PLACEBO EFFECT

Chicago- discovery

2007-03-27T19:17:00.000-05:00

The recorded history of the city of Chicago begins in the 1600’s when the city was called Chigagou, which means “wild-garlic place”. Native American people generally avoided settling in the swampy, boggy and muddy areas that covered the land as much as twenty miles inland from the Lake of the Illinois (present day Lake Michigan). In 1673, Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, two Frenchmen, passed through Chigagou, and met with the local Illinois Indians. Marquette and Joliet, though not the first white men to see Chigagou, were the first to map the territory. They had hoped to find a river connecting the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan, but instead found a swampy area which required a five to ten mile portage between a portion of the Des Plaines River and what would become known as the Chicago River. The reason that only one river (the Chicago) flowed into Lake Michigan dates back to glacial times when most of the metropolitan area was submerged beneath Lake Chicago. The beaches and sand dunes associated with this lake left ridges that kept water from flowing east into the lake. Joliet realized in the 1670’s that if a canal could be built through the portage, the city could become the great city of the Midwest. Though he never saw his dream realized, Joliet’s vision was finally completed in 1848. The Illinois and Michigan canal was an all water route, between Lake Michigan and the Illinois River, that finally connecting the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. Coinciding with the increases in trade brought on by the construction and completion of the canal, improvements were needed along the lakefront to allow ships to call on Chicago as a port city. The original shoreline of Chicago is unrecognizable today under the skyscrapers, museums and parks that have been constructed on the 5.5 square miles of landfill created since the 1800’s (see Figure, Chrzastowski,1998). Man-made alterations included new piers, beaches, peninsulas, and even changing the course and flow direction of the Chicago River.

zreference: Shoreline process in Chicago
http://jove.geol.niu.edu/faculty/fischer/429_info/429trips/NIF/Chicago_Shoreline.html

wrigley- Not a landmark building?

2007-03-19T19:09:00.000-05:00

Published by Blair Kamin
Tribune architecture critic
Published July 1, 2005

Mayor Richard M. Daley's recent assertion that the city will not seek landmark status for the iconic Wrigley Building takes us straight through the looking glass and into the realm of the ridiculous. It reveals how utterly arbitrary the process of conferring protected status on Chicago's architectural treasures can be.

Asserting that the city continues to have no interest in pursuing landmark designation for the Wrigley Building, Daley said of the Wrigley family: "That family has really kept that icon up. . . . There isn't one piece of public taxpayer money involved. That's pretty significant."

This was a classic Alice-in-Wonderland argument -- an insidious way of turning reality on its head.

Nowhere in the official criteria for designating Chicago landmarks does it say that a building's owners can avoid the restrictions that come with landmark status by maintaining their properties without public funds.

A potential landmark must meet at least two of seven criteria established by the city. Among them: being an important work of architecture (which the Wrigley surely is -- the building, a skillful transformation of Spanish and French precedents, is a major 1920s skyscraper and even appeared on the cover of the Art Institute's 1987 book, "Chicago Architecture 1872-1922").

Here is a sampling of the other standards:

- Whether a building is a critical part of the city's heritage (check: The Wrigley inaugurated a spurt of development north of the Chicago River in the 1920s).

- Whether a building was designed by an important architect (check: The Wrigley's architects were Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, the firm that succeeded the practice of Daniel Burnham).

- Whether a building is part of a distinctive city district (check: The Wrigley is one of four great 1920s towers that create an extraordinary visual drama around the Michigan Avenue bridge).
** The FOUR buildings are: [1] Wrigley building -1920 ... [2] Tribune Tower [1925]...
[3]333 N Michigan Avenue [1928] .... [4] London Guarantee Blg/ 360 N Michigan Avenue [1923]
Michigan Avenue bridge was completed in 1920 ...

- Whether a building has a unique visual feature (check: If the Wrigley's clock tower isn't unique, then what is?).

It is absurd for the city's roster of protected structures to incorporate such everyday structures as warehouses, powerhouses, bridges and ballparks but not a major commercial monument such as the Wrigley Building.

How can Wrigley Field be a landmark, but not the Wrigley Building?

In recent years, the city has pursued the enlightened policy of taking pre-emptive action, as condominium conversions loomed, to protect significant historic structures, such as the wall of historic buildings along Michigan Avenue that lines Grant Park.

Nobody wanted to see balconies, with bicycles and barbecue grilles, gracelessly stuck onto the walls of these notable structures. Nobody should wish such a fate on the Wrigley Building. And that is to say nothing of the potential issue raised by the blazing spotlights that make the building a beacon at night: There could be pressure to turn them off if they keep condo residents awake.

As one longtime city observer wrote in a letter to me: "Do you remember the dark Wrigley Building during one of the severest energy crises? Very sad."

The city's inconsistency on designating landmarks, as made clear by Daley's comments on the Wrigley Building, is sadder still.

Think tanks: Originally designed to hold water for fire protection and manufacturing needs, water tanks etch a distinctive skyline silhouette in both Chicago's downtown and its neighborhood commercial districts. The city once had thousands of the picturesque rooftop structures and hundreds remain, yet only about 130 of the water tanks are known to be actively used today, according to Tim Samuelson, the city's cultural historian.

Now the Chicago Architectural Club and the City of Chicago are sponsoring a design competition to explore the reuse or preservation of historic water tanks. Santa Monica, Calif., architect Thom Mayne, who was just in Chicago to receive the 2005 Pritzker Architecture Prize, will chair the jury for the contest. The top three plans will receive prize money of $3,500, $1,000 and $500. The deadline for submittal is Oct. 11. For details, see www.chicagoarchitecturalclub.org.

Happy 125th: Throughout its life, the venerable Chicago architectural firm of Holabird & Root has made an enormous impact on the Chicago cityscape. Its sparkling list of credits includes the Marquette Building, the original Soldier Field, the Chicago Board of Trade, the Palmolive Building and the Northwestern University Law School.

The firm has never hewed to a single aesthetic ideology. Instead, it has consistently turned out high-quality designs in styles ranging from Chicago School to Beaux-Arts to Art Deco to postmodern and modern.

This year, Holabird & Root is turning 125, and the public, fittingly, will have a chance to partake in the celebration of the firm that has done so much to shape its surroundings. On July 16, the Chicago Architecture Foundation will open a retrospective exhibition on the firm's work, featuring photographs by Hedrich Blessing. The exhibition will appear in the foundation's John Buck Company Lecture Hall gallery. It runs through Feb. 12, 2006.

LINK:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-0506300344jul01,1,376994.story?coll=chi-entertainment-utl

Chicago - Color coded landmarks

2007-03-19T19:04:00.000-05:00

The Chicago Historic Resources Survey (CHRS), completed in 1995, was a decade-long research effort by the City of Chicago to analyze the historic and architectural importance of all buildings constructed in the city prior to 1940. During 12 years of fieldwork and follow-up research that started in 1983, CHRS surveyors identified 17,371 properties which were considered to have some historic or architectural importance. The CHRS database identifies each property's date of construction, architect, building style and type, Chicago Landmark status (LM), inclusion in the Illinois Historic Structures Survey (ISS), and property identification numbers (PIN). A color-coded ranking system was used to identify historic and architectural significance relative to age, degree of external physical integrity, and level of possible significance.

RED (RD) properties possess some architectural feature or historical association that made them potentially significant in the broader context of the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, or the United States of America. About 300 properties are categorized as "Red" in the CHRS.

ORANGE (OR) properties possess some architectural feature or historical association that made them potentially significant in the context of the surrounding community. About 9,600 properties are categorized as "Orange" in the CHRS.

GREEN (GN), YELLOW-GREEN (YG), and YELLOW (YL) properties are those generally considered either too altered or lacking individual significance to be included in the CHRS database. However, properties with this color ranking that are included in the ISS or located within designated or potential Chicago Landmark districts were included in the CHRS.

BLUE (BL) properties are those constructed after 1940. These properties are considered too recent to be properly evaluated for architectural and historical significance and were generally not included in the CHRS database. However, properties already considered for individual Chicago Landmark designation and properties located within designated Chicago Landmark districts are included in the CHRS.

The on-line version of the CHRS is designed to provide Chicago residents, community groups, businesses and other interested parties with easy access to the database. By making it available on the Internet, the Department of Planning and Development, Landmarks Division, hopes to increase architectural awareness in city neighborhoods, assist independent preservation efforts, and provide greater insight into city history. The CHRS was published in book form in 1996. It is no longer available for sale, but bound copies may be found at Chicago Public Libraries, university libraries, historical societies, and major research institutions in Chicago. (Search the database)

In addition to the information contained in the on-line version, the published report includes community histories, a guide to various architectural styles in Chicago, and more than 1,000 photos and illustrations, as well as cross-indexes by such categories as street names, community areas, architects, building styles, and building types. The published report also contains a complete explanation of the methodology and research information that was used by the CHRS surveyors.

LIST of chicago landmark buildings:
http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/List.html

Movies:

2007-01-02T06:42:00.000-06:00

CELLULOID:

Chicago is deservedly popular location for movie production.
These very popular movies were filmed in CHICAGO.

- I-Robot
- The Blues Brothers
- Risky Business
- Ferris Bueller' s day off
- Groundhog Day
- The Untouchables
- Planes, Trains & Automobiles
- When Harry met sally
- My Best Friend's Wedding
- Meet the Parents
- Sleepless in Seattle
- Home Alone
- Road to Perdition
- Oceans 11
- Negotaior
- Fugitive
- Primal Fear
- Sixteen candles
- Breakfast club
- Backdraft
- Malcolm X
- North by Northwest

- In the Heat of the Night
- The Sting
- Gladiators
- A League of Their Own
- Wayne's World
- Only the Lonely
- The Package
- Uncle Buck
- Eight Men Out
- Adventures in Baby Sitting
-

Architects of Chicago:

2007-01-02T06:36:00.000-06:00

I: William Le Baron Jenney – “father of skyscrapers”
A native of Massachusetts, William Le Baron Jenney (1832-1907) served as an engineer in the Civil War, where he designed fortifications at Corinth, Shiloh, and Vicksburg. He came to Chicago in 1867, forming the firm of Jenney, Schermerhorn and Bogart.
[1] Jenney's firm helped develop Riverside, Illinois, the nation's first planned "railroad suburb."
[2] Jenney also was involved in the planning of Chicago's extensive boulevard system, most notably Douglas, Garfield, and Humboldt parks.

[3] However, Jenney's greatest impact came in his role in the development of the first steel-framed skyscraper, in such designs as the Leiter I Building (1879; demolished), the Home Insurance Building (1884; demolished), and the Leiter II, Ludington, and Manhattan buildings

Jenney's architectural office was a well-known training ground for young architects, including Daniel H. Burnham, William Holabird, Irving K. Pond, Martin Roche, and Louis H. Sullivan

Daniel Burnham – city planner [1893 World Columbia’s Exposition & The Plan of Chicago]
“make no small plans …… “
Raised and educated in Chicago, Daniel Hudson Burnham (1846-1912) gained his early architectural experience with William Le Baron Jenney, the so-called "father of the skyscraper."

[1] Burnham & Root: In 1873, Burnham formed a partnership with John Wellborn Root (1850-1891) that produced such commissions as the Kent House, Masonic Temple (demolished), Monadnock Building, Reliance, Rookery, St. Gabriel's Church, and the Union Stock Yard Gate.
[2] D.H. Burnham & Company: Following Root's death in 1891, the firm became known as D.H. Burnham and Co. Its design output continued to be prodigious, including department stores (Marshall Field's), office buildings (People's Gas and the Railway Exchange, at 122 and 224 S. Michigan, respectively), and public buildings (e.g., park fieldhouses, railroad stations, city halls) all across the country.
[3] Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham & his assistant Edward H. Bennett::However, Burnham gained an even greater reputation for his influence as a city planner. He supervised the laying out and construction of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and, in 1909, Burnham and his assistant Edward H. Bennett (Michigan Avenue Bridge) prepared The Plan for Chicago, which is considered the nation's first example of a comprehensive planning document. Burnham also worked on other city plans, including ones for Cleveland, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Manila in the Phillipines.
[4] Graham Anderson Prost & White: Numerous important architects worked for Burnham's firm, including Peirce Anderson, Charles Atwood (Museum of Science and Industry), Ernest Graham, and Frederick Dinkelberg (35 E. Wacker Building, Heyworth Building). Following his death, the firm continued as Graham, Anderson, Probst and White; its commissions include the Civic Opera Building, Field Building, Field Museum, Merchandise Mart, Union Station, and Wrigley Building. Burnham Park, which is located along Lake Michigan south of the Loop, is named in honor of the famed architect-planner.

Louis Sullivan:
Considered to be one of America's most influential architects, Louis Henry Sullivan (1856- 1924) was born in Boston and initially worked for renowned Philadelphia architect Frank Furness. He came to Chicago in 1873, where he worked briefly for William Le Baron Jenney, the so-called "father of the skyscraper." After a year of study in Paris, Sullivan returned to Chicago and became a draftsman for John Edelman, whose luxuriant organic ornamental designs had a significant influence on Sullivan. In 1879, Sullivan joined the firm of Dankmar Adler (1844 - 1900), one of the city's most outstanding structural engineers.

Adler & Sullivan: Their 15-year architectural partnership produced some of the most important--and influential--structures in the history of American architecture. By boldly rejecting the accepted practice of buildings based on historic design precedents, Adler & Sullivan created original designs that evolved from the functional requirements of each project, as well as the materials and technologies of the time. In doing so, Sullivan created a distinctive style of ornament that embraced natural forms.
Initially, the firm's work was limited to residences and small commercial buildings, such as the Ryerson and Troescher (both demolished), Eliel House, Jewelers' Building, and Kaufmann Store and Flats. However, in the late-1880s and early-1890s, their work grew in scale, with such skyscrapers as the Stock Exchange and Schiller Theater (both demolished), the Auditorium, the Wainwright in St. Louis, Mo., and the Guaranty buildings in Buffalo, N.Y. After the partners split in 1895, Sullivan designed the Carson Pirie Scott department store, the Gage Building, and the Bayard Building in New York. Following the turn of the century, his work largely consisted of small banks, stores, and churches throughout the Midwest, including Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church and, his final design, the Krause Music Store.
• Jewelers' Building
• Auditorium Building
• Carson Pirie Scott
• Gage Group
• Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral and Rectory

[IV] Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Born in Aachen, Germany, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) initially worked as a draftsman specializing in furniture design and rendering. After working with progressive German architect Peter Behrens, Mies opened his own office in 1914. He soon achieved international recognition as one of the leading figures of modern architecture, through such works as the German Pavilion at the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona, Spain, and the Tugendhat House in Brno, Czechoslovakia. He also established a reputation in the field of architectural education, having been affiliated with the famed Bauhaus school of design in Germany. He served as its director from 1930 to 1933, when the political pressures of Nazi Germany forced its closing.
In 1938, the Armour Institute of Technology, a modest technical training school on Chicago's near South Side, engaged Mies to take over its architectural program. He also established his own independent architectural practice, and his first client proved to be the school itself, which had merged in 1940 with Lewis Institute to form the Illinois Institute of Technology. Mies helped develop a comprehensive master plan for the campus and designed nearly 20 individual buildings, which comprise the largest and most important collection of Mies buildings anywhere. He also designed dozens of other internationally significant buildings, including the Seagram Building in New York, the Farnsworth House in Plano, IL, and the Federal Center in Chicago.
Mies ranks as one of the most notable architects of the 20th century. With his highly developed sense of classical proportion, appreciation of modern structure and materials, and keen sense of craftsmanship, he created buildings that provided a new style for the 20th century, one that reshaped architecture following World War II. The street in front of Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, near Mies' former residence, is named in honor of the architect.
1. 860-880 Lake Shore Drive
2. Crown Hall

-----------------------------
Murphy/Jahn:
One South wacker drive
Citicorp center
120 N lasalle Blg

Kohn Pederson Fox:
333 Wacker Drive
900 N Michigan Avenue
311 South Wacker Drive

Notable Buildings:

2007-01-02T05:35:00.000-06:00

Sears Tower
Aon center
Hancock Tower

City Hall
Daley Plaza
JJ Thompson Center
Marqueett
Rookery
Monadonock Blg
Fisher Blg
Gage group
Reliance

NBC Tower
Tribune Tower

Wrigley's Blg
Marina City
Merchandise Mart

333 Wacker Drive
RR Donnelly Blg
Leo Burnett Blg
35 E Wacker Drive - Jeweller's Blg
360 N wacher Drive - [site of Fort Dearborn]

Carbon & Carbide Blg
Mather Tower
Randolph Tower

Prudential - Two
Smurfit
Lake Point Place

Presidentail Towers

Carson Pierie Scott
Marshall Fields

GRANT PARK:
- Millennium Park
- Buckingham Memorial Fountain

Burnham Park
- Adler Planitarium
- Field Museum of Naural History
- John G Shedd Aquarium
- Soldier Field

Magnificient Mile:
- John Hancock Tower
- Water Tower
- Water Tower & Pumping Station
- Tribune Tower
- Wrigley's Blg

River North:
- Marina City
- Merchendise Mart
- Ukrainian Museum

THE LOOP
La Salle Street
- Chicago Board of Trade
- The Rookery
- James R. Thompson center [formerly known as State of Illinois center] Also features Illinois Art gallery

Dearborn Street
- Richard Daley Center
- Monadnock Blg
- Marquette Blg
- Manhatten Blg
- Fisher Blg
- Inland Steel Blg
- First national bank Blg
- Federal Center
- 55 W Monroe Street

Michigan Avenue South of Chicago river:
- Art Institute
- Chicago Cultural center
- Athletic Association Blg
- Auditorium Blg
- Carbon & Carbide Blg
- Fine Arts Blg
- Gage Group
- Hellenic Museum
- Monroe Blg
- people's gas blg [Bennigan's]
- Santa Fe Blg [railway exchange Blg]
- University Club Blg
- 150 N. Michigan Ave,
- 333 N Michigan Aveue
- London Guarantee Blg [360 Michigan Avue] - earlier Fort Dearborn

State Street
- Berghoff
- Carson, Pierie Scott & Company Blg
- Chicago Blg
- Harold Washington Center
- Lieter Blg-II
- Marshall Field & Com
- Reliance Blg

Chicago: Notable Buildings

2007-01-02T05:29:00.000-06:00

THE LOOP:
[1] Grant Park:
It is built on landfill in the 1920, according to Daniel Burnham’s Chicago Plan of 1909.It is the site of city’s annual musical galas like Jazz, Blues and Gospel festivals and also the Taste of Chicago.

[2] The Bowman and Spearman:
Two statues on horseback mark’s the entrance to Grant Park.

[3] Clarence Buckingham Fountain:
In 1927, Kate Buckingham presented this Beaux Arts fountain to the city in honor of her brother Clarence. It symbolizes Lake Michigan. Four bronze sea-horses represent four states that border the lake, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. Designer: Bennett, Parsons and Frost.

[4] Amoco Building: 1974
[200 East Randolph Drive]
Designer: Edward Durell Stone with the Perkins & Wills.

[5] Prudential Building: 1955
[130 E Randolph Streets]
Designer: Naess & Murphy
Gray limestone and aluminum structure.

[6] Two Prudential Plaza: ‘Two-Pru’:
[1990 N Stetson Ave]
Designer: Loebl Schlossman & Hacki
Have various shades of gray granite and tinted glass.

[7] 333 North Michigan Avenue: 1928
First Art Deco skyscraper
Desinger: Holabird & Root, based on Eliel Saarinen’s second prize design for tribune Tower.

[8] 360 N. Michigan Avenue: 1923:
Alfred S. Alschuler’s Neo-Classical skyscraper.

[9] Seventeenth Church of Christ Scientist: 1968.
[55 E. Wacker Drive]
Designed by Harry Weese & Associates. This travertine marble church was curved to fit the site.

[10] 35 E. Wacker Drive: 1926 [jewelers' Blg]
[ N Wabash Avn.]
Designer: Helmut Jahn. 17-storyed building has JB worked into Neo-Baroque ornament throughout, as it was originally a Jewelers Building.

[11] Leo Burnett Building: 1989
[35 W. Wacker Drive at N Dearborn Station]
Designer: Robert A.M.Stern.

[12] 225 W. Wacker Drive: 1989
N Franklin St.
Designer: Kohn Pedersen Fox.

[13] 333 W.Wacker Drive: 1983.
Designer; Kohn Pedersen Fox Sheer green glass bowed to follow and reflect Chicago’s river curve.

[14] Presidential Towers: 1986:
[555-625 W.Madison St. ]
Complex of four 49-story apartment.

[15] Riverside Plaza: 1929:
[400 W. Madison St., at N canal St.]
Designer: Holabird & Root
Built right over train tracks leading into Union Station, the train smoke I vented through the roof.

[16] Civic Opera House: 1920:
[20 N.Wacker Drive, between W Madison and W.Washington Sts]
Architects: Graham Andresen, Probst & White.
Has lavishly decorated Art-Deco auditorium.

[17] Chicago Mercantile Exchange:
[30 S. Wacker Drive, between W Monroe and W. Madison]
This is the most boisterous of city’s many trading exchanges. Futures and options on agricultural commodities [think pork bellies], foreign currencies, interest rates, stock market indices and gold are traded.

[18] 311 S. Wacker Drive: 1990
[Between Van Buren St. and W Jackson Blvd]
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox.

[19] Sears Tower: 1974
Architects: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.
[Bounded by W Jackson Blvd and W Adam St, and S Franklin St and S Wacker Dr]
1,453 feet, 110 floors, Skydeck at 103rd floor.
Innovative structural system consists of nine square tubes that together form a larger square. The tubes rise to different levels. Only two of them continue all the way to the top.

[20] AT&T Corporate Centre: 1989
[227 W. Monroe St. at S. Franklin St]
Architect: Skidmore, Owing and Merrill.

[21] 303 W Madison Street: 1988
[St. Franklin St]
Architect: Skidmore. Owings and Merrill.

[22] One S Wacker Drive: 1982
[ W Madison St]
Architect: Helmut Jahn

[23]James R. Thompson Centre: 1985
[Bounded by W Randolph and W Lake Sts, and N Clark and N LaSalle Sts.]
Architect: Murphy/ Jahn
Office for taxes, renewal of drivers licenses and postal servies.

[24] City Hall- County Building: 1911.
Architect: Holabird and Roche
Massive Neo-Classical structure.
Mayor’s office.

[25] Richard J. Daley Centre: 1965
Designed: C F Murphy Assossiates.
Civil courts and city and county offices .
The site has many civic gatherings both organized and spontaneous.
The plaza is home to the Cor-Ten steel Chicago Picasso, installed in 1967. This 50-foot high Cubist sculpture is an abstraction of women’s head.

