain: the untrimmed vine,…
An anchor in time, an anchor in weather
All humans need an anchor. Even the most footloose world travelers have some invisible ties that enable them to be free. In the face of tumult and change, each of us learns to find reassurance and create order, whether by praying, playing the piano, or rearranging a room. My manicurist tells me that she gets…
Old fashioned opulence
A hopeless traditionalist, I have been known to go to the Drake. Yes, I go to the fusty old bar and drink a Manhattan, after a night of Molière (updated). I love the old colonial wallpaper of the Coq d’Or. . . . Upstairs, the Palm Court exudes old-fashioned glamour. . . I enjoy seeing…
Beneath the facade
This old building had been vacated and was in the early stages of a gut re-hab. The businesses on the first floor had all been kicked out, and their facades and signs removed, revealing an old sign—’SURGICAL SUPPLIES – FINEST CUTLERY’—from an earlier time. What would it have been like to step into that shop,…
At the window
The sun strikes the top of the Fisher Building and the flat modern facade of the CNA. The light strikes the city, whose landmarks are the creations of different ages and mentalities, the works of egotists and humble builders unknown. We live among these warring monuments, counting the years of their lives, wondering, perhaps, which…
The big window
A nearer view of the big window in the office. Over one hundred years old, it’s about 6 feet wide and over 7 feet high. Believe it or not, still it opens smoothly (check out those big handles), and I can open it whenever I want! The thing comes equipped with an old-fashioned roller blind,…
Sideways views
It was the enormous window that sold me on this office, as well as the fact that (though in an ancient building) the space was in like-new condition. You might not think the view would amount to much, but near the window the sideways views are pretty decent, especially in weird weather, or when the…
Winter luxuries
1. Vintage port at a friend’s. 2. The amaryllis bulbs my sisters gave me. 3. Leaving the Santas out longer than I should.
My new office
I call it that, but I’ve been renting this space for more than a year. It’s where I should be revising the Book That Will Make Me Famous or founding the Online Media Empire That Will Make Me Rich, one or the other. You may think I’m joking, but I have a long manuscript sitting…