[26] Rookery Building: 1888
[209 S LaSalle St, at W Adams St]
Designer: Burnham & Root
It has rusticated masonry base, Romanesque arches and Moorish and Venetian details
The building was restored in 1990 by Mc Clier Corporation and Hasbrouck Peterson Associates.

[27] Chicago Temple: 1923
[77 W Washington St]
Designer: Holabird and Roche.
It’s the first Methodist Church of Chicago.

[28] Chicago Board of Trade:
[141 W Jackson Blvd]
1930: Holabird & Root
1980: Murphy/ Jahn‘s addition.
This Art-Deco monument of commerce is equivalent to New York’s Wall Street.
The board was founded by 82 merchants in 1848 to stabilize grain prices and create a regulated marketplace. The institution’s agrarian focus is represented by:
- a 30-foot statue of Ceres, the Roman Goddess of grain, by sculptor John Storr
- Relief sculptors flanking the huge clock over the entrance: a hooded figure holds a shaft of wheat and an Indian holds a stalk of corn.

[29] Chicago Board Options Exchange: 1985
[400 S LaSalle St , W Van Buren St]
Architect: Skidmore, Owing and Merrill
It’s the country’s largest exchange for trading stock options.

A pedestrian bridge that spans Van Buren Street, links Chicago Board of Trade with Chicago Board Options Exchange. This creates the largest continuous trading floor area in the US.

[30] Midwest Stock Exchange:
Buyers and sellers –through their agents- gather to trade stocks of American and foreign businesses. Organized in 1882, it is the second largest exchange in the US and ranks fifth in the world. It is electronically linked with other major US cities.

SOUTH LOOP / BURNHAM PARK:
South Loop is bordered by Congress parkway [north], Cermak Road [south], Lake Michigan [east] and Chicago River [west].
The south loop boasts of:
- Shedd Aquarium
- Field Museum
- Adler planetarium
- Soldier Field
- Mc Cormick Place
- Dearborn park
- Burnham Harbor and
- Meigs Field

Soldier Field:
It’s the home of Chicago Bears football team.
Originally constructed in 1926 by Holabird & Roche, as a war memorial, the stadium has since been remodeled to accommodate football team.

Field Museum of Natural History:
Endowed by Marshall Field Sr., it was designed by D H Burnham & Co. and Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, to resemble Greek temple- the ultimate architectural form of that time. Harry Weese & Associates planned the 1975 extension.

John G Shedd Aquarium: 1930
The world’s largest indoor aquarium was a gift of John G Shedd, Chairman of the board of Marshall Field & Company. Designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White.

Adler Planetarium: 1930
This pink granite dodecahedron [each of 12 sides representing sign of the zodiac], designed in 1930 by Ernest A. Grunsfeld Jr., was the country’s first planetarium. It was financed by Sears, Roebuck & Company executive, Max Adler.

Meigs Field: 1947
Named after Merrill C. Meigs, publisher of Chicago Herald and the Chicago American, this airport is used by small commuter airlines and private planes.

McCormick Place: 1971
Architect: Gene Summers
It holds some of the largest conventions in the country, like the annual auto and boat shows.

Burnham Harbor:
From early May to late October, anyone is permitted to launch a boat from here.

MAGNIFICIENT MILE:
Glitzy and ritzy, the magnificent mile is a shopper’s dream come true.
The avenues anchored at its southern tip by the Gothic Tribune Tower and the terra-cotta-clad Wrigley Building and at its northern tip by the palatial Drake hotel and the polished-pink-granite complex know as One Magnificent Mile.

Much of this part of town was under water until a hundred years ago, when a seedy character who called himself Captain Streeter ran a boat aground off Chicago Avenue. When he could not free the boat, he began his own land-fill project. Its growth has been linked to adjacent Near North side, which was being settled in the late 19th century by wealthy citizens.
The 1920 opening of Michigan Avenue Bridge connecting the city’s north and south side was a major spurt in growth. But the major development was in late 1960’s and early 1970’s.

Water Tower: 1969
[800 N Michigan Avn., between E Pearson St and E Chicago Avn]
Architect: WW Boington.
Imitation of Gothic Style, it is one of the few buildings that survived the Great Fire of 1871.

Fourth Presbyterian Church: 1914
Architect: Ralph Adams Cram
Gothic revival church, the ceiling murals were designed by Frederic C Bartlett.

John Hancock Center: Big John: 1970
[875 N Michigan Avenue, between E Delaware and E Chestnut St]
Architect: Skidmore, Owing & Merrill
Its dramatic cross-bracing is part of an ingenious framing system that creates a rigid tube-like tower structurally efficient and resistant to wind.
Observatory at 94th floor
Signature Room: 95th floor
Images Lounge: 96th floor

919 N Michigan Avenue: 1930
Architect: Holabird and Root
Skidmore Owing and Merrill restored it to Art Deco elegance.
Also known as Palmolive building and later the Playboy building.
This limestone building is one of city’s most beautiful Art Deco skyscrapers.

Drake Hotel: 1920
Architect: Benjamin Marshall
This hotel has played host to kings, queens and presidents. It has 535 rooms.

One Magnificent Mile: 1983
[940-980 N Michigan Avn., between E Oak and E Walton St]
Architect: Skidmore, Owing and Merrill
It has three hexagonal cubes of polished pink granite – variously 21, 49 and 58 stories high.
Three vertical malls:
- Water Tower Place
- 900 N Michigan Avenue
- Chicago Place

Water Tower Place: 1976
[835 N Michigan Av., between E Chestnut and E Pearson]
Designer: Loebl Schlossman Dart and Hacki with C F Murphy Associates.
This marble clad reinforced building is one of the first and most successful vertical shopping malls in the country.

900 N Michigan Avenue: 1989
Architect: Kohn Pederson Fox and Perkin & Will
It has the Bloomingdale and Four Seasons hotel.

Chicago Place: 1990
[700 N Michigan Av, between E Huron and E Superior]
Architect:
8 story-retail mall: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
272-room apartment tower: Solomon Cordwell Buenz & Associates.

City Place: 1990
[678 N Michigan Avenue at E Huron St]
Architect: Loebl Schlossman & Hacki
Red granite and blue reflective and tinted glass.

Wrigley Building: 1922
[400 N Michigan Avn, near Chicago river]
Architect: Graham, Anderson, Probst & White
The clock tower has been distinctive landmark at the gateway of N Michigan Avn.

Tribune Tower: 1924
[435 N Michigan Avenue]
Tribune Tower competition was in 1922. Winning entry was of Raymond Hood and John Mead Howell [Wood & Howell].

NBC Tower: 1989
454 N Columbus Dr.
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Sheraton Hotel and Towers

Lake Point Tower: 1968
505 N Lake Shore Drive
Architect: Schipporeit Heinrich and Graham, Andreson, Probst & White
It is curving three lobed towers, at the foot of Navy Pier and rises 645 feet.

RIVER NORTH/ RIVER WEST

Chicago Sun-Times building: 1957
[435 N Wabash Avn.]
Designer: Naess & Murphy

IBM building: 1971
[330 N Wabash Avn]
Mies Vander Rohe and C F Murphy Associates

Marina City: 1959
[300 N State St]
Designer: Bertrand Goldberg Associates
It’s Chicago’s first city-within-a-city, with residential, commercial and recreational components. The twin towers have 40 stories of apartments above 20 levels of parking.
The trapezoid-shaped apartments have walls that range from 8-feet long at the core to 21 feet at the balcony.

City of Chicago: Central Office building: 1914
Designer: George C. Nimmons.

Merchandise Mart: 1931 renovated 1986-91
It was built by Marshall Field in 1931 to house wholesale offices and showrooms. This behemoth has a total floor area of four million square feet and is the second largest building in the Unites States, only the Pentagon is bigger.
The building underwent a 1986-91 renovation by Graham Anderson, Prost & White.

Bye Bye 2006!

2006-12-31T08:15:00.000-06:00

This happens to be my 100th post here ...
and I'm writing here after a VERY long gap ... but still it's the year 2006, so last day of the year I'm reviving this site ...
and I'm scribbling while hearing a beautiful song ...
" There's no sunshine when she's gone ..." ...

Actually I'm immersed in some lovely music for sometime now, as I'm browsing through the net ... The day started with some BLUES [Mustang Sally - Eric Clapton version]... then some raw ROCK [Kashmir - Led Zeppelin] ... went to PSYCHEDELIC [Tomorrow never Knows - The Beatles] ... few BALLADS [of John & Yoko] ... to romantic POP numbers - Van Morrison style [Brown eyed Girl, Moondance ...]

While hearing music the idea was to revive my text-blog ... wont be very frequent but just some writing ... so I decided to list ...
The events that shaped the year 2006.

Beginning with ...
- Our solar system, which is redefined as Pluto is demoted from it's erstwhile planet status ...
- Time magazine person of the year award goes to "YOU" ... internet users ...
Time magazine has been announcing "person of the year" since 1927!
- The American hegemony challenged with it's reduced importance in international affairs ... China on it's way to emerging as a superpower ...
- Toyota [Japan] prepares to takeover American GM as the largest car manufacturer ...

hmmm... cant skip POLITICS ... so here it comes ...
I guess the most significant events was that in 2006 was the mid-term election; which resulted in Democrats regaining control of the Congress after 12 years of near domination by the Republican party …
This seismic shift triggered many changes:
- Donald Rumsfeld resigns [yey!!! An arrogant prick has to go]
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-California, is now poised to become the first female speaker of the House. [yey again!!!]

Some other events [shame on us ...]
- Darfur, Sudan – genocide
- Isreal-Hezbollah war
- while the Iraq war worsens with rise in both insurgency & sectarian strife [which some still refrain from calling a civil-war]
- Afghanistan come back in news with Taliban resurgence
- N Korea tests missiles ... and the choice of the day is very intriguing, it's the day America celebrates it's Independence , the 4th of July!
- Iran moves ahaead with it's nuclear plans ... and becomes a dominant power in the Middle East ...

Few important headline past two days:
- Saddam Hussein executed
- Bangkok, Thailand calls-off new year celebrations as it's rocked by a series of bomb blasts ...
- Former President Gerald Ford dies at 93 ...

People love scandals and there were many to whet the appetite:
- Mark Foley's resignation after uncovering of his shameful acts of suggestive emails and sexually explicit instant messages to young Congressional pages ...
- Evangelical pastor Ted Haggard resigns after uncovering of his homosexual relations with a male prostitute ...
- Warren Jeff - the polygamist arrested
- James Frey memoir " A Million Little Peices" gets disgraced ...

Now over to my fav. American institution: HOLLYWOOD ...
Year of make-ups, break-ups and shame and accolades ...
First comes the shameful acts as I would like to end with upbeat events .. These enter the Hall of Shame, 2006:
- Mel Gibson's racial tirade
- Michael Richards racial remarks
- O.J.Simpson's infamous book ... "If I killed them"
- Nicole Richie arrested on DUI charges
- Lindsey Lohan and Britney Spears late-night partying get negative reactions

I think the best part was celibrity activisim ...
George Clooney, Angelina Joley, Brad Pitt ... and scores of others step up to use their star-status to create public awareness ...

Well i'll stop here because some other work needs to be done ... and the song playing right now is ...
".. ssssssssuse me while I kiss the sky" - Jimi Hendrix

Wish Everyone a very happy New Year ...

if you by chance stumble upon this blog ... maybe you'll like to check my photoblog:
"My Photo Journal" ...

What a day!

2006-09-15T09:02:00.000-05:00

YESTERDAY ... what a day it was ...
a day of television ...

saw 5 glorious interviews:
[1] Sean Penn - ON CNN "Larry King Live"
[2] George Clooney - On CNN Andreson Cooper "AC 360"
[3] Anne Heche - On "Late Show with David Letterman"
[4] Jude law and Bob Seger - On "the Tonight Show with Jay Leno"
[5] The Rock - on "Late Night with Conan O Brian"!

What a surprize ...

2006-07-29T19:39:00.000-05:00

Net surfing led to a surprize discovery :

My post: Comics - 2 - Movies
found a place in ...
"Gossip and Young Celebs Search Engine" by Susan Mernit ...

LINK:
# Comics - 2 - Movies

# Comics - 2 - Movies

kristen dunst - Gossip and Young Celebs Search Engine
Gossip and Young Celebs Search Engine swicki : results for kristen dunst - powered by ... http://aninternofsorts.blogspot.com/2006/05/comics-2-movies.html ...
gossip-and-young-celebs-search-engine-swicki.eurekster.com/kristen+dunst/ - 58k - Cached - Similar pages

Just in case I'm pasting the url ...
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=comics-2-movies+gossips+and+young+celebs&spell=1

On a Sunday ...

2006-07-16T21:34:00.000-05:00

BOOOOOOOORrrrrED

Spotlight: Media

2006-07-15T21:23:00.000-05:00

Off late there has been some war-of-words between the media and the government … sparked off by *disclosures* of a few secret government programs by nation’s leading publishers … notably …

• The New York Times – which published stories of covert government program to find terrorists by monitoring financial transactions.
• The Washington Post - which uncovered the CIA detention of purported Al Qaeda operatives in secret prisons in Europe.
• The Times - which revealed the National Security Agency’s effort to track phone calls between Americans and people overseas …

This has ignited a national debate over the issue of civil liberties versus national security.

I think that media is raising the right questions ... Should civil liberties be restricted till the “War on Terrorism” is over??? A related and more important question; whether this war be ever over??? This war, with enemies that have NO national boundaries, NO well-defined organizational-form, or NO government … can go on indefinitely … So the media is just performing its sacred duty of keeping people informed and initiating public debates over some very relevant issues …

However I think, there are a few very important areas where media has seriously failed in getting the public attention …
Domestic:
- The economic cost of wars ...
- The escalating fiscal imbalances ...
- Declining proportion of expenditure over education …
- Dwindling Social Security reserves …
International:
- Problems in Africa, which seems to have little news value …
AND most importantly the issue of ...
- Global Warming …

While I'm at it …
There is one very interesting one hour program [scrutinizing media] on CNN on Sundays ... Reliable Sources – anchored by Howard Kurtz.

Media is one institution that interests me immensely … and … this is not my first post on the issue of media-coverage … I’ve earlier written on …
# My great admiration for war-correspondents …
"What makes some people charge headlong into the most dangerous places on the planet, where chances of getting wounded, kidnapped or killed is higher than the chances of pulling out unscathed.I am talking about “war correspondents” in general …"
... in my post …“The week that was”…

# How few celebrities have smartly used media in a constructive way to generate public interests over some very important issues …
In my post ... "Celebrity Activism”.

Little Kim, Giant Bush and the good ole diplomacy!

2006-07-14T07:26:00.000-05:00

The choice of the date for Kim Jong Il to test-launch missiles – was definitely provocative … The 4th of July … as America was celebrating it’s Independence Day.

Though the Taepo Dong missile failed, but it’s almost certain that Kim would not relinquish his efforts to improve upon it. This intercontinental ballistic missile is a great danger to the US. To add, N Korea has nuclear warheads; which it can use or sell to our enemies.

But, as a reaction to this bold provocation by North Korea; we don’t hear Bush’s old swagger of pre-emptive strike against it. Instead [Surprise! Surprise!] Bush opts for diplomacy, through multilateralism … A “Six Party Talks” … with China, South Korea, Japan, Russia … & of course … N Korea & the USA.

What happened to unilateral pre-emptive strike, or even tongue–lashing, the kind we heard some days back … zero-tolerance, wanted dead or alive, bring it on, you are either with us or with them ???? What happened to Bush's signature cowboy diplomacy?

However, I think that this shift in approach from unilateralism to multilateralism;, is quite a welcome … If US attacks any N Korean site, it might not retaliate by striking back the US, but it may put S. Korea or Japan in the line of fire.

Moreover, Bush policies are not working.
There is diminishing support for war in Iraq as it burns in the flames of civil war. There is growing insurgency in Afghanistan. Meanwhile Iran and North Korea are both pursuing their nuclear ambitions. In fact some say that by attacking Iraq and not N Korea or Iran, [of the 3 countries described by Bush as members of “Axis of Evil” club] Bush has sent a clear message that having nuclear arsenals is a big deterrent. I’m not even touching the huge drain on tax-money …

Also, Bush doctrine of working independently, without seeking international cooperation has diminished American stature in the international arena. It has reduced its ability to deal with other global challenges, like genocide in Sudan, chaos in Congo, and growing conflagration in the Middle East.

So when North Korea test-launches 7 missiles ...
Bush shows a seismic shift in attitude. Rather than opting for unilateral pre-emptive strike … he chooses to take the route of multilateral diplomatic talks.
Finally … a 180 degree turn … and back to the good old diplomacy!

This post draws heavily from this week’s “Time” issue [July 17, 2006] … “The End of Cowboy Diplomacy”.
EXCELLENT ISSUE!

Today

2006-07-13T07:44:00.000-05:00

Today, I wonder …
What will the historians term our age [say since 9/11/2001] ????

After the two World Wars with the in-between phase of the Great Depression [1914-45] … there was a prolonged phase of Cold War [1945-91] and humanity survived the constant threats of nuclear Armageddon. Well the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Berlin Wall and disintigration of erstwhile USSR … and then began a NEW PHASE … the one in which we live-in today ...

And I wonder what the historians’ will term this "New Phase" / Era that exists today … after end of the Cold War phase ... Would it be ...
The Rise of International Terrorism???

- Mumbai blasts once again puts the resilient world on a high alert … the country mourns but in the collective spirit of “moving on” tries to grapple with this horrific events that rocked the city 2 days back. It reminds us of the blasts in London and Madrid … and the infamous 9/11 blasts in the US, that changed our world forever…
- Situations in Iraq turn grimmer with every passing day as perils of civil war escalates …
- Iran boldly pursues its nuclear ambitions …
- N Korea too flexes its nuclear muscles … and test-launches various missiles … and once again brings us to the dangers of nuclear warheads in the hands of a dubious dictator ...
- The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict show no signs of abating.. meanwhile ...
- Israel- Lebanon conflict escalates … as Israel bombs Beirut airport over abduction of 2 soldiers by Hezbollah guerrillas ...
- Afghanistan once again becomes a trouble-zone …
- The lost world of Africa grapples with its own share of problems ... famine, AIDS and warlords ...
- … AND …
- The global warming has made the “Mother Nature” red-hot angry too, as the intensity and frequency of natural calamities become more and more severe …

So where are we heading?
We are still spilling blood over age-old issues of land and religion and the innate human tendency to seeking revenge will ensures that this cycle of action-n-reaction will go on for a long time … The origin of the problems are so deep seated and so entrenched in the psyche of our geo-political existence that beginning afresh on a “new slate” is an idea too naïve and too utopian.

While the human environment has changed dramatically since the time of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, the basic behavior has remains the same … our history has always been one of war … and it things stand today will always be so …

But I don’t want to end on a grim note …
So here’s a few wonderful scientific advancements that caught my attention:

- Hope for paralyzed patients … Scientists have come up with “electronic implants” in the brain that allows patients with severe motor impairments to control objects through thoughts….
- Once-A-Day, One-A-Day pill for AIDS patients … what an advance over “cocktail” therapy of 2 to 3 dozen pills a day …

While we are still trying to define “marriage”, whether it’s a union between two adults or essentially between a man and a woman?

I was just reflecting on the events of TODAY ... basically I dont believe that wars and conflits would ever end, just its nature and the players keep changing ... However the scientific advencement goes on with it ... which on the one hand simplifies our lives BUT and on the other hand makes the wars much more sophisticated and ever more deadlier ...
And Long Live HOPE !!!

The Taste of Chicago!

2006-07-09T20:59:00.000-05:00

Yummmmm ... finger-licking good!

Scenes from "The Taste of Chicago" ...





I had thought that I would miss this food-festival, but on the last day ... I was able to make it to this ... luscious, ethnic and modern, gourmet show ...



It was the 26th annual event …
between: June 30 – July 9, 2006.
Venue: Grant Park, in downtown Chicago …

Everyone was gorging at desserts ...esp. ice-cream & cheesecakes ...
Other popular items: beer & corn [!!!] ...
And Chicago city's favorite signature foods ... "deep dish pizza, Chicago hot dog, Italian beef sandwich, Maxwell Street Polish sausage sandwich, steak, Eli's cheesecake and Billy Goat's Cheezborgers ..."



The place was so chock-a-block full that it seemed that the entire city had gathered for some gastronomic extravaganza ...





What did I treat myself with???
NOTHING!!!!
I just looked at the people and left the place ...

There were also few live musical shows in progress ...

2006 US Grand Prix at Indianapolis

2006-07-05T06:40:00.000-05:00

This week is exceptionally busy with 3 major events …
- Sunday: July 2nd Grand Prix
- Tuesday: July 4 – Independence Day
- The week, July 1- 9 – “The Taste of Chicago” is on ...


[Pix above: race in progress ...]


[Pix above: David Coulhard [Red Bull] beats Nico Roseberg [Williams]]

As obvious, this post is on the Indianapolis Grand Prix …
This year was the second time I attended the event, beginning last year. The only motivation to get the tickets … Michael Schumacher!!! He didnt fail me either time!!!



2006 results:
1. M Schumacher [Germany] – Ferrari
2. F. Massa [Brazil] – Ferrari
3. G. Fisichella [Italy] – Renault
4. J. Trulli [Italy] – Toyota
5. F. Alonso [Spain] – Renault
6. R. Barrichello [Brazil] – Honda

- Grand Prix began in Indianapolis in the year 2000 and Michael was the winner in the year 2000. He won again in 2003, 2004, 2005 and now in 2006.
- Ferrari duo went on to get the team's first 1-2 of the season.
- M. Schumacher made the fastest race lap time ...
- It started with a 22-car race and ended with only 9 … as the race was full of accidents …



First major accident took place in the very first lap … Turn2, when Christian Klien [Red Bull] hit M Webber [Williams] … and this resulted in multiple accident sending 7 drivers out of the race: Christian Klien, Mark Webber, Montoya, Raikkonen, Nick Heidfeld, Scott Speed, and Franck Motagny ….



After a few laps with “safety car” the race began and again an accident as Takuma Sato went smashing into Tiago Monteiro. That was two more cars effectively out of the game.
A few laps later Jacques Villeneuve's engine went boom ...
So half the field was gone with 50 laps still to run … However in the end … since M. Schumacher won … and I got no complaints!

Rankings

2006-07-05T06:39:00.000-05:00

1. Michael Schumacher [Germany] - Scuderia Ferrari


2. Filipe Massa [Brazil] - Sccuderia Ferrari


3. G. Fisichella [Italy] – Renault


4. J. Trulli [Italy] – Toyota


7. David Coulthard [Great Britain] - Red Bull Racing

The crowd

2006-07-05T06:38:00.000-05:00

Watching in the stadium is anytime better than getting glued to the TV set, mostly because of the cheering n jeering crowd ...

Happy Birthday America

2006-07-05T00:31:00.000-05:00

Highlights of the day ...
- Space Shuttle Discovery at the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) …
- North Korea fires 6 test missiles ...
- Italy beat Germany 2-1 in extra time in World Cup semi-finals ...

Must Love Dogs

2006-07-05T00:06:00.000-05:00

Wildflowers

2006-06-29T21:57:00.000-05:00

Seeing the wild .... Jimi Hendrix sang ...
"Wild thing ..
You make my heart sing ... "
But my heart was rather sinking ... when I sat down to write about the wild flowers of Prairie land … once again I got the same old feeling … The more I learn the more I realize how little I know …



This year in my attempt to make a more comprehensive index of various flowers [which I meticulously put in my other Blog “Green Thumb”] … I decided to enlist the native wildflowers as well. It was then that I realized that whatever I knew was not even a scratch on the surface.



Well for a long time I’ve known the names of a few native plants …… Purple Coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, Blanket flower, Coreopsis … but all these are basically ornamental perennials and are found more in the flower-beds of the well-maintained gardens than in the uncared-for open grasslands …



So I began taking snaps of wildflowers growing along roadsides … Then I encountered the real challenge … of getting the correct names … Leave aside the places I roam to take the snaps … I mean to make the wild-flowers series authentic I really go to odd places … And then begins the nerve-raking intensive search to get their names … mostly leaving me with bigger question marks than answers.



For example … take this plant “Milkweed” [left] …
It has beautiful flowers and I wonder why it’s a weed at all? But that’s besides the point … After I took a few snaps of milkweed flowers my elation was cut short when I confronted a whole array of names … Swamp Milkweed, Butterfly Milkweed, Spider Milkweed, Prairie Milkweed …& many more … Now I don’t know which category does this one belong???



Same goes with this daisy like flower [left] … Is it “Daisy Fleabane”??? Does it belong to the Aster family? Now speaking of asters… there are so many types … New England Aster, Sky Blue Aster, Willow Aster, Silky Aster …



And this beautiful blue flower [left] … which looks like Aster and has Dandelion type leaves is actually – CHICORY!!! Though its all along the roads.. its *not* a native wildflower … its from Europe!



Now what is this [right] … Cup-plant, Compass plant, Microseris ???
Is it from Sunflower family or Aster family or Dandelion ?



“Columbines” [left] are listed as prairie wildflowers. However I’ve always seen them planted in flowerbeds and never in the wild. Same goes for Virginia Bluebells [below] …



I really wanted to write a comprehensive article on prairie wildflowers … But since I couldn’t figure out their names I thought about dropping this idea … till it struck me to enlist whatever I could manage …



I also decided to expand the scope to all types of wildflowers … found here … native or alien …
[Right - Morning Glory, Below - Sleepy Catchfly ... and the last pix is roadside prairie grassland ... absolutely authentic, even the road can be seen! There are prairie grasses, BlazingStar and Chicory]



As the Confucius said …
“ A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
So though I have a long way to go … but maybe I’ve taken a few steps …



Flower photos put here ...
1. Purple Coneflower; 2. Queen Anne's Lace, 3. Blanket Flower, 4. Thristle, 5. Golden Alexander, 6. Milkweed, 7. Daisy Fleabane, 8. Chicory, 9.[?] 10. Comlumbine, 11. Virginia Bluebells, 12. Morning Glory, 13. Sleepy Catchfly ...
14. Roadside grassland ... with Prairie grass, Blazing Star and some Chicory ...

*** Ohh well, I'm quite aware Jimi Hendrix didnt sing, "Wild Thing"; for wildflowers ... It was one of my *silly* word plays ....

Reserved: Wildflowers

2006-06-29T21:53:00.000-05:00

This place is reserved for wildflowers ...

Backyard Birds

2006-06-26T00:15:00.000-05:00

[Pix: Brown headed cowbirds in my backyard]

Though I would love to photograph eagles, owls, pelicans ... But I haven’t ... Not as YET! My bird photography is restricted to backyard birds ... Though I've definitely clicked peacocks, flamingos and a few very interesing birds in zoos ... However ...
All the photos posted here have been taken in the wild ...
NOT in zoos or any protected space …



As much as I like seeing colorful birds hopping on trees, it is not easy to take bird snaps …
My experience:
- The smaller the bird the more active they are and hence most difficult to photograph. As common sparrows are everywhere but to get a good snapshot is a challenge.
- The larger the bird, the more steady they are and easier to capture. But then they are rare ….
But I still try to take their photos whenever possible ...



One of my favorite has been … Cardinal ...
It’s a common bird and comes very frequently in my backyard. Its loud whistling sound is a big giveaway of it’s presence around. However they are mostly perched on the top of tall trees making it difficult to focus. But then after many trials I’ve managed to get a few good shots. Cardinal is the State bird of Illinois and 5 other states.



I spotted a colony of Red-Winged Blackbirds in the marshy land. I found them very amusing as they would sit on tall stalks of Pampas grass, and try balancing themselves; frequently changing sides.



The males have jet-black body and bright red shoulder patches edged with yellow on bottom. Female and juvenile are heavily streaked brown overall.



The females are so different from males that I first thought that they were two different types altogether, but thanks to net, I was able to cross-check. The brown striped birds that looked more like sparrow were actually the female Blackbirds.

I also learned that the red-winged blackbird is the most abundant bird in North America.

Other common blackbirds are:
- Common Grackle
- Brown-headed Cowbirds
- Starlings



The Common Grackle is an iridescent blackbird, with a long, keel-shaped tail, pale yellow eyes and a long, sharp black bill, The central feathers of the long, rounded tail are often depressed, so that the tail is displayed in flight with a deeply keeled V-shape. Common Grackles can be distinguished from other similarly sized all-black blackbirds with yellow eyes, They have earned a reputation as a significant pest and they feed in farm fields, pastures, and lawns by walking, rather than hopping!



Brown-headed Cowbirds are relatively have short, conical bills; rather long, pointed wings; and slightly rounded tails. The cowbird is the smallest blackbird. The male is black with a brown head and the female is gray. Both sexes have sparrowlike bills.



The Starling is a dark chunky, muscular bird. It is distinguished from other blackbirds by its short tail and its longer, slender bill, yellow in spring. Starling plumage varies depending on the season. In winter, the bird displays a highly speckled iridescent coat and a dark bill. In summer, the bird's coat dulls and has far fewer speckles. These are relatives of Mynah birds and are native of Europe.





Housefinches are again common birds here. They are red head and throat and the body is grayish brown with stripes. Bill short and thick, with rounded top edge.



The American Goldfinch or wild canary, is another delightful backyard visitor. Its bright yellow plumage looks beautiful. Travels in flocks; undulating flight.



Robin the most common backyard birds so its chirp I’m very familiar with “cheerily, cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up." They have brownish-red under parts with black n gray wings ...

Backyard Birds - II

2006-06-25T23:54:00.001-05:00

One of the most common backyard birds these days are House Sparrows . These perching birds are generally dull colored--brown, gray, white, or pale yellow--with cone-shaped bills. Although omnivorous, they mostly eat seeds and feed on or near the ground. They typically prefer vicinity of human beings. I mostly associate sparrows with songs … and their chirpy note repeated over and over again makes me feel nostalic ...



Another bird I frequently come across is Downy Woodpecker white n black color bird with a small red-patch on its head. Although I’ve spotted woodpecker a couple of times but have been able to photograph them just once. It just keep moving, making it difficult to focus or maybe I never had enough time to stand still to take its pix.





I am not particularly fond of doves or pigeons . Though I come across plenty of them, I never photograph them, with one exception being the “Mourning Dove”. Maybe its pale pink color I like …

Not a clue ....



AND now photo of two birds ... of which I have not a clue ...
[pix 1] I can just say that its not a sparrow, because its beak is more slender and sharper ...



[pix 2] I really want to know this bird ... Its pix is taken from a long distance as a Canada Geese family lived there and I didnt feel like going closer as it makes the mom-dad goose team too alarmed ...

List of Backyard Birds in the two posts ...
[1] Cardinal, [2] Red-winged Blackbird, [3] Common Grackle, [4] Brown-headed Cowbird, [5] Starlings, [6] Common Housefinch, [7] American Goldfinch [8] Robins, [9] Sparrows, [10] Woodpecker & [11] Dove ...
Of these ...
[I] Red-winged Blackbird, Grackle, Cowbird & Starling belong to "Blackbirds" category ... and ...
[II] Common Housefinch and American Goldfinch ... belong to the "Finches" category ...

All that Jazz

2006-06-24T21:52:00.000-05:00

Long back Frank Sinatra sang …
“My kind of town, chicago is
My kind of razzmatazz, And it has, all that jazz ……”

And I was once again I was in the Millennium Park … this time to see … all that jazz … It was the debut of “Chicago PanAmerican Orquesta” with the program titled … Made in Chicago, World Class Jazz …


[Pix left: Jon Faddis]

The show was in the evening 6.30 – 8.30 pm …
But Flash photography was *NOT* allowed, so the photos are not very clear … But since I want to record the event in my Blog, so I’m putting whatever I could manage …

[NOTE: In most festivals … video-recording, taping and flash photography are not allowed.]

The show was awesome !!!
Hard to believe it was *improvised* on the stage … There were Afro-Caribbean rhythms, Argentinean & Brazilian melody and Cuban classical composition.



[Pix Left: Howard Levy]

The best were:
• Reedist-composer - Paquito D’Rivera
• Trumpeter – Jon Faddis - guest soloist
• Harmonica virtuoso - Howard Levy
• Guitar master - Fareed Haque

Paquiio D’Rivera … has defected to the United States from Cuba. He has won multiple Grammy’s and also received “ National medal of Arts” from President George W. Bush. He has authored a new book .. My Sax Life !!!


[ Pix top: Fareed Haque]

Some trivia about jazz ...
- Jazz was born in the United States … and New Orleans is said to be the birthplace of Jazz
- It evolved from Blues ...
- *Improvisation* is the most defining feature of jazz ...
- Louis Armstrong [ born in New Orleans] is considered as one of the most influential artists in the history of jazz. Armstrong perfected the *improvised jazz solo* as we know it. Before Armstrong, Dixieland was the style of jazz that everyone was playing. This was a style that featured collective improvisation where everyone soloed at once. Armstrong developed the idea of musicians playing during breaks that expanded into musicians playing individual solos
- Swing is the basic rhythm of jazz …
- In the early 1940s, jazz musicians were looking for new directions to explore. A new style of jazz was born, called Bebop , had fast tempos, intricate melodies, and complex harmonies. Bebop was considered jazz for intellectuals. No longer were there huge big bands, but smaller groups that did not play for dancing audiences but for listening audiences.
Ref: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/articles/ftio1102.htm



The concluding concert on Monday, August 28 …
which will kick off the Jazz week, culminating into Chicago jazz festival scheduled from August 31 through September 3, 2006.

Chicago's open front yard

2006-06-21T10:46:00.000-05:00

The Chicago festival season is on ...
I’ve attended the Blues Festival, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Show and am waiting for the Taste of Chicago … However today I’m talking about the common element between all these … their venue ... the GRANT PARK ... proudly referred to as Chicago's "front yard"!

Being an outsider to this place ... I often used to wonder ... how this huge slot of land ... about 320 acre area... right in the heart of the city ... remained "an open and vacant space" ... as the city embarked upon its path to structural development???

CAVEAT: This is a very Chicago specific article ...

Most cities grow in concentric circles from inner cities into suburbs. If Fort Dearborn [now 360 N Michigan Avenue] is recognized as the centre from which the city grew outward, then the nearby Grant Park area should have been an arena of huge multi-storied architectural splendor … But it’s an OPEN land free of multiplexes and filled with lawns, trees, fountains, statues, bridges and museums.



My curiosity propelled me to dig into the story behind it … and I came across some interesting facts …
The Grant Park area is actually a landfill made from the debris of the Great Fire of 1871. Following the colossal destruction due to the fire, when massive reconstruction projects were undertaken in the city; then there definitely were plans of making large buildings in the Grant Park area. But then there were objections. A Chicago visionary and mail-order magnet Aaron Montgomery Ward, wanted the place to remain open space… [*as was decided in 1836]. He brought the construction plan to the court in 1890. After about 20 years of battle, he won the case as in 1911 the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the Grant Park would remain "forever open, clear and free."



But the history of Grant Park goes further back to 1835, that is even before the “City of Chicago” was incorporated [in 1837]. The foresighted citizens, sought to protect the open space along the lakefront from commercial development. As a result, the 1836 Act of the Illinois Legislature, designated the Park area as a "public ground forever to remain vacant of buildings”. Now that explains how the huge slot of land of the Grant Park area remains an open space.



But the Park does have railway lines running through it.
The Park is along the shores of Lake Michigan, and as such there were problems of erosion. This problem was solved when the city officials allowed the Illinois Central Railroad [established 1851] to build trestles on rocks in the lake bed, and, in return, the railroad created a breakwater to protect the downtown shores.

However a series of railway lines did not give a very good view of the city. This problem was solved in 1998, with a very significant decision taken by city officials under Mayor Richard M. Daley. As a campaign to make Chicago’s motto, Urbs in Horto(City in a Garden), a reality, the city obtained the air rights above the rail yards. The plans were to make roof over the tracks with a parking garage and develop a park atop the roof slab. With a multi-million dollar facelift the old rail bed was transformed into a 24.5 acre Millennium Park .



I think, one of the best things to happen to the city of Chicago was the decision to let the Grant Park area an open, clear and free space. It gives a sense spaciousness, provides an unobstructed view of the beautiful buildings lining the Michigan Avenue and is the ready venue of most of the Chicago festivals.

The highlights of the Grant Park are:
- Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain
- The Millennium Park
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- Museum campus, with three world-class museums [the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Shedd Aquarium, The Adler Planetarium]

Touching the senses

2006-06-17T22:04:00.000-05:00

Everyear in the summertime ... the highbrow orchestra, the baroque sopranos and the graceful ballerinas who perform at the most premier venues around the world ... perform for the general public of Chicago & its tourists ... in open theaters ... free of cost!



He is the maestro Carlos Kalmar ...
... conducting the Grant Park Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony, with the Joffrey Ballet, in the Pritzker Pavilion at the Millennium Park. Carlos Kalmar
is the Music Director of the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago ...


[Pix: Chicago's Joffrey Ballet]



So summer time in Millennium Park not only flowers, but music blooms too ... as the Park Music Festival is now open ... The 2006 season runs from June 14 – August 19 ... most performances take place at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park ...

The Jay Pritzker Pavilion is described as …
"Most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States"...
- Chicago's Mayor Richard M. Daley



It has a capacity audience exceeding 12,000 people … and boasts of the first outdoor LARES system permanently installed in the US. LARES is an acronym for an acoustical enhancement …“Lexicon Acoustic Reinforcement and Enhancement System”. It generates the reflected and reverberant energy that enables all the audience members throughout the Pavilion to experience that same sound. The crisscross seen over the Pavilion is the trellis for the primary purpose of suspending loudspeakers. The trellis enables these devices to be precisely placed and carefully oriented with no visual obstructions. In addition, it creates a visual canopy that unifies the fixed seating area with the lawn …



The pavilion is designed by Frank Gehry … a modern architectural icon … best known for building structures that are curvaceous and often covered with reflective metal ... The music pavilion is named after Jay Pritzker whose family foundation was one of the park's largest benefactors.

What could be a better way of enjoying a world class mastero practicing with his team ... in one of the best open theaters in the world ... while lying down on lush green lawn ... and enjoying a snack ... without having to shell out a buck?!!!

Lurie Garden

2006-06-16T18:42:00.000-05:00

This is the perrenial bloom in the “Lurie Garden” at the Millennium Park ...


[Pix 2: Coneflower]

When it comes to flowers and gardens, I'm sure everyone would just see the photos ... there are more photos in my Blog "Green Thumb" ...
Text is for my own record ... and if it interests anyone ... ENJOY!

I think one of the best additions to the city of Chicago has been is the Millennium Park ... It offers something for everyone ... there's garden, fountain, theater, ice-rink and a lots of assorted amusements ... But today I’m talking about just the Lurie Garden ...
It’s breathtaking!!!


[Pix 3 : Rattlesnake Master]

A person can easily forget that he is in the heart of a very busy steel-n-glass city ... The garden takes a person back in time of pre-settlement Midwest landscape with many plant species that are native to this area … a flat and marshy Prairie land. There are many non-native species as well … but beautifully blend in the landscape…


[Pix 4: Burnet]

Some of the native species that I found I found in the garden are ...
Rattlesnake Master [Pix 3]
Burnet [Pix 4 - left]
Wild White Indigo [Pix 9]
Calico Aster [Pix 6]
Swamp Milkweed, Purple Coneflower, Globe, Golden Alexander ...


[Pix 5: Knautia Macedonia]

Some non-native species are …
Nautia Macedonia – Central Europe [Pix 5]
Cranesbill – Wild Geranium - Eurasia [Pix 8]
Clustered Bellflower – Eurasia [Pix 10]
Giant Hyssop - Asia [Pix 7]
Sage – found worldwide [Pix 1]

These are a drop in more than 130 species of perennial plants in the garden …


[Pix 6: Calico Aster]

I was lucky to meet a gardener there who explained the Light and Dark theme of the garden. The garden is divided in two parts by a ripple of shallow water that runs through diagonally and is hardwood footbridge over it. … [interestingly the waterway follows the former boundary of the Illinois Central Railroad]. To the East side is the Dark Plate , where there are trees like Redbud, Cherry and `Chicago Blues' black locust provide a shade over the underlying hosta, campanula, epimedium, geraniums, peonies and other perennials. It is intended to refer to the wild marshy woodland landscape before settlers arrived. To the West side is the sunny Light Plate intended to create wide-open space representing the present and future.


[Pix 7: Giant Hyssop]

The garden is designed by Gustafson Guthrie Nichols Ltd. …
“The Lurie Garden is a design inspired by Chicago's distinct natural and cultural history."
- Kathryn Gustafson, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd.
The Plant designer is Piet Oudolf, renowned worldwide for his garden designs… and another name associated with the garden is of Robert Israel which I don’t understand since he creates designs for Opera Companies.


[Pix 8: Cranesbill / Wild Geranium]

Another highlight of the garden is the dramatic, 15-foot-high "shoulder hedge". It is physical representation of Carl Sandburg's famous description of Chicago as the "City of Big Shoulders" . The hedges on the two sides and protects the delicate perennial garden inbetween.


[Pix 9: Wild White Indigo]

"Hog Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders ... "
- Carl Sandburg “Chicago”.
Mayor Richard M. Daley has been a proponent of the urban greening movement since the early 1990s, pushing a beautification plan for the city involving trees, massive flower containers and wrought-iron lampposts and fences.


[Pix 10: Clustered Bellflower]

The Laurie Garden - spread over a 3-acre area – is a beautiful homage to the City's motto, "Urbs in Horto" (City in a Garden)..

The Chicago Bluesfest

2006-06-12T17:42:00.000-05:00

This Sunday I attended the Chicago Blues festival …
It was brilliant!!!
The fest was a tribute to the music of the Gulf Coast.

I was able to catch up …
- Lee Boys [Pix 2]
- Lil’ Ray [Pix 6]
- Earl Thomas [Pix 1 & 4]
- James “Super Chicken” Khan [ Pix 3]
- Louisiana Red [Pix 5]
- Chicago Global Muse [Previous post last pix]



The first I heard was Lee Boys at the U.S. Cellular Front Porch.
The Lee Boys are one of Florida's finest African-American Sacred Steel Artists. Interestingly all the musicians looked alike and I later learned the reason ... all the six members of this group are brothers and nephews. So well it was a family band. The music was very dynamic and their powerful electric guitar soon struck cord with the people who sprung up dancing. I was right in the front row, so I did manage to get some close-ups. After enjoying a few songs, I moved out to catch up other acts …



Next I saw was James “Super Chicken” Khan from Mississippi. I was wondering about his strange nickname? I searched and found out the story behind his nick “Super Chicken”.… "As a small child he was fascinated by the chickens that his parents kept in the yard and would try to figure out thier language. Friends and relatives began calling him "Chikan Boy"... and the name stuck with him". The music was good ... But I came across the best singer on my next stop ...



Earl Thomas … a Tennessee-born, Northern California-based blues singer ... was easily my favourite! I heard some of his best songs …
- I’m broken hearted
- Rather go blind
- I wont be around
- First & Last Thing On My Mind
He was just too good. It comes as no surprise that his songs have been recorded by Etta James, Solomon Burke and Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green.



Then I wandered further to catch up Louisiana Red but the place was too crowded. I came back to the US Cellular porch to hear Lil’ Ray …
After hearing a few songs and it was time for me to leave …
Overall a very fine day …

* Chicago Blues Festival is the largest Blues Festival in the world.
** This year was the 23rd edition of the phenomenon which started in 1983, after the death of King of Chicago Blues … Muddy Waters.
*** The admission is FREE!!!

Chicago and the Chicago Blues

2006-06-12T17:37:00.000-05:00

Although the photos are from the Bluesfest, the text is more on the growth of Chicago as a Blues center ...

Early form of Blues evolved in the southern US as the African American working class songs. It took the form of loose narrative, often with a singer reciting his or her personal misfortunes associated with slavery, deprivation and hard times …

Chicago Blues … is a result of many developments that took place in the 1920’s.
The African Americans in the southern states were facing many problems like failing crops and increased discrimination against them. On the other hand Chicago was growing as an industrial center which was creating fresh job opportunities in the steel and meat-packing industries and there was also increased demand for labor during the WW-I. This situation lead to a mass migration of African American from Mississippi to Chicago … called “The Great Migration”.



This Great Migration of people was accompanied by a musical migration as well and Delta blues music travelled from Mississippi to Chicago and established its roots in the Chicago city. Whereas the Mississippi Delta Style consisted of one or two musicians playing acoustic instruments, Chicago Blues is famous for their raw electric blues bands. The distinctive Chicago style Blues emerged in the 1940’s with the introduction of electric guitars.



By the 1950’s, Chicago became the center for Blues. Although it was deeply influenced by the Mississippi blues style, because most artists of this period were migrants from the Mississippi region: Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and Jimmy Reed were born in Mississippi … but with the use of electric guitar a distinctive style was emerging. And alhough Chicago Blues is associated with electric guitars; some artists have also used saxophones [Elmore James or J. B. Lenoir,] … or harp [ Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller)]. Most famous acts of Chicago blues are .. Muddy Waters, BB King, Freddy King, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy … Blues of the 50’s greatly influenced Rock n Roll emerging in the mid 1950’s and musicians like Chuck berry and Bo Diddley were directly influenced by Chicago Blues …

Now the name of Chicago has become synonymous with Blues …
Every year the city hosts The Biggest Blues Fest in the world!
The best ... admission free!



Pix 1 - Lil' Ray; Pix 2 - James “Super Chicken” Khan
Pix 3 - Street musician; Pix 4 - Chicago Global Muse

A shift in focus ...

2006-06-07T12:16:00.000-05:00

For the past few days I’ve been concentrating on “My other blogs” …
My Photo Journal - I update almost everyday
Green Thumb – again this one is updated almost everyday ... with about 135 entries in the month of May ..
Chicago: As I see it – where I've put many new photos … including photos of three of Chicago neighborhoods ... Greek Town, Ukrainian Village & Old Town [famous for German immigrants] ... though I still have to add text to a lot of photos ...

I also want to write more on movies and music …
So this Blog [Placebo Effect] which used to be my priority will take a backseat for some days …

Words that portray imageries and photos that contrive thoughts …

2006-06-07T11:51:00.000-05:00

I have always naturally gravitated towards articulate and argumentative writings …
As George Carlin says … I love words ...
" I love [words] … as I say, they're my work, they're my play, they're my passion. Words are all we have really. We have thoughts, but thoughts are fluid And, then we assign a word to a thought ... " …
And have great admiration for people who express themselves beautifully ....
Two blogs that I enjoy reading ...
- “Inkspill” from London, UK ...
- “Zofo, the hermit" from Gurgaon, India ...

There are *words* and then there are *photos*…
As is said a picture says a thousand words …
I visit some photo-blogs and they are like windows to the outside world ....
[1] "Max" from Trieste, Italy ...
[2] "Hpy" from Pays de Caux, France ...
[3] "Pippi" from Tokyo, Japan ...
[4] "Maria" from California, USA ..
[5] "Vikas" from Ithaca, New York, USA...
[6] "Devyn" from Chicago, Illinois, USA ...

And I’m completely at home in the familiar “Same Old Same Old” settings of …
- Handful of Hell ...
- Prashanth ...
- Ramani ...
Two who I came to know a bit late ...
- Sudip ...
- alraqs ...
Here I’ll mention one blog which exudes youthful exuberance ...
Perspective of "Rohit" from Delhi, India...
I miss ... Hemant and jay-san!!!

Comics - 2 - Movies!

2006-05-30T08:59:00.000-05:00

The best thing I like about Hollywood is the range of movies it offers … comedy, romance, tragedy, thriller, mystery, horror, noir, inspirational, war, sports, sci-fi ... And today I’m writing on COMIC–BOOKS that make it as Hollywood blockbusters!!!

Yesterday I saw “X-MEN: The Last Stand” – a greatly entertaining movie!!!
It almost created a record, grossing about $45 million on the opening day on Friday; to become the second largest opening ever ; just behind “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith”!!! Another much-awaited release due this summer is “Superman Returns” ...

... which made me think … what makes the comic-book movies tick?

Before I proceed further, here’s a list of comic-book based movies …
Spiderman, Superman, Catwoman, The Hulk, Men-In-Black, Sin City, V-for Vendetta, Fantastic Fours, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Mask and then of course X-Men series … [There should be more ...]

Now coming back to the popularity of comic-book movies …

# Is it the special effects? The advancement in Computer Generated Imaging [CGI] makes it impossible to distinguish between an actor-in-costume and a computer-generated-image; adding life to make-belief characters and their next-to-impossible stunts.

# Or is it the thrills? As most comic-based adaptations are high-action dramas where there’s always a race against time to protect some innocent victim against a calculating cold blooded villain; keeping the audience over the edge of their seats. I remember the scene when the spiderman heroically leaped into a burning building to rescue a child and the audience heaved a collective sigh of relief!

# Another important factor making these as popular summer blockbusters are their family-oriented storylines. So during the summer vacations moms-n-dads can have some quality fun-time with their kids and enjoy popcorn-&-soda watching movies which at the same time imparts some moral lessons … like victory of “good over evil” without sounding preachy about it!

# Or is it the nostalgia … of seeing the favorite school-time comic-books caricatures, now in flesh–n- blood or watching stories they had once enjoyed with their parents.

# Though all of the above factors contribute to the popularity of comic-book movies; but none of these will work unless there is an emotional connection with the audience ... Emotional connection is the most important element, I think! The comic-book characters are fictitious but have real feelings of joy, pain, triumph, failure & tragedy.. These characters may have super abilities but they grapple with the same age-old moral dilemmas that normal people face … sometimes getting stuck between the devil and the deep sea where they got to choose the lesser of the two evils. Now these are the situations with which we connect immediately.

The X-men are mutants [which is entirely plausible]. They have to defend themselves against their own types of “terrorist” mutants [how contemporary!!! ] and also from humans who want to “cure” them. Batman watched his parents gunned down and now takes upon himself to protect the innocents from crime committed against them. Men in Black [MiB] are representatives of a secret agency which monitors the aliens on our planet and instead of threatening or intimidating people use “neutralizers” to wipe off memories of chance encounter with aliens. Very interesting and makes me wonder if that ever happened to me? In fact there is a large section[or say small-section] of American population who not only believe in aliens but claim to have alien abduction experience. My all-time favorite comic-book movie is “Spiderman”. I loved both One and Two!! A lab-accident results in supernatural powers making a guy-next-door Tobey Maguire into a super strength Spiderman!

# Then of course the comic-book characters have the most fascinating heroes and even more interesting villains. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones shine as “Men in Black” , Christopher Reeves is the ultimate “Superman” and Jim Carrey is a loser bank clerk until he accidentally gets “The Mask” ! Not to forget those gorgeous female lead characters … Jessica Alba & Brittany Murphy in the “Sin City”, Cameron Diaz in “The Mask”, Kristen Dunst in “Spiderman”, Alicia Silverstone in “Batman & Robin”, Jennifer Connelly in “The Hulk” and Halle Berry as the Catwoman!

# But much more complex than the protagonists the characters of the villains ... Mostly they have good enough reasons to be whatever they are … Like mutant “Magneto” [Sir Ian McKellen] in X-men is a victim of Holocaust who wants to destroy Homo Sapiens before they destroy the mutants. One of my all-time favorite bad-man is “Doctor Octopus” in “Spiderman –II”. He as in fact a good man, a mentor; before getting transformed into a complicated DocOck! One of the most nauseating was “the Yellow Bastard” [what an apt name!!!] in “Sin City”, a pedophile who is the son of a powerful senator!

# To add to all this, comic-based movies are fantasies providing an escape from too much of reality around us. It fires our imagination and people love it!

Any or all these factors contribute to making comic-books as one of the most popular genre of Hollywood movies. Now I wanted to make a short analysis on what makes comic-book movies so popular, but the post has become too long … AND I got so much more on my mind to write. But I think it’s best to stop here … with a question...

Do you like comic-book movies? If yes, which is your favorite one ....

* My all time favorite : Spiderman [both I & II]
Though I've liked many others ... X-men, Men in Black, Sin City, V for Vendetta, The Hulk, Fantastic Four, The Mask ...

Lemme end with a song that's been on my mind ... as I was writing this ..
" Spider-man, Spider-man ... Friendly neighborhood Spider-man
Wealth and fame, he's ignored .. Action is his reward ... Spider-man Spider-man ... "

A flash of thought

2006-05-29T16:57:00.000-05:00

This is not a regular post, it's just for the record …

May 29th 2006 ...
About 20 days ago, ie on May 10th I had a flash of thought to *organize* the photos of the flowers I had been taking … and to put them separately in the "Green Thumb" Blog rather than putting along with other photos in "My Photo Journal" ... That time I had never imagined that in less than 20 days, there will be more than 100 entries in the “Green Thumb”!
To be exact .. 20 days ... 105 entries ... of about 230 photos!!!
Definitely not a cakewalk but worth every effort and I enjoyed it!
Thanks to all those who stopped by and took out time to drop a comment ... it was an encouragement!

[pix: Clematis]

List of flowers in the Green Thumb Blog .....
• Annuals: Cosmos, Geraniums, Pansy, Viola, Fuschia, Gerbera, Impatiens, Petunia, Calibrachoa, Periwinkle, Verbena, Marigold, Ivy ...

• Perennials: Clematis, Daisy, Peony, Lilac, lavender, Weigela, Hydrangea, Hibiscus, Bleeding Hearts, Phlox, Salvia / Sage, Dianthus, Columbines, Trillium, Mandevilla, Siberian squills, Virginia Bluebells ...

• Bulbs: Iris, Lilies, Dahlia, Tulips, Daffodils, Hyacinths/Muscari, Crocus ...

• Lilies: Daylily, Peace lily, Lily-of-the-valley, Lily-of-the-Nile ...

• Hedges / shrubs / bushes : Hydrangea, Hibiscus, Peony, Weigela, Lilac, Rhododendrons/Azaleas, Crabapple, Rosebud tree, Cherry Blossoms, Forsythia, Magnolia, Dogwood tree ...

• Trees: Heliconia, Sassafras, Maple, Willow, Mimosa ...
• Evergreens: Pine, Fir, Spruce ...

• Succulents ...
• Orchids ...

Special: Red-hot cat's tail!!! Side-saddle (carnivores)!!!
Heliconia (tropical plant with interesting flower names ... crab-claws & lobster-claws)

There are some overlappings ...
* As Hydrangea belongs to two: categories: Perennials & Shrubs.
In fact all the bushes/shrubs are in fact perennials, though not all perennials are shrubs … like Phlox and Dianthus are small ground hugging flowers and Clematis are climbers …
** All lilies belong to the bulbs category … but, I’ve listed them separately ...
*** Similarly though I’ve listed evergreens separately they belong to the trees category ... and some hedges like Doogwood tree belongs to the tree category!

The week that was ....

2006-05-22T17:50:00.000-05:00

The week that was ...
This post is a record of my *reflections* on one personal and one impersonal events that took place last week … No earth-shattering quakes! No mind-blowing dramas! No life-altering inspirations! No gritty determination ... BUT ... not totally irreverent either!

- Nic Robertson - a "war correspondent" - survived angry rebels in Sudan
- *I - a nobody - attended a birthday party

*** Self-evaluation: The post is extremely disjoint. But I dont have the energy to make it more cohesive. The post is more like an entry of my thoughts in a diary. But as against a personal diary, this web-page open to readers reactions ...

[1] The adrenaline rush …
“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms: it means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die. "
- Gilbert K. Chesterton

Nic Robertson - CNN’s senior international correspondent - was in Sudan; which now-a-days is said to be the most dangerous place on earth, with genocide taking place. While he was there riots broke out and the car in which they were sitiing was attacked ...
In his words ...
"I don't know exactly what happened back there but suddenly the crowd got very angry with the man sitting next to me in this car now. They came after the car, they came after him with knives and they were beating the car with sticks, they were throwing rocks. The only thing we were able to do was drive out.”

This made me think ... What is a story worth? What makes some people charge headlong into the most dangerous places on the planet, where chances of getting wounded, kidnapped or killed is higher than the chances of pulling out unscathed.I am talking about “war correspondents” in general … Apart from Nic Robertson two other dare-devils I greatly admire are Kevin Sites and Christian Amanpour.

With technological advancements we now have the privilege of “real time” reporting with news channels indulging in round-the-clock coverage. Sometimes “breaking news” reach general public sooner than it reaches the concerned officials. But here I’m talking about the *journalists* who make this possible by reporting “live” from the hub of chaos, confusion and violence. I am so totally in awe with their nerve!!! What guts! What bravery! Words can’t encapsulate their courage. I don’t know what motivates them, what gives them the adrenaline rush? To report from the core of cataclysmic events … with exploding ammunitions, burning tanks, bodies of wounded and dead people around … and to be constantly aware of the fact their own lives are on tenterhooks and can snap any moment … BUT still ... to be reporting – is an action extraordinaire!! BRAVO!!! I remember seeing the live coverage of Persian Gulf War, NATO’s Kosovo bombing, Afghanistan strikes and now bombing in Iraq.
Hats off to “war correspondents”!!!

[2] Passion and/or Addiction …
“ If we could live without passion, maybe we’d know some kind of peace … but we would be hollow … Empty room shuttered and dank. Without passion we’d be truly dead.”
- Joss Whedon

But what happens when a passion becomes an addiction? I realized that my passion for photography has become my addiction ... when I was at a birthday party this Saturday! I did not take my camera and I was constantly experiencing *withdrawal symptoms* … severe anxiety combined with graphic hallucination. In my mind I was creating images of the photos I could have taken had my camera been with me ... funky balloons, colorful gift-wraps and a few “gotcha”–type candid moments.

I don’t know if this passion /addiction good or bad ???!!

When I’m on this topic…
# My “Green Thumb” blog is being updated almost everyday.
# I’ve just started a “Simple joys of summer” series in “My Photo Journal” ...
Simple joys of summer - walking barefoot on the floor!
Chicago is still cold enough for jackets!

360 N Michigan Avenue: Chicago's first military post stood here

2006-05-22T17:42:00.000-05:00

Last week, I posted another article on the website: “City spaces, city places”
Excerpts:

The Municipal Flag of Chicago has four red stars on the center white stripe. The first red star represents Fort Dearborn. The building at 360 N Michigan Ave stands exactly on the spot where the historical Fort Dearborn once stood [1803-56]. It is the place from which the growth of city of Chicago began. It was the first government building to be built in Chicago – a U.S. Military Garrison – named after US Secretary of War, Henry Dearborn. Its purpose was to protect the settlers against attacks by Native Americans. It ushered in an era of peaceful trade in the area. It was destroyed in war with Great Britain [1812] and then rebuilt in 1816. However after the U.S. troops abandoned the Fort in 1837, it was torn down in 1858, and whatever remained was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1871.

The present building was built was for a British Insurance firm, London Guarantee and Accident Company.
Year built: 1922-23
Architect: Alfred S. Alschuler
Designated a Chicago landmark: 1996

This 22-story limestone structure is built in the Beaux Arts, or Classical Revival style, which flourished in Chicago from the 1890s to the 1920s. The main features of this building are:
1.It has a trapezoidal ground plan.
2.The central entrance is flanked by four elegantly carved Corinthian columns.
3.The first story is rusticated, which gives the facade a very grand look.
4.The wall surface has intricate carvings and sculptural ornamentation.
5.The center of the building has repeated window patterns.
6.The top three stories have rows of classical columns.
7.The top of the building has Greco-Roman "tempietto" – a domed rotunda supported by vertical columns.

Read full text:
360 N Michigan Avenue, Chicago's first military post stood here ...

The website is City Spaces, city places ...

Monday Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way

2006-05-15T16:15:00.000-05:00

Not all days are equal!!!
Commodores sang … “Easy Like Sunday Morning” …
And Boomtown Rats grumbled … “Tell me why? I don’t like Mondays” …
And for me these two songs sum up my general feelings towards these two days rather well.



So today is Monday and the week has indeed begun in a very unusual manner …
Early morning, the sky was overcast with dark gray clouds; but since it was not raining, I decided to venture out. For some inexplicable reason, I decided to take a different route. Instead of turning right from my home, I took a left-turn. As I was walking, I noticed something that I cant call normal. Though its routine to see 1-2 choppers hovering over the neighborhood, today I saw about 4-5 of them encircling the area ... Since the crime-rate in my area is next to nil, I thought maybe some movie-shooting is in progress.

Well within 10 minutes time I reached the huge departmental stores, Menards. It opens very early, ie at 6.30 am. I saw a man standing outside and we wished each other Good Morning, and started talking about the presence of unusually large number of copters in the area. Well he was as curious as me and came up with two possible explanations: [1] Engine Failure, OR [2] Accident.



AND as we were talking, something truly outstanding happened. One chopper landed in the Menards parking space, as we were staring at it! It looked almost surreal. We were stunned! Despite being extremely inquisitive I was a bit wary about heading towards the craft. As my faithful friend, my camera was very much with me, I took a few long distance shots. Since the craft looked okay; it was obvious that nothing untoward had happened; so I decided to move on. However my eyes were fixed on it. I was moving towards the next store which is the 24-hour McDonalds outlet, I noticed two men walk out of the craft.

One of them looked at me and said in a very lively voice …
*HIM: Go ahead, you can take photographs …
ME: Really? Is it alright? I don’t want anyone to snatch my camera or be rude to me.
HIM: Ohh no! Don’t worry. Come along, I’ll take you.



I was more than happy. So I walked along with him. He not only asked me to feel free to take photographs, but was courteous enough to open the door and show me the craft from inside. As the conversation progressed I learned that they were going for some TV program but experienced an engine failure. So they had to make an emergency landing. Since the Menards parking lot is huge and was empty; so they deiced to crash-land there. The Hoffman Estates police was quick to come to the site immediately. As we were talking; the technician also arrived. After taking a few photos I moved away from the site.

Actually two things had happened:
- The chopper that had landed had engine failure
- There also was an accident on I-90 and some police choppers were there for help.



That explains 4-5 crafts in the area. At least the one I came across, nobody had any injuries. I met two extremely polite, cheerful and friendly pilots. So I don’t think if I could call it a bad beginning of the week … rather a very unusual one. One of those days that I will remember for sometime …

Another thought; that had I taken my usual route, I wouldn’t even have been aware of any of these. I donno why I changed my route today? I just know that I did! Now I only hope and wish that the rest of the week is full unexpected turns [literally as well as figuratively] and delightful anecdotes …

Monday Monday, can't trust that day,
Monday Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way
Oh Monday morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be
Oh Monday Monday, how could you leave and not take me.

Later I learned that *HIM - who took me to the chopper - is named Chris ...
So here's Chris ...

The long and short of it ...

2006-05-12T21:41:00.000-05:00

I saw it again today. A very charming young guy with lustrous golden hair neatly parted on the left side and stylishly hanging down his forehead ... so far so good but now is something that really annoys me ... his shiny blonde locks were shamelessly falling over one of his sparkling blue eyes!!! What’s with boys with bangs or fringes over their eyes??!!!?? Why would anyone in his right frame of mind choose to have such a skewed view of the beautiful world surrounding us by literally staring from behind the thick veil of dead protein?
Even the Beatles with famous fringes; had it removed from their eyes!

The Long Routes:
Just to clarify any misconception; I have nothing against long hair. In fact I find them very interesting!. Some guys handle their long flowing mane so stylishly that it puts me to shame! I admire guys who can maintain ponytails [Samuel Jackson style] or braids [Willie Nelson style] … and I totally love dreadlocks [Bob Marley style] !! But what puts me off is – hair hovering over the eyes!!!

The shortcuts:
This summer I notice that men are expressing their strength NOT in the Samson’s way of uncut locks! This season the rage is of razor-cut super short hair. Few days back I was watching the movie “Jarhead”. I learned that the term Jarhead refers to Marines and is derived from the hairstyle they flaunt – “High and Tight” – in which hair is cut almost to the skin at the ears but is allowed to grow a fraction of an inch on the top of the head; giving the appearance of a jar. Well Jake Gyllenhaal looked really handsome in "high and Tight" jarhead style! I’ve seen that style flaunted by many around me and it looks rather cool. However a more popular style among the younger guys at my workplace is “Fade-Cut". The hair is about half an inch over the crown and gently fades to almost zero over the neck. This style is almost always accompanied by liberal use of gel! The hair is brushed forward, slightly upward, not vertical but diagonal! I can see the scalp. I like this spiked hairstyle!!!

The Midways:
Then of course the classic Caesar’s cut is always in style. Short, but not extremely tiny; in the sense that it’s long enough to be parted or brushed back. This style maintained by two of my favorite actors George Clooney and Brad Pitt …

Hair do’s and don’ts ...
So guys choose whichever hairstyle you want. Keep it long, short or go bald. Hair is something that would grow back rather quick. So experiment with styles – try butch-cut, mushroom-cut, layered-cut, afro-style or even rat’s tail.
But please keep your eyes just a hair’s breathe away!
Hair over the eyes is just NOT COOL!!!

A detour:
*** Talking about George and Brad; they are doing some very commendable work in Africa. Reminds me of an article I had written long back on Celebrity Activism ... As John Lennon maintained that if the camera will follow him wherever he goes, then why not use it to his advantage and take the media to places where it should be going anyways! So some days back George Clooney was in Darfur, Sudan ... and after returning he is actively campaigning to spread awareness about the genocide taking place there. AND yes its working! Suddenly the media is giving much more airtime to this issue … Keep it up Georgie boy!!!

The Marquette Building - a remarkable landmark!

2006-05-12T21:34:00.000-05:00

When every element of any building is intricately meshed with history of its area, it becomes a masterpiece. One such remarkable building is The Marquette Building, in the Loop [140 S Dearborn St]. Completed in 1895, this 110-year-old building was designated a Chicago landmark in 1975 and a National Historical Landmark in 1976.

What I find most interesting about this structure apart from its beauty, elegance and strength – more than enough to make it exceptional – are the many Chicago–specific elements of the building that make it an important historical and cultural landmark.

Read more: City Spaces, city places ...

The Marquette Building - a Chicago masterpiece ...

When a picture says a thousand words

2006-05-05T19:48:00.000-05:00

Well needless to say that I usually attach photographs with my write-ups and very often I debate with myself in selecting the best suited photo that adds some visual appeal to my inane views.



However quite often pictures speak for themselves …
… rendering words totally superfluous. Now everyone knows about my obsession with my camera; so it can be logically deduced that I have amassed a huge pile of photographs that I’ve carefully stored on my computer. I’m not denying this fact. But having said that; I’ll also admit that very often I feel that it’s not right of me to claim that I love photography. The reason being that unlike an avid photo-artist who would naturally take immense pleasure in mulling over the best shutter speed and aperture combination that gives the optimum exposure – I never ever do so! In fact I’ve not even read my Canon manual or for that matter have stayed away from any article on good photography. When I am out with my camera hunting to take a bird shot; I just go by my *animal* instinct … hmmm… okay let me be more decent and say that I use my woman’s instinct! I just click whatever feels right to me at the spur of the moment! Though I'm quite aware that it’s NOT the best way to do things! Well on an optimistic note - I can claim to have a tremendous potential for improvement – * if only * and *only if* - I become a tad bit more tech-savvy!!!



To add to my technically challenged aptitude; I sometimes love the totally out of focus photos. No kidding!!! Like when I’ve positioned myself to click a bird, which by strange coincidence decides to synchronize its actions with mine and takes-off at the exact same moment – I get images that are totally blurred – blurrrrrrrred - as in pix 2. Sometimes I literally can’t make head from tail. But rather than deleting such photos I find them very amusing and interesting!!! Sometimes the birds even pose for me – as in pix.3 !!!

Another aspect of my *NON* pro photographer behavior is manifested after I’ve taken shots and have downloaded the photographs on my computer. I never read the image- information. Rather I try to collect information on the subject-matter! Like if it’s a bird snap then I google for which bird? If it’s a building photo – then who is the architect, which year it was constructed, what are the structural highlights … and so on … and so forth ….



So well … those were my unsolicited explanations for NOT being an ace photographer; though I love taking snaps and have collected a huge pile of them. Now apart from taking photographs another thing that I love to do is to *scribble* tidbits. It’s like a compulsion with me. I’m not delving into whether it’s good or bad – but just making a point that I do experience an urge to note down small little things I observe … I guess I can draw a parallel with a smoke addict would light up a cigarette without much thinking about it!

Now my photographs and the corresponding scribbles are usually at two different places on the computer; which doesn’t make much sense. As I use my Blog ; more like a journal so [yesterday] I had this *bright* idea to put the photos with their information. I sat till late night and put them in two separate Blogs. Though I will add more photos; but I have NO intensions of updating them on a regular basis. It’s more like a photo album; where I arrange the photos and forget about them …. But I know that they are there, so when I want to have a look, that's possible.
If it interests anyone ... then check out these links:
Chicago – As I see it ...
Chicago - Churches ...



NOTE: Though I’ve put many new photos like ... Marquette, Medinah, Merchandise Mart, Wrigley bldg, Marshall Fields, Union Station, Donnelley Bldg … But some photos are a repeat from “My Photo Journal”. There are already about 30 entries in Chicago – As I see it ... and 16 entries in Chicago - Churches ... Blog! Well as is said “ a picture says a thousand words” so I don’t need to say much. Though I still would like to add the architects and year of completion; but I’m damn tired right now. As a dear friend tells me to finish job in one long stretch – I’ve tried doing so … and in one day I’ve put them together. But to have a feeling of a job done is good!

On a totally different note:
MI-III [Mission Impossible – III] has been released and sounds quite promising.
Though last year I saw a couple of excellent movies [like Munich, Crash…] but there weren’t any big blockbuster that I was really waiting for … But this year is so different … There are quite some much-awaited movies line-up …….
• MI- III
• Da Vinci Code
• United – 93
• V for Vendetta
So weekend should be all tied up …..

While I’m yapping … here’s more …
I could make it to another Chicago neighborhood: “Ukrainian Village” … it’s in West Chicago!!! It was like being *out* of America as people there were not even talking in English – they talk in some East European language and love bicycles! Maybe I’ll write on it later ...

Old Town

2006-05-01T15:05:00.000-05:00

Chicago neighborhood: Old Town ...



Last week my friend and I took a tour of the Old Town … settled mostly by early German immigrants … It’s best to cover this area on foot … Luckily my friend was as comfortable walking, as I am. The most striking feature is the *red* brick- houses; as if the whole town has literally been *painted red* quite evident in the photos I’ve put. The buildings are mostly in the Victorian style and streets are lined with trees. In the backdrop one just cannot miss to notice the modern skyscrapers of the Near North area as these stand in sharp contrast to the architectural style of Old Town! [Note the last pix.]

Places of interest ...
- St. Michael’s Church [pix 2]
- F. J Dewes mansion [pix 3]
- Yondorf Block and Hall [pix 4]
- Second City [pix 5]
- Ale House [pix 6]
- Steppenwolf Theater
- Chicago Historical Society
- Summer Art Fair
- It is bordered by the Lincoln Park – which has free zoo and conservatory!



Old Town, Lake View and Lincoln Square were the hub of early German immigrants.
"German immigrants poured into Chicago in the first half of the 19th century. By 1900, a quarter of Chicago residents were either born in Germany or had a parent who was from there ... "
- The Encyclopedia of Chicago.

St Michael’s Church: [pix 2]
The early German immigrants settled around St. Michaels Church. It was destroyed in the 1871 fire. The task of rebuilding started within a week and it was one of the first Chicago churches to rise from the ashes of the Great Fire.



In fact after the Great Fire; the construction boom began in Chicago attracting a wave of German and Irish immigrants. But today I’m concentrating only on German immigrants. German immigrants are famous for their ...
# Architectural skills:
Chicago landscape has been greatly influenced by influence of German-born architects notably Dankmar Adler, Mies van der Rohe, Helmut Jahn and Dirk Lohan. They have contributed heavily to different architectural styles such as the Chicago School, Art Deco, International, and Postmodern styles. Infact the founder of “Chicago School of Architecture” Mies van der Rohe was a German immigrant who made Chicago his home. However most buildings in this “Old Town” have been built in the Victorian style.

# Beer-making trade:
Germany is famous for its beer and German immigrants opened more than two dozen breweries in the Old Town area alone.

F. J. Dewes Mansion [pix 3]
It was built in 1896 by wealthy brewer Francis J. Dewes. it is modeled after the Chateau of Versailles in France. This 12-room mansion is accented with renaissance, rococo and baroque designs, and a fireplace in every room. [503 West Wrightwood Avenue]



Yondorf Block and Hall: [pix 4]
It is an important example of a "Public Hall" building, a building type common in the 19th-century Chicago that typically contained meeting rooms used by civic and fraternal organizations. Its plaque reads:
It is a distinctive example of Victorian architecture with fine craftsmanship and detailing, especially in limestone, cast iron, red molded brick and terra cotta.
Now it is designated as a Chicago landmark.
Year Built: 1887 Architect: Frederick Ahlschlager …



Second City: [pix 5]
The Second City is a long-running improvisational comedy troupe based in the Old Town area of Chicago. It has offshoot troupes in other cities, most notably Toronto and some other cities, like Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York and Denver. Noted alumni of Second City troupe include Jim Belushi, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis.

Chicago Historical Society: It is temporarily closed for renovation.
It houses stories on some of Chicago's most memorable events ... like … Fort Dearborn, Chicago Fire, The World's Columbian Exposition, The Pullman Era, The Stockyards, Al Capone ...



# Pix 6: Old Town Ale House; opened in 1958 ...

Chicago Neighborhoods:
It's well know that Chicago had more Poles than any city except Warsaw …
However little known is the fact that Chicago has larger communities of Czechs, Lithuanians, Swedes, Danes, and Luxembourgers than any city in the country. Most of immigrants have early setteled in communities that are know famous as Chicago neighborhood.

• Old Town – German immigrants
• Pilsen – nation’s largest Bohemian-American settlement. Now home of Mexican immigrants
• Greek Town
• Little Italy
• China Town – one of the most vibrant communities with colorful pagodas ..
• Bronzeville – center of African American community
• Ukrainian Village
• Logan Square - & - Milwaukee Avenue – includes some of the oldest Polish immigrant settlements
• Andersonville – famous for Swedish immigrants and has many Scandinavian restaurants
• Argyle Street - Vietnamese and Cambodian establishments as well as Thai and Filipino shops and restaurants
• Devon Avenue – formerly a Jewish community …… now it’s popular place for Indian, Pakistani & Middle eastern communities …
• River North – famous for art galleries and ranks second only to Manhattan’s Soho area.



Note how the *red-brick* Victorian-style "Old Town" homes contrast with the modern skyscrapers of the Near North area!!!

Breadwinner

2006-05-01T08:26:00.000-05:00

Time & Date: 8pm Sunday … April 30, 2006 …
Why I wrote that - I donno!!!!
I want to take a break from writing but still sit down to write – Why ??? I doono !!!
But it’s a sure sign of addiction …

But this weekend has come to an end and it was pretty boring. It had been pouring on both Saturday and Sunday; forcing me to be confined in-house. I did go out though for the grocery; but that doesn’t count as outing. It’s a monotonous tedius chore and the *worst* part is coming back and arranging the items purchased in their proper place. One new buy was “pumpernickel"– a very dark brown bread made from rye –and it tastes very coarse. But I wanted to try it as part of my healthy food option *ahem* ... after confessing that almost once a week I indulge in fast-food ...

Actually as I was walking down the bakery aisle I had decided on my next topic – Bread Winner!!! Isn’t that a curious term? Traditionally it refers to men folk who would earn to keep the family together, though bread would be baked by women. Maybe the term includes inherent companionship. As the word "companion" comes from the Latin word "Companionem" which translates into, "one with whom you would eat bread" -- "Con" (with) and "Pan" (bread) … Though I’m not sure how it works out ; because until now I was under the impression that the prefix “pan" means “all” [as in words such as pandemic, panacea, panorama, pandemonium ...] Anyways, I’m sure that the term “breadbasket” – doesn’t refer to my refrigerator but to a geographical area that supplies grains !!!

Bread has been with humans since more than 10,000 years ...
Its invention is nothing less than serendipity. Bread-lore has it that a slave of the royal Egyptian family forgot about the dough he had set aside to make flatbread. By the time he realizes his mistake it was too late.. The dough was already spoiled and had doubled in size. Trying to hide his mistake he punched it down vigorously using all his force … But when he baked it … the bread was much lighter than what anyone had ever tasted.

Bread is often hailed as one of the greatest things to happen to human civilization ... and we even use the expression “the greatest thing since sliced bread” … However though consumed universally; they differ significantly from place to place … One huge plus of living in this cosmopolitan metropolis is the opportunity of being exposed to different food habits in different cultures. Even a trip to the neighborhood grocery store gives me a window-view of the bewildering diversity into something as basic as BREAD. Since immigrants from all over the world have settled here ... they have brought their recipes as well ....

On the most basic level, all bread involves a mixture of flour and water. Most often it is cooked using wheat-flour dough; cultured with yeast and baked in an oven. Though common wheat (also known as bread wheat) is the most popular grain used for the preparation of bread, but it is also made from flour of other wheat species (including durum, spelt and emmer) as also from rye, barley, maize (or corn), and oats.

Breads are classified into three basic categories:
[1] Use of organic leavening – yeast –
White bread, wheat bread, rye bread, pumpernickel, pita, croissants, naan
[2] Use of chemical leavening – baking power - the breads are called “Quick Breads” muffins, biscuits, doughnuts, pancakes, waffles, popovers, fritters, scones ….
[3] Unleavened – flatbreads – tortillas, matzo, chapatti …

Some information put in this post I have known for long, some I found out recently, some I couldn’t accommodate; But there’s a whole lot I know nothing about ……

Some different types of Breads:
Baguette: French stick or French loaf …Noted for more length than breath and crispy crust with soft buttery crumb.
Croissants: Again from France … Its butter laden flaky bread; named after its distinctive crescent shape.
Bruschetta : Italian Grilled bread rubbed with garlic & topped with extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper
Pumpernickel: German sourdough bread. Dark, tough and closed textured.
Bagel Originated in Poland. First dough is mixed, then chilled overnight, then boiled in water and subsequently baked.
Focaccia: Greek origin - Flatbread topped with spices & other products. Quite popular in Greece and is used as base for pizza.
Pita: Middle eastern / Mediterranean [Also called Lebanese, Syrian, or Arabic] Its wheat bread made with yeast and is mostly popular because of its “pockets” used for various fillings … shredded chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions and white sauce!
Tortillas: Basic to most Mexican food; tortillas are unleavened bread made mostly of corn and sometimes of wheat. Tortillas are eaten in many ways and interestingly named in the way it is wrapped:
- Tacos: Tortillas filled with shredded chicken […vegetables…]
- Burrito: tortilla wrapped around shredded chicken, rice, spices, sauce, salsa
- Quesadill: Tortilla folded over shredded chicken, cheese, sauce, salsa ...
- Enchilada: Tortilla rolled over stuffings and baked ...
- Tostada: Tortilla – toasted
- Nachos: Tortilla chips - usually covered in melted cheese and salsa

Roti, Chapati , Pratha. Poori : Indian Flat wheat bread – unleavened; whereas Kulcha , Naan, Batura: leavened … [I'm sure my readers know this ...]

Though I wrote this yesterday, I'm posting it today ...
Though I wrote the time I began writing, I never wrote the time when I finished ...

Fast life with food on the run

2006-04-27T22:27:00.000-05:00

When day begins at 7am and ends at 7pm …
I’m tired … and famished …
And cooking becomes too much of an effort …
A quick-fix readymade solution … FAST FOOD!!!
You are served fast – you eat fast – you leave fast …
Quick – filling – tasty – cheap – tables are optional - disposable utensils - no mess & no cleaning!!! It can’t go more convenient than that! So we feast on burgers, hot-dogs, chicken-nuggets, onion-rings, fries, pizzas, burritos, tacos and soda!!! Fast food restaurants – the symbol of fast society – are spreading super fast. Now Mc Donald’s, Burger King, KFC, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, Jack-in-the-Box, Subway, Taco Bells - adorn every nook and corner of our cities … simply because we get hungry … we need to eat … but don’t have the luxury of spare time … we need “food on run” … we need fast food!!!



Fast food is a result of “evolutionary” process. Once upon a time; we were hunter-gathers and went outdoors and waited hours to get the prey for dinner. Fast forward few thousand years; we still go out for food; but now we prefer restaurants with “take-away” option or “drive-through” delivery to collect our food. Our lives no longer revolve around cooking … we have much more happening … we thrive on fast-food!

Busy lifestyles ...
The social and economic trends have shaped our food eating habits. People have to work for long hours – they leave home early morning, come back late evening - all tired. Higher proportions of women are working. This shrinks the time available to cook meals. Family structure has changed in favor of nuclear families. This means that there are no relatives or elderly parents to take charge of cooking meal at home. Under these stressed out conditions, cooking elaborate slow-meal on a regular basis is no more fun, its a tiresome chore … An easy alternative to home cooked meals is – Fast Food!
Even during afternoon lunch hours in offices, few can spare 30-40 minutes at a restaurant. They head for vending machines or fast-food!



A Flash Back ...
Though fast food has existed for a long time; but it’s generally accepted that the birth of McDonalds ushered the popular *culture* of fast food. McDonalds restaurant were started by brothers [Dick & Mac] McDonalds. They initially had a regular restaurant and noticed that their maximum profits came from burgers. So they decided to concentrate on just a few profitable food-items - hamburgers, French fries and milkshake. Inspired by *assembly-line* of Henry Ford; they introduced “Speedee Service System" in 1948 and this established the basic principle of the fast food restaurants. So these brothers are said to be the inventor of fast-food restaurants adapting factory “assembly line method” to commercial kitchens. McDonald brothers got resounding success and then Ray Kroc started the McDonalds Corporation in 1955 … and thus began the great American culture of Fast-Food …

However their most popular food-items: hamburgers - & - fries …are not of American origin. It is believed that hamburgers are Russian delicacy that was brought to the US by German immigrants. Also French Fries are not French; but Belgian. During the World War– I; American soldiers posted in Belgium were offered these fries by French-speaking Belgians and soon became a hot favorite! But McDonalds made burgers-&-fries its very own. Soon its “Golden Arches” mushroomed everywhere … and others like … KFC & Burger King … joined the race. Soon we had Italian, Mexican, Japanese and other food-flavors joining the fray of fast-food!!!



The growth of fast-food chains has not been all that smooth:
# Everyone knows about the McDonalds coffee burns case ...
# Wendy’s finger case got the fraud couple behind bars ...
# The documentary movie “Supersize Me” shows the ill-health effects of having three McDonalds meal for a month ...
# There has been *unsuccessful* class-action lawsuit against fast food company by one Caesar Barber, who claims that he didn't realize that fast food hamburgers were unhealthy, and blames four companies--McDonald's, Wendy's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Burger King - for selling fatty food and failing to warn consumers ...



In fact fast-food are been called Junk–food.
Junk Food – as they are usually loaded with calories and fat but lack in essential nutrients. Our bodies need food with carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and fiber to keep us healthy. We can get all these nutrients from fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grains, lean meats and low-fat dairy products. Most Fast food restaurants often fry stuff in oil and load food up with extra salt or sugar; not good for our health. The criticism is very valid!
But it's ironic to have food that yummy not good for you.
Reminds me the words of Oscar Wilde that all good things in life are illegal, immoral or fattening :(



AND fast-food companies are responding … McDonalds is diversifying its menu options and introducing salads and parfaits. Taco Bells implores to “Think outside the bun”. Subway comes with slogan “Eat Fresh”. I’m glad that fast-food chains are moving towards healthy food options.
There is no doubt that our traditional elaborate cooking methods are healthier; but we have to strike a balance between our work-time and cooking-time. We need to supplement our eating rituals with fast-food – not junk-food - but healthy fast-food. Move away from cheese, mayonnaise & deep fried stuff to grilled & broiled lean meat, full-grain breads and leafy vegetables with plenty of olives …

Fortunately though, food on the go doesn’t have to mean unhealthy food .
Like SUBWAY stores are well known for providing low fat and fresher alternatives to burgers, kebabs, pizza, fried chicken and fries.
Long live SUBWAYS!!! Long live *healthy* Fast Food!!!



*** I thought about writing a series of posts on the topic "food-&-dining" ...
and this is the second post in this series ...

I'm singing in the rain

2006-04-25T11:16:00.000-05:00

“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”
~ Dorthea Lange

Yesterday was a beautiful day – as evident in the photos ...
The rising sun and the waning moon pix taken at around 6am ... yesterday ... ie April 24, 2006!!!

I had wished that today be another crisp spring morning … But as is said; “Man proposes God disposes.” Today the sky is overcast, there are mild scattered showers, it’s freezing cold with temperature dropping to 36 degree F [2 degree C] and to add to this scenario, its extremely windy!!! So sitting inside I'm singing this song ...
I'm singing in the rain ... Just singing in the rain ... What a glorious feelin' ... I'm happy again ...



But then … I still went for my walks … only to return back in just 15 minutes. Well in this short while I was able to click this birdie … “American Goldfinch” [left pix]. This snapshot is taken from a great distance and the bird was sitting atop a tall tree; so the image not very clear. [ Rule of thumb: If the photo is good it’s because of the camera and if there are snags its my fault. Yeah, I love my camera more than myself !!!]

Anyways; since I’ve saved my walk time today; so I thought about organizing my photos. I’m pleased to know that there are a few who have taken a colorful spring-journey along with me and my photos ...
As someone said … “A good snapshot stops a moment from running away”



NOTE: This is not a regular post ...
The primary motive of this post is to organize "My Photo Journal".

I started my walks on ... April 10, 2006 ...
Initially flowers got all my attention; as I welcomed the colors & greenery around after prolonged brown-gray winter spell. However for the past 3-4 days I’m concentrating on birds. As any photographer would agree to; many a times I see nature through my lenses … Sparrows and Robins ... are everywhere and I’m lucky that my Canon introduced me to : Red Winged Blackbird ... Northern Cardinal ... Downy Woodpecker [left pix], Bronze Grackle, Brown Cowbird, Starling, Finches … and even Heron! Well; though I’m quite conversant with names of flowers; until now I’ve not been too inquisitive about birds. So I’ve burned quite some mid-night oil trying to figure out their names. I also feel a sense of urgency; in the sense that in just a week’s time or so, leaves will cover up the trees and then spotting birds would be a Herculean task! So it’s about racing against the time … and winning !!!

* There’s also a whole lot of geese photographs though I’m not particularly fond of them.; but they look interesting and are found everywhere … hence the snaps ... Calligraphy ... Flying Geese ... Drying ...

Flowers remain my favorite subject matter ...
Just for the sake of organizing ... I’ll list the posts:
Bulbs: Crocus ... Daffodils ... Daffodils -2 ... Tulips ... Hyacinths …
Perennials: Blue, Pink & Purple flowers ...
Shrubs / hedges: Azaleas /Rhododendrons ... Crabapple ... Rosebud Tree ... Magnolia- White ... Magnolia - Pink ...
Trees: Willow ... Pine ... Sarafrass ...

There’s a whole lot of other photos I’ve taken [like Maple, Cedar … ] but haven’t got time to post …



I end with a quotation:
“ Instead of just recording reality, photographs have become the norm for the way things appear to us, thereby changing the very idea of reality and of realism.”
~ Susan Sontag

Pix 3: American Goldfinch
Pix 4: Downy Woodpecker
Pix 5: House finches ... Male-Redhead; Female-brown]

Meandering thought trail

2006-04-17T21:27:00.001-05:00

Meandering thought trail ...

“Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get”. [movie: Forrest Gump]

This thought struck me as I was taking my morning-walk.
Being born in a small town; now notorious as “Laloo Gaun”; I had never ever imagined that one day I would be ambulating carelessly on the streets of the famous “Windy City” – which as a kid I had heard was notorious for its street-gangster named Al Capone. Moving from one crime-city to another has been an interesting expedition. It reinforces my view that life is a long journey - with many crossroads – and only time will determine our final destination. However carefully an individual plans his lives … one cannot avoid encountering some purely incidental factors – way beyond one's control. The best one can do is, enjoy the journey called life ...

Lemme not take the philosophical highroad; but rather talk about the walks I’ve been taking every morning through the beautiful streets in my neighborhood. Well now it’s been a week since I started my regime of morning walks and without any second thoughts – I proclaim - It has been a good decision.



There are so many things we *see* everyday but don’t *notice* at all. Our brains are so preoccupied with petty nitty-gritty of everyday survival – that we are unable to take note of small things around that can make us smile. I’m not talking about how every dawn; the fiery orange sunlight banishes away the silvery moonbeams to its temporary exile. I’m not even talking about those handsome health freaks who jog past me … BUT the object of my attention is their pet *canines*. These furry beasts look so happy and so very energetic … as if they were the most acute mute victims of the prolonged winter blues … and now that spring has set-in; they wanna catch every butterfly that comes along the roadway. I’ve noticed that these dogs have as much attitude as us human beings. Some look at me as if wishing a good-morning; some are too engrossed in themselves to even notice my presence and some react as if I’m a guilty intruder, encroaching upon their private space named – The Green Earth!



Ahh well – not to forget that the walk wouldn’t be as smooth – without my new trainers – with a carefully chosen brandname “New Balance” … yeah!!! It offers me a new balance in life!!! It’s white, black n gray – like the shades of my life; and thoroughly fulfills its promise of good “fit, performance, and comfort”. So my broad foot gets a well-cushioned cover which makes me want to hop-skip-jump like these dogs running past me … but I choose to trot rather than sprint …

However I must admit that the very first day - I had tied my shoe-lace a bit too tight which scraped my skin slightly at the heels … and then I used the old favorite patch – Band-Aid! It was a kid’s patch – with colorful design on it! By-the-way has anyone noticed how *patches* are becoming ubiquitous these days??!!
Wanna quit smoking – try nicotine patch
Wanna reduce weight – try diet patch
I’ve even heard of cardiac patch for broken heart!!!
Well talking about patch-work ... some quilts have nice geometric patch-works. Few days back I had been to an exhibition in the Thompson Center, by people of the Amish community – and on display were beautiful handmade blankets - with patch work! One of my jeans also has a lovely patch-work!



Reminds me of a wonderful song by Dolly Parton … “Coat of many colors”
My coat of many colors ... That my momma made for me
Made only from rags ... But I wore it so proudly
Although we had no money ... I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors ... My momma made for me

And this song brings me to another song I heard in the most *unexpected* way …
Yesterday I went to see the movie “Inside Man” … and I was wowed right in the beginning of the movie. Well it began with one of my favourite Hindi songs … from film “Dil Se” ...

Jinke sar ho ishq ki chhanv, Paaon ke neeche jaanat hogi
Chal chhaiya chhaiya chhaiya chhaiya
Chhaiya chhaiya chhaiya chhaiya ...

I was ecstatic!!! Felt like dancing like “Golden Daffodils” … as captured in the words of William Wordsworth … Fluttering and dancing in the breeze ...



And this brings me back to the topic of morning walks … and the reason I don’t sprint is that I wanna observe the spring-bloom!!! Well if hobby is something that we do in our spare time, then clicking snaps is more than hobby – it’s my passion and I carve out time for it. Past few days, my morning walks have been more eventful with my companion – the black camera strap hanging around my neck … AND I’ve been enthusiastically capturing the myriad colors & facets of spring … I find it most amazing to note how flower bulbs – daffodils, tulips, crocus, hyacinths - remain buried underground during the long treacherous winter months and peep out of mother earth’s womb - the moment father sun shower their mellow-yellow sunshine!. Dormant tree buds become active again… and the “observer” in me … tries to take note of the beauty surrounding me though an extra pair lenses – my camera! My photo-blog is being updated almost everyday these days …
"I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see ’em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world."



However I’ve noticed that flowers look good only when fresh …
Awwwwwww so do humans !!!!
Now that reminds me of my advancing age …
Well when I was young-ER … from the beginning of New Year I would look forward to my birthday; when mom would call my friends and cook sumptuous dinner!
How I loved the idea of blowing out candles and everyone clapping and singing the B’day song … Now that soooo many birthdays have passed-by ... this event has become a foot-note in my life … But it’s a great feeling … it always makes me introspective … and I feel that I’ve had a balanced life – with my share of blunders, bloopers and accomplishments .....
The law of averages has surely been on play ...
“The man who views the world at 50, the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of life”
So well ... my world view has changed ... life is no more a rush ... it’s a journey ... not smooth but very bumpy ... not all that hunky-dory but very interesting!

For me - walking and writing - are very similar!!!
The moment … I am ambulating down the streets … OR … am pounding alphabets on my keyboard – my head becomes clear. Recording small little details, allows me to observe the world a bit closer and put things into perspective …

And my thought chain meanders … as I take my morning walks … or I scribble on a note-pad …
So does my life meanders - always moving forward but in a zigzag manner … it’s enjoying the journey that matters ...



*** The birds photographs may seem out of context – or maybe not …
It’s all about the perspective!!!

For the love of pizza

2006-04-14T09:14:00.000-05:00

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food."
- George Bernard Shaw, in "Man and Superman".

So, for the love of pizza ... I entered the Pizzeria Uno – famous as the “birthplace of deep-dish pizza”. The pizza was finger-licking tasty!!! It was dripping with cheese, in fact it had less of sauce n more of cheese ... and the crust was very flaky – like in a pie!

Citylore has it that a Texan named Ike Sewell created the dish at his bar and grill Pizzeria Uno in 1943. The pizza was so popular that to handle the crowds he had to open another place nearby called Pizzeria Due .
pix 1: Pizzeria Uno
pix 2: Pizzeria Due

What’s so special about Chicago deep dish pizza???
It is not like a classic Italian pizza - with thin crusts and delicate toppings. During the depression of the 1930’s, followed by the war of the 1940’s, Americans ate one-dish meals of "casseroles" -- easily procured ingredients that would satisfy the stomach, stretch the budget and not cost much. Therefore, the more you could load onto a pizza crust, the better it would be. Moreover, the crust would not need the fancy stretching and pushing, even tossing, that the traditional Italian thin pizza would require.
To me it was indicative of the "Melting Pot Theory" ...
... case in point – how Chicagoans adapted an Italian dish as per their needs ...



I thought writing about food, didn’t know where to begin …
I random pickup Italian cuisine ...
Well not that random because:
- Writing about churches, keeps reminding me of Rome and Italy
- Just had deep-dish pizza at Pizzeria Uno
- Some days back; I had interacted with an Italian-American friend [American of Italian descent] … who explained me the intricacies of Italian food …

My query: Is it true that Italian spaghetti comes from Chinese noodles???
Answer: NOooooooooo!!! [As if I’d inflicted an insult]

Well I researched … Since ancient times inhabitants mastered the art of combining flour with water and boiling in salty water - to make spaghetti.
Conclusion: Italian spaghetti and Chinese noodles evolved separately ...

My query: What special about Italian dishes???
The answer is … spiced up, marinated and grilled … and does not retain its original form … but the flavor is intact:
If French are famous for cheese, Italians are famous for olive oil.
# Olive oil: is the only vegetable oil that can be consumed as it is and is most healthy when it is "extra virgin", ie; from the first pressing of the olives. It contains higher levels of antioxidants, as compared to virgin [double pressed] or refined olive oil.
# Fresh vegetables: Italians consume plenty of *fresh* vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, peas, spinach, mushroom, garlic ...
# Pasta, Risotto & Polenta: Apart from pasta, other popular staples are Risotto [rice dish] and Polenta [made from cornmeal or ground maize]



As conversation progressed I learnt that a typical Italian meal is consumed in various stages/ courses:
[1] Anti pasti [starter/ entrée]: A sort of "warm up" dish before the real meal begins ... Like : bread based dish: bruschetta (toasted garlic bread, olive oil and tomato), baguette [bread dipped in olive oil or Balsamic vinegar]
or meat based: affettati misti(salami, pancetta),
or fish based starters such as sarde in saor(marinated sardines)

[2] Primi piatti [First courses]: It may be pasta [like spaghetti, fettuccini, ravioli, lasagna, rigatoni, penne…] ... with sauce [alfredo, primavera … ]
Or rice dish “risotto” [rice dish with],
soup or gnocchi [pronounced neo-key].
This is what I [and I’m sure others too] think to be the typical Italian dish.
But; I was told that in Italy, the second course is considered as the “main course”.

[3] Secondi piatti [Second courses]:
It generally consists of meat, fish or poultry of some kind, although it is not uncommon to find vegetarian dishes or cheese plates.

[4] Contorni [Side dishes]: Italian side dishes are typically light complements to the main meal, often dressed simply with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper ...

[5] Dolci [Italian desserts]:
Tiramisu is known as the King of Italian desserts, Coostoli is also polular and then there are many types of cakes, pies and tarts.

[6] Italian wine : Is taken with the meal …
The rule of thumb applies: red wine goes with red meat
And white wine goes with white meat - chicken, sea-food ...
Different types of Italian wine ... HELP!!!!

[7] Expresso : is taken after the meal …



Though French are famous for cheese and wine, Italians are not far behind ...
SAY CHEESE: While the most famous of Italian cheeses are:
- mozzarella (made from buffalo milk; birthplace Naples)
- parmigiano [made from cow milk; birthplace Parma]
there are countless other cheeses … like … Gorgonzola (blue cheese made from cow milk), Romana [sheep milk], Ricotto [goat milk]...

Italian Wine - I got no idea ... HELP!!!
Grapevine has it that they are nearly as good as French wine; but I dont think I've had Italian wine ...

Now I end with a quotation:
“Bear in mind that you should conduct yourself in life as at a feast."
- Epictetus [Roman slave & philosopher]
I say – Amen!

A day to remember

2006-04-14T09:02:00.000-05:00

This post is in two parts:
First part is to record my participation in the “Holy Communion”...
Second part is a reflection of my current fixture with architecture ...
Some readers may find it in-death while some others may find it very elementary ...
However; since in this Blog, I attempt to *record* the small little things I try to learn ...
And more importantly; I wouldn’t like these notes I made to be lost ...
So I post them out here ...
So if the subject-matter interests you – read on, if it doesn’t – quit now ...

PART I:
The day I participated in the “Holy Communion” …
Date: April 11, 2006
Place: St. James Cathedral - Chicago’s oldest Episcopal church
I was part of the feast where each participant eats the bread and drinks the wine – called the “Holy Communion”



The Holy Communion or Eucharist or Christ’s Last Supper
is the celebration of the Christian sacrament commemorating Christ’s Last Supper. It is to remember “why he died”. Jesus, the Son of God, descended into this world and died as a sacrifice for our sins.
The communion is the rite that Christians perform in fulfillment of Jesus' instruction, recorded in the New Testament, to do in memory of him what he did at his Last Supper. Jesus gave his disciples bread, saying "This is my body," and wine, saying "This is my blood." The word "Eucharist" is also applied to the bread and wine consecrated in the course of the rite.



For me - It was a surreal experience,
As if I was transposed to a different era and different place ...
And honestly, it felt really good!!!!

Since I’m making record of an event;
I think I should mention here that ...

Today, April 14, 2006 is Good Friday - a day of mourning – it commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus.
April 16, 2006 is Easter Sunday – a day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.



PART II:
The rest of the post is a look from the architectural perspective …

Well, April 11 – was again one of the days I visited three churches:
[1] St. James Cathedral
[2] Holy Name Cathedral
[3] Fourth Presbyterian Church

All the three are built in Gothic style ...
In fact most of the churches in Chicago represent Gothic architecture ...

Interestingly the origin of the term “Gothic” had derogatory overtones ...
The word “Gothic” – attributed to medieval architecture – refers to the barbarian Gothic tribes that destroyed the Roman Empire in 5th century. However scholars have long realized that Gothic architecture and that it has nothing to do with the Goths.

In fact architecturally Gothic style was a major improvement over the Romanesque architectural form.
• Romanesque churches are characterized by heavy stone works, columns, rounded arches [barrel vault or groin vaults] and domes.
• Gothic churches are characterized by pointed arches, spires and many windows. In fact they have much bigger windows, and so they are not dark like Romanesque churches.

The major problem with Romanesque structures were arched barrel vault and the groin vault was that they exerted a tremendous pressure - both downward and outward - that tended to push the walls [upon which the vault rested outward], thus collapsing them. A building's vertical supporting walls thus had to be made extremely thick and heavy in order to contain the barrel vault's outward thrust.



Gothic architects solved this problem by introducing new techniques of making roofs and supporting walls. Gothic style had three distinct features:
[1] Ribbed Vaults - Medieval masons developed "ribbed" vault, in which arching and intersecting stone ribs supported the vaulted ceiling surface. This greatly reduced the weight (and thus the outward thrust) of the ceiling vault, and since the vault's weight was now carried at discrete points (the ribs) separate widely spaced vertical piers to support the ribs could replace the continuous thick walls.

[2] Pointed Arches - The round arches of the barrel vault were replaced by pointed (Gothic) arches which distributed thrust in more directions downward from the topmost point of the arch.

[3] Flying Buttress - A crucial point was that the outward thrust of the ribbed ceiling vaults was carried across the outside walls of the nave, first to an attached outer buttress and then to a freestanding pier by means of a half arch known as a flying buttress. The flying buttress leaned against the upper exterior of the nave (thus counteracting the vault's outward thrust), crossed over the low side aisles of the nave, and terminated in the freestanding buttress pier, which ultimately absorbed the ceiling vault's thrust.



These elements enabled Gothic masons to build much larger and taller buildings than their Romanesque predecessors. The skillful use of flying buttresses made it possible to build extremely tall, thin-walled buildings whose interior structural system of columnar piers and ribs reinforced an impression of soaring verticality.

This also made possible bigger windows on the walls and with this, the stained glass art flourished. All Gothic churches have beautiful stained glass works.



This post is a continuation of my earlier two posts ...
[1] A remarkable day ...
[2] Different dinominations of church ...
One more withh follow in the "reserved slot" area ...

At last

2006-04-10T16:36:00.000-05:00

" April comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers."
- Edna St. Vincent Millay

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; If we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."
- Anne Bradstreet

After long winter ... with temperature dipping to minus 30 degrees; spring is finally here ... and I had to make note of it here ...
- I started my morning walks today ... after a long, long long break!
- This weekened is reserved for garden-cleaning and planting summer flowers ...

More photos in "My Photo Journal" - Green buds, crocus, daffodils ...
Summer songs in music blog!

O Noble Fool! O Worthy Fool!

2006-04-07T04:29:00.000-05:00

Its 3 am ...... sleepless, I'm surfing net and I come upon this trivia:
What’s common between these words:
Assassination, pageantry, watchdog, hobnob, luggage, lackluster, circumstantial, majestic ...
I’m too bored to scratch my brain. So straightaway I read the answer:
All these words are coined by Shakespeare!!!



I remember having read somewhere ... something like ....
Without Shakespeare English would be a poor language …
Who woudnt agree to that ???
How do we express ourselves without phrases like:
• All the world's a stage
• Et tu, Brutus
• Love's Labour's Lost
• The Comedy of Errors
• Much Ado about Nothing
• As you like it
• To be or not to be
• If music be the food of love, play on
• What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.
• Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
• Love’s Labor Lost
• All's Well That Ends Well



Though I’ve not read too much of Shakespeare, but am his fan.
Sounds illogical?
Well what do you expect??!!???
Its 3.30 night and I wanna sleep and I cant ...
So I’m trying to “USE” my time *productively* [ahem!]....

I remember being to Shakespeare’s birthplace:
Stratford-upon-Avon ...
It was two years back, in 2003 I guess!
A beautiful small little town in the heart of the English midlands.
What really struck me was that the streets were pretty wide. I remember I was wondering if in those days small towns had such wide streets???

The house was well very well maintained ... Brits are famous for that!!! Photography was not allowed inside his birthplace-home ... *SIGH*!!! I still remember very distinctly that there was a corner where Shakespeare used to pen his works – now adorned with a life-like statue of him ! [pix below: Shakespeare's house]


Some more trivia I remember:
- The ground floor had a guestroom with a bed – very famous – cause grapevine has it that it was Shakespeare’s best bed. It is widely believed that Shakespeare left his wife, Anne Hathaway, his second best bed and that the best bed was reserved for the guests.
- Many of his original manuscripts were used [read burned] by his maid to ignite the wooden-logs to keep the house warm in the winter months!
- He married at very young age [maybe 18] to Anne Hathaway - who was eight years his senior and I guess 3 months pregnant with their child ...

At this point I wanna use a thoughtful catch-phrase: “cultural relativism”. It means that the value of a text or work of art is dependent on the cultural context in which it is situated. So what was the accepted /mainstream mode of thinking those Shakespearean days:
- people believed in the divine right of kings to rule
- women were biologically, socially and naturally inferior to men
- some races were superior to others...
Interestingly people now question if Shakespeare was racist? sexist?
Whatever keeps his name alive ...
Btw, Shakespeare Theater is quite active even in Chicago!


I'm publishing this post ... without editing ...
Just a record of my boredom on April 7th 2006 ...
3am in the morning .. or NIGHT????
Whatever !!! Call it "much ado about nothing" !!!

Aren’t the streets too wide for Shakespeare’s [1564-1616] time?

Okay now I go to sleep ...
Busy day today ... lots to do ... G'Night!!!

" We are such stuff ... As dreams are made on
and our little life is rounded with a sleep"
- Shakespeare

A remarkable day

2006-04-06T11:59:00.000-05:00

Since the time I started my Blog … I’ve been covering the architectural landmarks of Chicago. But until now I have conscientiously avoided one of the most beautiful of structural edifices – The churches ...
For many reasons:
• I’m scared that my emphasis on the *architecture*; might touch a raw nerve of some readers who may rightly point out that a church is more of a place to worship than to admire its artistic splendor
• Though I’m very comfortable talking about my belief in God; but I find it dicey to broach on the topic of *religion*. Here I take the opportunity to mention that I’ve respectfully been to all places of worship: temples, churches, mosques, Bahai temple ... and look forward to visit a synagogue ...
• I realize that I have extremely limited or elementary knowledge on churches especially its different denominations ...
Despite these; today I have decided to write on the beautiful churches in Chicago …


[Old St. Patrick’s Church]

In my endeavor to explore their aesthetic beauty AND to learn about them ...
I did the usual :
- visited churches – and collected booklets /leaflets
- talked to priests
- made use of the trusted Google search engine

So this post is on some of the churches I visited
exactle one week ago ... last Thursday ...
- Old St Patrick’s Church
- St Peter’s Church
- First Methodist Episcopal Church
- Seventeenth Church of Christ Scientists
- Fourth Presbyterian Church
All of these are in downtown Chicago.



I should add:
- All the photographs have been clicked after taking permission from concerned authorities
- All the photographs have been taken on *flash-off* mode and
- I did *NOT* make changes in the camera-setting; in my honest attempt to minimize distraction.
But the photographs turned out to be really good ...
though the interiors have a reddish tinge ....


[Old St. Patrick’s Church]

My first visit was to the Old St. Patrick’s Church.
To add I was the first visitor that day!!!
As I entered - I was totally mesmerized by its beauty – there’s heavy ornamentation on walls, ceilings and windows - all in Celtic art.
The leaflet I collected proudly claims:
“Nowhere in the world – Ireland included – is there a fine example of Celtic church art than that which graces the interior of Old St. Patrick’s Church”
The stained glass windows have been made by Thomas O’Shaughnessy; based on “illuminated texts of the 8th century Book of Kells” The walls are adorned with statues of Irish saints as well as “saints of America”. Apart from the beautiful art, the church has a rich history – it was home of mid-19th century Irish immigrants and a survivor of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. After a small prayer I left the place …



The second church I visited the same day was: St. Peter’s Church.
On the main facade is a giant crucifix called “Christ of the Loop” made by Latvian sculptor Arvid Strauss.

Since it was afternoon lunch-break time; I was lucky to attended mass with others.
I was sitting next to a beautiful statue of which was very similar to the Pieta. Maybe its called the Pieta. I noted that the church is right in the center a busy office-area – which, I think makes it easier for people to attend it in their afternoon-break time.
However I did not stay here for long and moved to the nearby Methodist Church.



The First Methodist Episcopal Church also called "The Chicago Temple" is one the tallest churches in the world. Built in neo-gothic style; it’s a 22-story skyscraper surmounted by a steeple cross at 568 feet above street level.
The building has three sanctuaries:
• Sanctuary 1 is two stories tall on the ground floor
• Sanctuary 2 is also known as the "Dixon Chapel" and is on the 2nd floor.
• Sanctuary 3 also known as the "Sky Chapel" is the smallest sanctuary and is situated right below the steeple. It can be too small for some congregations ...
The “Sky Chapel” was installed in 1952 as a gift from Myrtle Walgreen in memory of her husband who founded the chain of drugstores under their surname – ie Walgreen Drug Stores ...

I visited the Sanctuary 1 on the ground floor, as I'd been to Sanctuary 3 earlier.
I stayed here for the longest time as someone was playing piano beautifully. When his performance was over I met him expressing my admiration and the priest was next to him, from who I took permission to take some photographs ...
"Sure" - he said ...
and you can imagine what I did ....

After this I went to the “Seventeenth Church of Christ Scientists”
- which was closed ...

Then I proceeded towards the “Fourth Presbyterian Church” on the famous Magnificent Mile. However its main entrance was close due to some renovation work in progress. I could not locate the alternative entrance ... and it was getting late and I some works to finish ...
So I decided to call it quits ...
with the decision to visit later ....


[Sanctuary 1 of the First Methodist Episcopal Church]

To use the cliched phrase "One thing leads to another":
that one day visit to various churches ...
motivated me to do some research work in two directions:
[1] To dig a bit into different dominations of churches ...
for which I've reserved a slot below ...
[ii] To look more deeply [I have some basic idea] into architectural styles ... Romanesque, Gothic, Greek-revival ....

reserved

2006-04-06T10:07:00.002-05:00

This brief essay is a very rudimentary effort to understand the major church denominations and the focus is on the historical perspective ...

Though about 12% Americans claim not to believe in religion but a dominant 83% of American population identify themselves as Christians. I feel that since I’m living in this country, I should make an effort to learn what the majority of the people believe. 53% of Americans are Protestants, 22% Catholics and 8% other Christians. Most Protestants are Baptist, Methodist or Lutherans and a relatively small proportion are Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses. Many Christians consider themselves as born-again or Evangelicals ...



However the photographs are a continuation of my previous post ...
pix 1 - St. Peter's Church
pix 2 - Pieta at St. Peter's Church
pix 3 - St Peter's Church
pix 4 - First Methodist Episcopal Church
pix 5 - Sanctuary 1 of the First Methodist Episcopal Church
pix 6 - Sanctuary 3 of the First methodist Episcopal Church
pix 7 - Fourth Presbyterian Church
pix 8 - Fourth Presbyterian Church
pix 9 - Fourth Presbyterian Church

By the end of first century; there were three main movements:
- Pauline Christians: Created by Paul and his co-workers.
- Gnostic Christians – They claimed salvation through special /secret gnosis [knowledge] They were declared heretic and were suppressed and exterminated
- Jewish Christians – originally headed by James, the brother of Yeshua. They were scattered throughout the Roman Empire after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70CE and gradually disappeared.



So of these Pauline Christians evolved to become established church.
As this movement, Christianity, grew over the following centuries, it was becoming very popular. The Roman Emperor, Constantine adopted Christianity as the official 'religion' of the Empire in the 4th century; mostly because it was seen as a potential threat to the Roman Empire. The church leaders in Rome were given much power and authority. However, this mixing of - State & Christianity - eventually led to a watering down and adulteration of the true gospels. Many religious rites and practices came into being that was neither sanctioned by God or good for His people.

Great Schism between Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church:
In 1054 CE a lengthy power struggle between eastern and western Christianity, resulted in the Great Schism or the East-West Schism between the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Western Rite - later called the Roman Catholic Church .
.



So by the year 1054 there were two main divisions of Church:
[1] Eastern Orthodox Church: It claims direct descent from Christ and the Apostles. The Orthodoxy has lived in a number of distinct organizational forms, usually national churches such as the Greek, Romanian, Russian, and Syrian.
[2] Roman Catholic Church: is led by the Pope, the Bishop of Rome. It is governed by the “successor of Peter" — i.e. the Pope — "and the bishops in communion with him". It teaches that it is the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Jesus for the salvation of all people. The Church traces its origins to Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, in particular Peter, who is traditionally regarded as the first Pope.

Many Christian sects broke away from the Western Rite throughout the Middle Ages (Cathars, Knights Templars, etc.). These were generally exterminated by the central church in various genocidal wars.



Another major event that took place was the invention of printing press in 1440. It led to the Great Revival as the advent of the printing press led to a greater number of Bibles being printed and circulated. Previously, Bibles, as with all books, had to be hand-written which restricted the circulation to the aristocracy and those within the church hierarchy.

Division in Roman Catholic Church:
The first book to be printed was the Bible and soon as it was widely read; people realized that the church was teaching them things contrary to God's word. In the 1500's – Martin Luther - spear-headed a mass-movement away from the traditional church called the Protestant Reformation

The word “protestant” is a derivative of the word “protest” because this was the beginning of Protestantism as a religion. The basic protest was about Church doctrine and the refusal of the Catholic Church to allow priests to marry and married couples to divorce. They were driven largely by two fundamental principles:
• Sola Scriptura [Scripture alone] – The belief that the Holy Bible was the ultimate authority for all matters of religious beliefs and practice.
• The Priesthood of all believers – the belief that no priest or other intermediary is needed between Christians and believer of the God.


Anglican Church
In 1534, under King of England Henry the VIII - the Church of England separated itself from the Church of Rome. This was mainly because the Pope had refused to allow the English monarch, Henry VIII, to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon. With separation from Rome, now the English monarch, rather than the Pope, became the head of the Church of England The monasteries were dissolved and confiscated by the crown and the Bible was translated into the vernacular. People and churches that follow the religious traditions developed by the Church of England are called – Anglicans [from Anglia, the Latin name for England]. They recognize the Archbishop of Canterbury as their spiritual leader. The Anglican Communion is the largest Protestant denomination in the English-speaking world, and the second largest sect of Christianity after the Roman Catholic Church!



MODERN TIMES we have
• Eastern Orthodox
• Roman Catholic
• Protestant
• Anglican – Church of England

The Protestant Church split further over differences in interpretation of the Bible. Now there are many different Protestant religions all over the world. The largest of these are Lutheran, Episcopalian, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist and Adventist.

Lutheran:
The Lutheran Church is based on the teachings of Martin Luther. The followers believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the New Testament. Many of these people still consider themselves to be a reform movement within the Catholic Church.

Episcopalian:
The Episcopalian Church is actually the American branch of the worldwide Anglican Church (Church of England - which began in 1534 when the English monarch, rather than the Pope, was recognized as the head of the church of England]. For a century and a half in this country, it bore the name Church of England. They believe in the Holy Trinity and the Bible is the authority on which the religion is based. They believe that Christ died for their sins and that each person has to be repentant for sins they have committed in order to be saved.



Presbyterian:
Presbyterian Church was started by John Knox – the father of Protestant Reformation in Scotland. It is very similar to other “reformed” churches as:
- Swiss Reformed Churches – started by Ulrich Zwingli - in Switzerland
- Calvinism – started by John Calvin in France
The basic principles of the religion are that man is saved through faith alone and that the Bible is the ultimate authority. Presbyterians stress the sovereignty of God and that man is inherently sinful.

Baptist:
Baptists formed in England in about 1610. Baptists believe that only "self-professed believers" are eligible for church membership, and therefore, it is only made of regenerated believers. They are “evangelistic” and emphasize purity in personal life and habits. The Baptist faith is the largest Protestant group in the U. S. They emphasize on believer's “baptism” by full immersion, which is performed after a profession of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
*Evangelicalism: emphasis on faith in Jesus as necessary and sufficient for salvation.



Methodists:
Methodism began as a movement within the Church of England, and expanded over the under the leadership of John and Charles Wesley. The Methodist Protestant Church was officially formed in 1828 as a church that was Wesleyan in doctrine. It focused on Bible study, and a methodical approach to scriptures and Christian living; but It rejected the Church of England.

Pentecostal:
Pentecostal refers to the first Pentecost, which took place fifty days after Christ's resurrection, when the Spirit enabled Christians to speak in unfamiliar languages, these conservative Protestants have grown rapidly since their modern beginnings in the U. S. around 1900. They believe that through the Holy Spirit, what happened during Pentecost can happen now. In fact, seeking and receiving the gift of tongues is regarded as a sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, itself requisite to full discipleship. Other Spirit gifts-healing, love, joy, answers to prayer-also make up Pentecostals' experience of God.

According to governanace:
• Presbyterian churches are governed by elected elders
• Episcopal churches are governed by bishops
• Congregational churches are self-governed

reserved slot

2006-04-06T10:07:00.000-05:00

.............

Up, Down and Across

2006-04-01T08:48:00.000-06:00

My inspiration to write this post comes from this sight on - March 29, 2006 - a picture that proclaims loud and clear that spring is finally here and people are relaxing in the sun – sitting on the Good Ole STAIRWAYS ...
[pix. 1 - Hancock Center Plaza]

Despite swanky restaurants and chic coffee bars - we love to chat perched on staircases; be it in an apartment complex, a park or any open space! There’s something very cozy, informal and inviting about stairways. It’s a place where we can discuss anything and everything – sports, politics, movies, exams, work, friends ... A place we wish hello, bid good-bye with promises to meet again ... A place to relax, read novels, tune-in to music, observe birds or just unwind idly ...

So staircases go way beyond of their utilitarian function of providing a means to get from one floor to the next; they and are often accompanied with aesthetic embellishments - adding to the visual appeal ... and provide a perfect social setting for an informal rendezvous or a private tete-a-tete ...



Though it’s difficult to precisely date the origin of staircases; one can safely assume that they are one of the oldest of building elements ... adapting to different architectural eras, reflecting the ongoing advancement in technologies and styles while simultaneously showcasing the talent and ingenuity of those who created them. An exterior stair can light up the face of a whole building and an interior staircase can be the focal point of a lobby or a room. A properly done staircase is not only comfortable to walk but also add to visual pleasure and its landing can provide a unique view of the building. While a long, narrow stairways may look awfully intimidating; but stairs with frequent breaks and small landings make the walk much easier and restful. Over the years; different shapes of staircases emerged – straight, L-shape, T-shaped, spiral and even double-helix spiral. So a basic structural element as a staircase integrates multiple facets like function, safety, comfort, ergonomics and aesthetics ...
[Pix 2 Rookery lobby]



One interesting trivia from my much talked about scribble pad –
In the medieval times; castles always had spiral stairways - anticlockwise for climbing up and clockwise for walking down … this is because all knights used to be right-handed. When the intruding army would climb the stairs they would not be able to use their right hand which was holding the sword because of the difficulties of climbing the stairs. Left-handed knights would have had no troubles, except left-handed people could never become knights because it was assumed that they were descendants of the devil.

Technological advances didn’t leave staircases untouched. We’ve moved from stone, cement, cast-iron staircases ... to ... elevators, escalators and moving walks ... We also have electric chair lifts for handicapped ...



If an “ELEVATOR” is defined as any platform that can be moved by mechanical means in a guided path; then elevators are not a modern technological breakthrough but have been in use since ancient Roman times. As shown in the movie “Gladiator” ... lions were moved up-or-down in iron-caged elevators. So modern elevators - rather than being a recent innovation - are but an improvement of an old process! However what really can be termed as a major advancement is the invention of the "Safety Elevator" - with a new device the called “safety brake” - which would prevent the free fall of the platform; if the hoisting rope ever broke down. The credit for this technology goes to Elijah Otis who introduced it in 1853. This groundbreaking safety features revolutionized architecture; opening the way for high-rise buildings and our structural landscape changed forever.
[pix 4 - Thompson Center lobby]



When elevators came – ESCALATERS – couldn’t be far behind. Soon people were moving up n down on conveyor belt–n-tracks. The escalator was designed by Charles Seeberger in 1897; who also coined the term 'escalator'; in which 'scala', is Latin for steps and the word 'elevator', was already used widely. However Charles Seeberger sold his patent rights for the escalator to the Otis Elevator Company in 1910 which now dominate the production of both escalators and elevators. Then we also have “MOVING WALKS” mostly in the airports ...
[pix 5 - Marshall Fields ]



However – the charm of stairways remains intact!

One interesting feature dotting Chicago landscape is the fire-escape stairways. Buildings are constructed in such a way as living rooms and bedrooms have adequate fire escapes. Modern structures have elaborate emergency–exit arrangements … mostly involving staircases. Somehow I even find stadiums, theaters and some auditorium buildings as giant enclosed staircases!

As I’ve said earlier, I can drag any topic to movies; so well talking about staircases, I think all mystery and horror films have spooky houses and eerie staircases – long, dark, dingy - straight or spiral stairways! In the hands of a seasoned director like Alfred Hitchcock; the simple act of going up a staircase may appear to be quite a disorienting experience, trading safety for the unknown. Spiral staircases are particularly threatening — the swirling vortex — suggesting a loss of control ... be it : Vertigo, Psycho or Rebecca!

Gosh, I can’t begin the post writing about good moments on the stairways and end with spine chilling raconteur ...
So well I end with some really interesting stairways:
[1] Vatican Museum Staircase ...
[2] Montmatre ...

More photos of stairways in "My Photo Journal"

Milwaukee Art Museum

2006-03-27T11:21:00.000-06:00

Well well well – this happens to be my 50th post!!!

And it’s not on Chicago!!!
This one on my weekend trip to the Milwaukee Art Museum [MAM] and it’s simply mind-blowing!!!

Strangely enough the museum reminded me of a movie “The Thomas Crown Affair” – with glamorous portrayal of a *fictional* art heist. Hmmm … maybe because I found the place to be ultra glamorous – with futuristic neo-modern architecture – the types I‘ve seen only in movies! But of course *real* art crime is a serious problem. The Nazi regime plundered more than three million works of art. One explanation, which I find to be particularly interesting; is that Hitler was rejected twice by the “Vienna Academy of Fine Arts”; so to cover up his humiliation; he assumed the role of the ultimate art critic – amassing the most valued paintings from all around! Then the most recent art-theft that sent screams all over was, of course that of “The Scream” by Edvard Munch ... So art-museum, art-galleries, art-auctions, art-theft, art-forgery ... and all that artsy-fartsy nonsense [!!!???!!!] ... all make for serious business!!!
[pix 1 - main lobby of the museum]

"Art washes from the soul the dust of every day life." - Pablo Picasso

People collect all sorts of things: shells, rocks, ceramic, pottery, jewelry, textiles, paintings, sculpture, furniture ... to autographs, comic books, collectible cards, postcards, stamps and even ticket-stubs!
WHY??? I don’t know their motives …
Personally I collect snaps and holiday souvenirs - key-chains & coffee-mugs - as memorabilia.



But whatever the inducement; it’s really commendable, that some philanthropists give their private collections to museums where they are professionally cared for and made accessible to everyone. Private collections often form the basis of most museums. I think we are lucky that some people take interest in conserving, preserving and displaying arts and artifacts … so that ordinary people like me; get a glimpse of the lives, cultures, times … different from ours – which has always fascinated me! Valuable antiques have been collected since the times of early civilizations – by the Egyptian, Greeks, Romans and others. In fact the word –“museum” is derived from the Greek work meaning "Seat of the Muses”- referring to a place of contemplation! Now the term means “any building housing cultural material to which the public has access."
[pix 2 - Egyptian Mummy Coffin of Pediusir, 350 BC

"Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable.”- George Bernard Shaw

Though seeing the Louvre is my dream .....
but I’ve seen a few very interesting museums:
- “The Jewel House” in the Tower of London; which displays British crown jewels including the Cullinan diamond and the Kohinoor!
- The Ford Museum - Detroit
- Chicago Art Museum
- The latest being the Milwaukee Art Museum [MAM]

“It is through Art and through Art only that we can realize our perfection; through Art and Art only that we can shield ourselves from the sordid perils of actual existence” - Oscar Wilde



MAM has been completed is phases:
- The original was designed by Eero Saarinen
- But what really shot this museum to international fame is – the 125,000-square-foot building expansion – completed in 2001 - designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. [His first work in United States].

One of the main attractions is the wing-like moving structure "Burke Brise Soleil" - which:
- During daytime - opens up for a wingspan of 217 feet and
- During the night or in inclement weather - folds over the tall …

"The art of a people is the true mirror to their minds."
- Jawaharlal Nehru

More pictures in My photo Journal ...
And a bonus was witnessing this ...

A Small - Swampy - Underpopulated - Tribal - Village ... Transformed

2006-03-23T10:03:00.000-06:00

Any friend or relative comes to Chicago -
a trip to the Sears Tower is a must!
But before one can step into its observatory the “Skydeck”;
on the 103rd Floor [of the 110 floors tower]; there is a small diversion – a slide show with commentary – mostly about the growth of the city. One cannot escape but notice the importance of canals & railroads in the development of this city ...
.

Once upon a time – NOT very long back – about 150 - 200 years ago ...
there was a small village on the boggy-marshy-swampy banks of the southwest shore of Lake Michigan ... named CHE- CAU-GOU [name derived from the odor of wild onions] ... where just a few [less than 300 till 1830's] Native Americans [mostly of Potawatomi tribe] resided ... and traded in furs!!!

So how did this Small - Swampy - Underpopulated - Tribal Village ...
grow into one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world - in less than 200 years !!!???!!!!

This calls for a dig into the past .....
Major factors contributing to its meteoric rise are the same basic three I's ...
- Infrastructure [ Development of canals & railroads ]
- Industries [ especially meat-packing & steel industries ]
- Finance [opening of Chicago Board of Trade - CBOT]



CANALS:
Prior to the advent of railroads, the major mode of transportation was steamboats. As such; St. Louis – the “River city” – at the confluence of 3 rivers - Mississippi, Illinois & Missouri – was the most important trading centre in the Midwest. Trade route was mostly North-South – which implies that the surplus farm products from Midwest were gathered together at St. Louis and were shipped south through the Mississippi River to New Orleans, from there were taken by sea to the east or west coast.

One of the most important developments that changed the face of Chicago was construction of New York's Erie Canal [in 1825]. By about 1835, a large part of the products could now be transported east through the Great Lakes to the Erie Canal to the New York City. This diminished the trend of North-South transportation and established Chicago as an important center for West - East trading.

Then the “Illinois & Michigan Canal” [completed in 1848]; connected Chicago to the Mississippi River & the Great Lakes. The creation of this canal system further reoriented this trade to an east-west axis.

This in turn drew many land speculators and entrepreneurs to the area. This key water based transportation link in turn influenced the massive Railroad construction from Chicago to other parts of the country which just continued Chicago's explosive growth.



RAILROADS:
The development of railroads began in Chicago 1848 ....
By 1850 – there was only one railroad passing through the city; “The Galena & Chicago Union Railroad”. By 1852, there were 5 and by 1856 – there were 10 railroads, totaling 300 miles of track. The opening of Union Station in 1881 further consolidated Chicago’s position as the hub of the Midwest!

The Gold Rush - When gold was found in California in 1848 – it proved to be the first great impetus for migration to the Far West regions of America and proved to be a boon to Chicago as it now emerged as an important transit & trading center.



MEAT- PACKING INDUSTRY:
It’s perhaps the most-important industry in the development of Chicago.
# the establishment of “Union Stock Yards” in 1865 made Chicago a livestock center.
# the development of “refrigerated railroad cars”- made long distance transport possible without much spoilage. The utilization of ice in meat packing plants increased the meat-production. Before this time, the disassembly plants [meat production and distribution facilities], had to shut down in the hot summer months. Increased operating months created hundreds of thousands of new man-hours in which people could work. This increased the demand for “unskilled labor” – contributing to the growth of immigrants and working class in the city ….
# By 1862 Chicago had displaced Cincinnati, Ohio as "Porkopolis".
# The Civil War [1861-65] increased the demand for food products and Chicago's vast transportation system ensured that goods could be delivered to soldiers quickly all over the northern United States …

STEEL INDUSTRY:
During the second half of the nineteenth century, Chicago became one of the world's leading centers of steel production. It helped in the development of railroads, ships, skyscrapers and bridges and also employed immigrant workers in large numbers.

THE CHICAGO BOARD of TRADE:
In 1848 Chicago built its first grain elevator, and the Chicago Board of Trade [CBOT] was established. In fact Modern day futures and commodity trading markets were pioneered in Chicago at CBOT. Some even argue that the grain elevators built were Chicago's first skyscrapers. The trade in livestock, lumber, and grains laid down the financial basis for Chicago's growth.

Though the analysis is wanting in many aspects,
but I think that it still highlights some of the most important developments ....
that transformed Chicago from a Small - Swampy - Underpopulated - Tribal Village ...
into one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world !!!

Chicago blogger

2006-03-21T11:25:00.000-06:00

Well no stocktaking of the situation is required to conclude that I write mostly on my city - Chicago! However it took me quite some time yesterday night, to organize the topics with the corresponding links. But then, I had put my mind to it ... so this tedious and boring self-assigned project is finally accomplished ... However my covering the city will continue ...

[1] The Melting Pot ...

[2] Combining Chic & Ego ...

[3] The Windy City ...

[4] City of Rectangular Boxes - I ...
City of Rectangular Boxes - II ...

[5] Chicago Sculptures … ...



[6] From Stone Walls to Glass-&-Steel Frames …

[7] Prairie School of Architecture ...

[8] Art Institute of Chicago...
Impressionisms ...
Post - Impressionisms ...
some “… ISMS” ... in post Post-Impressionisms phase ...

[9] Chicago River flows backwards ...

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES :
[1] St. Patrick’s Day Parade ...

[2] A Sad Farewell - Berghoff Resturant...

[3] Street Musicians..



[4] Scents & Sensibilities ...

BUILDINGS of INTEREST:
The tallest three buildings of Chicago ...
[1] Sears Tower …
[2] Aon Center ... [Left pix.]
[3] Hancock Center ...

Others:
[4] Millennium Park...

[5] Chicago Cultural Center...

[6] Rookery...

City Updates ...

2006-03-21T11:12:00.001-06:00

Few city updates:

- May 2005: Chicago banned use of cell phones for drivers ...

- Jan. 2006: Chicago banned smoking in all public places , except taverns and restaurants with bars at least until mid-2008, and many suburbs have done the same ...

- Feb. 2006: Chicago's City Council banned street performers from the Magnificent Mile. Street performers such as bucket drummers, saxophonists, bagpipers and singers have been ordered to pipe down, making Chicago the latest city to try to reduce urban noise. The regulations also lower acceptable decibel levels everywhere else in the city and require entertainers exceeding 55 decibels — the level of loud talking — to pack up by 8 p.m. on weeknights. Permit fees will also increase from $50 to $75.

- Feb. 2006: Chicago's CTA and Pace (suburban) buses will have wider seats starting next year.... as Chicago becomes America's fattest city. The seat width is going up from 17.5" across to 18" across. Despite the small increase, this will make Chicago's bus seats the biggest in the nation.

* CTA = Chicago Transit Authority ...

Hello Spring ....

2006-03-16T10:17:00.000-06:00

Though officially spring begins on the 21st of March;
but the spring-like "feel" is all aroud. Very soon dull-lifeless-dormant nature will burst with vitality-& colors!I love gardening and made some attempts to organize my small little scribbles on plants. Its here Green Thumb ...
I would love to share these photos ...
and though I definitely intend to add more; but this Blog won’t be updated regularly. The basic idea was to organize my notes & pictures ... and with spring around; this is the best time for it ....
Cheers!

ADDENDUM
March 19, 2006 ....

Well the same day that I posted “Hello Spring” it snowed.
North winds have descended and are expected to stay for a week …
There are predictions of snow this Tuesday – "snow with blustery winds" …
But March is characteristically a stormy month in Chicago - as the atmosphere begins its annual transition from winter to summer; Arctic and tropical air masses - from North & South - wage constant battles for supremacy and strong low pressure systems develop, producing blizzards & thunderstorms.
[ Left - pix. of snow on March 16, 2006]

However these spring-storms have not dampened the upbeat mood …
Spring is here – ALMOST …

- Time to bid goodbye to blacks-n-grays
- Time to pack-away jackets-boots-mufflers-gloves
- Time to bring out colorful tank-tops, Capri’s, shorts & flip-flops
- Time for gardening
- Time for barbeques and picnics …

A generation that defines America

2006-03-15T11:41:00.000-06:00

You know you’re a cute little heartbreaker - Foxy
You know you’re a sweet little lovemaker - Foxy
I wanna take you home, I won’t do you no harm, no
You’ve got to be all mine, all mine ... Ooh, foxy lady

The image of Jimi Hendrix performing at Woodstock 1969; evokes strange images in my mind - curly afrohair with bandana - white jacket with fringes - guitar slung over shoulders - immersed in psychedelic trance!!! A Rock-N-Roll virtuoso with a mixed African, European, Cherokee Indian & Mexican descent … [yeah America is a land of racial hodgepodge] strumming in front of a huge gung-ho crowd which a unique fashion statement ...
Torn/patched jeans - Tie-n-die-shirts - Wide leather belts - Long hair [mostly unkept] – Beards-n-moustaches [hardly trimmed] - Bell-bottoms - Mini/Micromini skirts – Halter tops – Chain belts – Platform heels – Leather boots ...
That was the 60's ...
What happens to this generation as they grow old????



A generation that has many catchphrases associated to them:
War-babies - Me-generation - Now-generation - Love-generation - hippie-culture - counterculture - experimentation - free-love – communal living ...

A generation that embraced songs like ...
I hope I die before I get old (talkin’ ’bout my generation)
I hope I die before I get old (talkin’ ’bout my generation)
This is my generation, This is my generation [ The Who]

A generation that chanted: “Don’t trust anyone over 30”...
What happens to this generation as they grow old????

Demographers term this generation as the Baby-Boomer generation.
Born between Jan 1st, 1946 – Dec 31st, 1964 ...
It’s a massive team of 78 million Americans ... A demographic bulge!!!
America's present population is expected to be about 300 million ...
Baby-boomers form the largest generation ever to be born in America. Never had so many babies been born in such a small time-span ... a reflection of relative peace and prosperity after prolonged bad years of Depression & War ...

Late 40’s – maternity wards were overcrowded with expectant mothers
1950’s – school enrollment swelled - they played with hula-hoops
1960’s - colleges were overfilled - they formed the most educated [yet] lot
1970’s - job-market expanded – they formed double-income families
1980’s – housing sector bulged - had late kids
1990’s – divorce court boomed
2000's - they prepare to retire ...
They have molded and shaped American society at every phase – simply by moving through it en masse . Demographers frequently describe their effect comparing it to a python swallowing a pig. In the same way that it causes a huge lump, as it moves down the body of snake ... so does this generation affects every aspect of American culture as it grows and grays ...
What happens to this generation as they grow old????



Their legacy has greater impact on society than any other generation.
- Civil-rights / racial integration
- Equal rights for women / women’s lib movement / feminism
- Vietnam war protests / slogans like “Make Love Not War”
- First generation to grow on television
- Environmentalists
- Soccer-moms
- Mini-vans / SUVs
- Fast-food generation to grow on McDonalds, Burger King, KFC …
- They rule Hollywood ... Steven Spielberg is the poster-boy of this generation [born in 1946], Peter Jackson [LOTR], Ang lee [ Brokeback Mountain], Quentin Tarantino [ born- 1963]
- Grew on Rock-N-Roll of The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin … songs that are still loved by the masses
- Well President George W. Bush, Ex-President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice all belong to the baby-boomer generation .....
Baby-boomer culture *IS* the American culture ...



Compared to earlier generations, they grew in abundance, lived in indulgence and were pampered with technological breakthroughs. Baby-boomers have reached geezer-hood now. They frequent drug-stores more than hardware stores now. However they still impact our economy. In a democratic society where every vote counts; politicians simply cant ignore their huge-lot. They are outspoken, concerned and they matter!!!
No wonder people discuss:
- Social security
- Medicare benefits
As the baby-boomer generation reach retirement – pushing over-55 years to 25% of the population.

What happens to this generation as they grow old and retire ...
Is yet to be seen …

But I have long been FASCINATED by this generation …
And today I just felt like writing my impressions on them ...

AND HAPPY HOLI EVERYONE
PLAY WITH COLORS ... ENJOY !!!!

The Melting Pot ....

2006-03-12T14:46:00.000-06:00

How do I feel ...
about growing in a country with one of the oldest civilizations in the world ... and ... now to live in a somewhat *infant* nation ????
Indian civilization -> about 4000 years old
America -> discovered only in 1493 ...

A more interesting question, I’ve been asked is ...
How do I feel ... about growing in a land of relatively homogeneous population [where even inter-state migration is restricted] ... And then to be living in a land of immigrants????

Yeah, “Land of Immigrants” this is!!!
Chicago can be called a social laboratory wherein an observer can make an elaborate study on the “Melting Pot” theory of racial & cultural diversity and integration ...
.

Its ethnic composition speaks volumes:
One-third -> Europeans
One-third –> African-Americans
One-fifth –> Latinos
One-tenth –> Asian
Rest of the population is made up of rest of the world ...

So what’s the percentage of *Native American* population???
Just 0.15% of Chicago population … consists of Native American tribes ... Potawatomi, Shawnee, Delaware, Ottawa, Chippewa and Iroquois …



What’s really intriguing is that the history of Chicago is studied from the time when the first *non-native* settler made Chicago his home. Now he was a Haitian with a French name - Jean Baptiste Point du Sable - who married a native Potawatomi tribe girl and made his home in Chicago in 1774! When Chicago was incorporated into a town, in 1833; its population was just 350!!! But within four years, by 1837 the population had reached 4000 and the “City of Chicago” was incorporated.
Now there are about 3 million people living in the city proper and about 10 million people living in the greater Chicago area. The actual city residents make up about a fifth of Illinois total population.

The first wave of immigrants ...
came around 1840’s; when Europeans started arriving in the city: from Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Italy, Austria, Poland, ..... Soon there were immigrants from almost all the European countries ... Quite interestingly they made attempts to dismantle their European identity by adopting the commonly spoken language here and even changing their names to sound more American.
Chicago has huge proportion of Polish, Swede, German and Irish population.
However, a point to note is that even the oldest family in Chicago can’t trace their roots in the city to more than 200 years!!!



The Great Black Migration ...
took place between 1915-1960; when many African-Americans from Southern states [of Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas...] poured into Chicago trying to escape segregation and seeking better economic life. This trend transformed Chicago in every possible way – politically, economically, socially and culturally. Europeans no longer had a dominant political majority as Blacks became a force to reckon with, by their sheer numbers! However those days, Blacks found only menial jobs ... women got into domestic services and men performed unskilled labor. Segregation here was as bad as in Southern states and almost all the new migrants settled together in the South side of Chicago making it a “Black Belt” characterized by overcrowded apartments and abject living conditions. But their influence on cultural, musical & religious fields changed Chicago forever!
.
.



The growth of Asian community ...
in Chicago can be traced not far back … to the 1965 immigration law; that abolished racial quotas and called for skilled professionals to fill a gap in America's labor market. Thousands of doctors, engineers, and scientists immigrated with their families. Thanks to their Western education with fluency in English and professional training, they attained economic prosperity in record time! Devon Street is the heart of Indian community and is rightly termed “Indiantown”.

Interestingly Indians *look* very similar to the Latinos; who have a dominant presence here [in terms of population density] . But there’s one major difference ... Latinos speak Spanish and hardly speak English.
So I do get occasional greetings of HOLA or Grasias ...

But now coming back to the original question ...
How do I feel about growing up in India and now living here ...
It’s a beautiful experience !!!

*** My inspiration to write on The Melting Pot Theory came after witnessing the lively parade yesterday to mark the occasion “St. Patrick’s Day” [on the 17th of March] !!! More photos in the Photo Journal ....
Well there are other theories :
- The Salad Bowl Theory / tossed salad bowl theory
- The Crash Theory!!!

Gimme a BREAK ...

2006-03-06T21:22:00.000-06:00

BE WARNED: This is a very KIDDISH post ...
It may appear to have been written by an 8-year old ...
but honestly I’ve penned it … and …
I’m posting it - for 12 hours only ... hmmm maybe .....

The “Oscar“ fever and the name of two movies “Brokeback Mountain” and “Crash” ...
brings to my mind a word “BREAK" !!!
Break – not a pleasant word at all!!!
Nobody likes their precious objects to be broken into pieces ….
But I think that “in essence” the word “break” is very similar like the word “salt”.



Salt by itself has a very odious taste, but add it to food-items and it works like a seasoning, enhancing its flavor!!! Similarly the word “break” though inherently reeks of negative connotations; but use it as a “suffix” or a “prefix” … and it gives very positive results ....
Who doesnt like a coffee break??? OR ...
• Spring-break / Summer-break
• Lunch-break / Day-break
• Break-fast – the most important meal of the day!

   [Lunch-Break]

As the lyrics go … breaking up is hard to do ...
• The Break-Up – a smart way to begin afresh !
• Breaking the ice / breaking the silence
• Breaking the stereotype
• Breaking the chain – [forward mails !!!!]
• Just one break – sometimes that’s all one needs …
• Breakdance
• Speed-break
• Breakwater – barrier that protects a harbor or shore from full impact of waves

   [Kids on a spring-break]

“BREAK” – A milestone / something important ...
• Breaking all records
• Break-even - and let the profit begin …
• Breaking the sound barrier
• Breaking news
• Breaking into sweat – well hard work is always rewarding …

“BREAK” – Well, not always positive ...
• BROKE
• Prison – break
• Breaking the law, house break-in
• Breakout of disease
• Breaking Point - The point at which physical, mental, or emotional strength gives way under stress ...


[A Quiet Break - I love this pix.]

One of my all time fav. songs by Queen ....
I want to break free
I want to break free
I want to break free from your lies
You’re so self satisfied I don’t need you
I’ve got to break free
God knows God knows I want to break free

Well I actually made-up that list .....
I laughed-out-loud after writing that ...
Well ... I've think tomorrow whether it stays or gets deleted ...
As of now ... Good Night!

Mementoes ...

2006-03-03T10:31:00.000-06:00

The word “Memento” instantly evokes memories of a brilliant movie; in which the protagonist [Guy Pearce] is afflicted by Short Term Memory [STM] loss.
So how does he cope?
By making copious notes, collecting photographs & even resorting to imprinting tattoos on his body … in short … gathering mementoes … a surefire way to aid *recall* through association …
Did it work?
Absolutely!!!

Time is such a fleeting element … it passes by … just like that … and sooner than we realize … everyday bitter-sweet moments … if not revisited … simply fades away ... Faces and places … Cozy homes and dingy spaces … Laughter and tears … Hot food and cold beers …. Friends and strangers … Summer vacation and looming dangers …Tiny bits of moments … Soon become another time another day another year …. So … freeze the moments … make them last forever … in golden-gray memorabilia …
[Ahh … my rhymes suck … I know … well whatever]


Now getting back to the issue of memorabilia … photo-albums & scrap-books ... make the best mementos … and add to these … small little notes n comments; sometimes pressed flowers, ticket-stubs and viola you get trigger-happy slices of life back ! Their immense power overwhelm us with nostalgia … sometimes making us blush … sometimes cheering us up … sometimes spurring us to make a few phone calls to long lost friends … Photos of family-trips, countryside picnics, class-friends & festivals … are always delightful ... I often pick up my parents old albums, though pictures have faded … but its still such a pleasure to see … mom’s long lustrous hair, dad’s slim-handsome looks … uncles’ n aunts … old fashion with strange hairdos …

Apart from photographs; some people collect other interesting mementoes. Like ...
# Buy a new novel for every trip and neatly scribbling the date & destination
# Some buy T-shirts; with catchphrases representative of the city: “I love New York” ... “Miami-The Sunshine City” ... “Chicago-My Kind of City” ….
# Picture-post cards are also very popular
# Some collect tokens like coins & currency-notes ...



In fact the crafty city-planners make sure that every tourist attraction exits to a *Gift Shop* … where you can buy souvenirs … like caps, flags, books, picture frames, picture postcards, maps, pendants, T-shirts, Coffee mugs , Key rings …
And … the last two are my favorites’!!! I have been collecting … Coffee Mugs and Key Rings … for a loooong time now and I’m extremely fond of them.
My three favorite are:
# A coffee-mug from Oxford; which has emblems of different universities
# A key-ring from Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare
# A coffee-mug from Ford Museum, Detroit

The trick is to have these souvenirs small, affordable, non-perishable & low-maintenance … that can be stashed away for long periods of times but resurface unscathed ... I think school ties, badges & report-cards … make for excellent mementoes!!!



Mostly we collect mementoes & souvenirs; but store them at such inaccessible places that they are as good as forgotten. Like albums saved in cupboards, objects packed in boxes and stored in basement … maybe along with shoeboxes.
But I feel … as long as they are safe ... we may still visit them.

*** This post is a result of my cleaning the house. I came across these objects I've been collecting for some time now. Though I was a bit hesitant about posting them ... but then I thought I could share these ...
Moments – here today – gone tomorrow
Mementoes last forever ...

Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind
Memories, sweetened thru the ages just like wine
Quiet thought come floating down
And settle softly to the ground
Like golden autumn leaves around my feet
I touched them and they burst apart with sweet memories, Sweet Memories!

Combining "CHIC" & "EGO" ....

2006-02-25T18:23:00.000-06:00

[Pix 1: Sears Towers]

Chicago: Its not a political hub; not a financial capital, doesn’t have the glitz of Hollywood & is proudly not a sin-city ... However it’s a city of superlatives –highest, largest, biggest, busiest, first & even the fattest !!! This modest city has a lot to boast about .....

- The food-loving Chicagoans make for America’s “fattest” city - 2006
- The birthplace of “Deep-Dish” pizza
- Hosts world's largest free outdoor food festival “ The Taste of Chicago”
- It is also the birthplace of fast food giant - McDonalds, chewing gum giant -Wrigley’s & also cell phone giant Motorola
- Chicago stages world's biggest free blues, jazz and gospel festivals
- It has world’s busiest airport - O’Hare
- America’s most trafficked highway - Dan Ryan Expressway [I-90/I-94]
- Chicago is the birthplace of skyscrapers ...
- It has North America’s tallest building “Sears Tower”, [110 floors] and from its Sky-deck at 103rd floor; you can see all the way to neighboring states of Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin … 40 to 50 miles ...
-

[Pix 2: John Hancock Towers]

- America’s highest indoor swimming pool is on the 44th floor of the “John Hancock Center”[100 floors]
- It is home to the largest building in the United States (excluding the Pentagon): the “Merchandise Mart" spread over 90 acres of floor space ...
- Highest steeple in the world – United Methodist Church
- “Buckingham Fountain” in Grant Park; is one of the world's largest fountains.
- “The Millennium Park “has one of worlds largest sculptures the "Cloud Gate”: 66 feet long and 33 feet wide.

[Pix 3: Washington Library]

- World’s largest public library is located here … the “Harold Washington Library Center” … houses about 2 million books
- The “Art Institute”, has the largest collection of French Impressionist paintings outside of Paris, France
- “Chicago Cultural Center” has the largest Tiffney stained glass dome in the world
- “Shedd Aquarium” is the largest indoor aquarium in the world, home to beluga whales, eels, penguins & leaping dolphins
- Next door to the aquarium is the “Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum”; which is the first ever planetarium built in the Western Hemisphere


[Pix 4: T-rex named Sue]

- The “Field Museum”; with 9 acres of exhibition space. In 1997 it purchased "Sue”, the world's largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus-Rex [T-Rex] skeleton ...
- Lincoln Park Zoo, just north of downtown, is the world's largest admission-free zoological garden
- Chicago made a $110-million investment to move an eight-lane freeway to create a "Museum Campus" connecting three world-class museums – [1] the Field Museum of Natural History, [2] the Adler Planetarium, and [3] the John G.Shedd Aquarium and Oceanarium.


[Pix:5: Chicago riverside]

- Chicago also has the only river in the world that flow backwards. Engineers reversed the Chicago River in 1900 for sanitary purposes.
- Al Capone ... The street gangster ... made Chicago his home ...
- Hometown of Oprah Winfrey – the best talk-show hostess & also Jerry Springer – host of the worst talk show on TV
- Hometown of Hollywood biggies – Harrison Ford, John Cusack, Charlie Kaufmann, Jim Beluchi , Bill Murray …
- Chicago based firm – “ R.S. Owens and Company” makes The Oscar statues and thousands of awards and for everything from sports and corporate awards to music like the Emmys & the MTV awards,
- Movies filmed in Chicago …
I-Robot, Chicago, Untouchables, My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Negotiator, The Fugitive, What Woman Want, American Beauty, Chain Reaction, When Harry met Sally, Sixteen Candles, Ocean’s 11 & 12; Home Alone- I, II & III; Barbershop, Ferris Bueller’s Day off, Bad Boys, A league of their own ...
Another interesting fact - Chicago also has the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw, Poland!

* Chicago trivia continues below in ..... "The Windy City".....

The Windy City ...

2006-02-25T18:06:00.000-06:00

Three terms / catchphrases frequently figure in any reference of the city of Chicago:
- The Great Fire – 1871
- The Columbian Exposition- 1893
- The Windy City



The Great Fire: 1871
Any talk on Chicago’s history is divided into before & after The Great Fire.
The Great Fire of 1871, destroyed about 4 square miles of the city; killed about 250 people, made 100,000 homeless. It leveled about a third of the city; destroying about 17,450 buildings. The folklore has it that the fire was sparked by an errant kick from Kate O'Leary's COW!!! But the Chicagoans quickly started to rebuild the city ... and in just 6 weeks after the fire … construction of more than 300 buildings had already begun. And in 1893 Chicago had recovered well enough to host the 1893 World Columbian Exposition ...
[pix is ... a painting of "The Great Fire" in the Sears Tower]

The World Columbian Exposition: 1893
It was held to commemorate 400 years of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus [1493]. Chicago won the honor to celebrate this event over cities like New York, Washington D.C & St. Louis … More than 150 new buildings were made, in the classical Romanesque, Greek & renaissance architecture style … It earned the city a new nickname: “White City”; as most buildings had facade made of mixture of plaster & hemp called : “Staff” which was white in color.

The Windy City:
It is said that the name does not originate from the gusts of winds;
BUT according to historians...
the name originates from few local boosters (windbags), who went up and down the East Coast yelling about the wonders of Chicago ... So Chicago was dubbed the "Windy City" after its "windy" citizenry in the 1850s who boasted about the virtues of the city [A Chicago Daily News article from Sept. 22, 1969]

Origin of the name "Chicago" ...
The city gets its name from wild onion or garlic, which the native Potawatomi tribes called “Checagou” ...

Apart from “Windy City” and “White City” ...
Some other NICKNAMES .....
- The name "Second City" comes from Chicago's historical position as America's second largest city after New York. however now it’s America’s third largest city after New York City & Los Angeles.
- "Paris of the Prarie": Daniel Burnham had designed a visionary plan for a city in 1909 named the “Chicago Plan”. The city was nicknamed 'Paris on the Prairie' as the plan incorporated wide boulevards and parks ...
- The "Garden City" — After the motto on its seal "Urbs in Horto."; which is Latin for “city in a garden”.
- "Pride of the Rustbelt": for its once thriving heavy industries.
- "City of Big Shoulders" & "Hog Butcher to the World"



HOG Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders .......
( A poem by Carl Sandburg; about the city of Chicago - a tribute to the steelworkers and meat packers of the past)

A Sad Farewell ...

2006-02-20T22:27:00.000-06:00

The 107 year old Berghoff Restaurant is closing down on the Feb. 28, 2006!
That is ... One week from now, a century old institution; will close down forever ...

I had thought about covering this topic later; but revised my decision for those few Chicago-residents ... who regularly visit this Blog [though never leave comments, but drop mails sometimes] ...There’s still one week left ...
Go, enjoy this place ... before it closes down forever ...



Though I’ve lived in Chicago for only 4 years, and been to Berghoff just once; I still can very-well relate to the sad feeling of its closure. It’s name is woven in the fabric of Chicago culture … were father-n-son share their first beer together, were grown-ups meet with their old school-time friends, where people gather to chat idly on good ole days! Losing Berghoff is like losing a part of family-tradition, losing a symbol of grandparent’s days, losing the great eating experience in warm friendly atmosphere at unbelievably reasonable price … no garish lighting, no jarring music, no overpriced serving ... But delicious food and delirious beer in a delightful ambience!



Its stone facade is beige colored with red-trimmings. There are rows of old-fashioned brass lanterns and the windows display collectibles like beer glasses, t-shirts, hats … Inside there is high ceiling, wooden paneling, beautiful chandeliers, and scores of frames pictures of old time Chicago. Its a family-run restaurant where the waiters still wear black jackets, white aprons and black bows!. No wonder it’s been a traditional stop for generations of food-loving Chicagoans.

PART OF THE CITY-LORE ...
# Berghoff was started by Herman Joseph Berghoff's in 1898 to showcase his Dortmunder-style beer.
He sold it for "A Nickel A Mug" and offered sandwiches for free.

# How it survived the “prohibition” years ????
[ Prohibition Years: 1920-33; when manufacture, import-export & sale of alcoholic beverages was declared illegal ]
By serving “near” -beer and soda-pop! Near-beer is malt beverages where the alcohol content is removed. However; as soon as America’s dry-spell ended, Mr. Berghoff went straight to the City-Hall and obtained Chicago liquor permit "No. 1". Thus restaurant became the first Chicago establishment to get liquor license after the prohibition ended in 1933; which is still on display in its dining room!

# It is said to have an ALL MALE clientele bar, till 1969 ... when a group of women from the “National Organization for Women” ... stormed in and demanded to be served drinks. And they were!!!

My friend and I ...
Been there very recently on Jan. 26, 2006!
What a hearty meal we had!!!
Just for $39 … we had everything: appetizers, main course, desserts, beer and coffee!
Here’s what we ordered:
- Chicken satay
- Grilled marinated Portobello mushroom
- Broiled, herb-marinated chicken breast, served with mashed potatoes & creamed spinach
- Butter-pecan ice-cream
- Berghoff root-beer
- Cappuccino coffee
Though that’s what we had, Berghoff offers quite a selection of food…

For the food-loving Chicagoans ...
There are different types of soups, garlic escargot, smoked salmon, a sausage plate of bratwurst and knockwurst, schnitzel, creamed herring, creamed spinach, salad options … and quality drinks, especially beer !!! Well Germans make for a large section of Chicago populations and are famously beer-lovers!!!
So before its too late … make it there …



One big consolation ...
The restaurant is not closing down for some corporate takeover!
But, Herman Berghoff's 70-year-old grandson [ who now runs the place] and his wife decided to RETIRE and turn the business and the building over to their daughter Carlyn Berghoff's ... "Artistic Events" catering company .....
At least, It's all in the family ...

Minus 22 degree C ...

2006-02-19T22:32:00.000-06:00

.

Feb.18, 2006 ...
Mercury fell to below zero degree even without a snow-cover .....

For the record:
Temperature : - 8 to -10 degree F ...
[about -22 degree C]
And with wind-chill -12 to -15 degrees F ...
It's biting cold ....

Picture taken at 7am in the morning ...

The Art Institute of Chicago ...

2006-02-16T14:31:00.000-06:00

I had long wanted to write on the Art Institute of Chicago; but now when I’ve decided to get down to writing; I am at a loss as to where to begin and what to cover:
- The history of the Institute
- The architectural beauty
- The huge collection of paintings, sculptures, textiles, photography …



It’s always wise to cover what interests me …
I still remember how thrilled I was, the very first time I had stepped into this Institute, and seen the originals by Monet, Van Gogh and Picasso! Apart from these and a few other names, I wonder if I knew much about artists and paintings. But since then; I started collecting information [more visits, books & Google] and today; I know much more … and … the more I learn; the more this place fascinates me …



The main entrance is flanked by two bronze lion statues; created by Edward L. Kemey; and are there since the Institutes main building was constructed for the “Columbian Exposition” in 1893. The main structure has limestone façade is designed in “Beaux Art” style by Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge. There has been several renovations; major ones in 1957 and 1987. One thing that strikes real hard is the size of the place ... It‘s absolutely MASSIVE ... with 66,640 sq feet of gallery space!!!



Apart from the structure’s architectural beauty, the art that it treasures is simply mind-blowing! It has huge collection of Impressionists and Post-Impressionists paintings and also an incredible collection of Medieval, Renaissance & Modern Art.
# In fact, it has the largest collection of French Impressionists paintings outside of Paris, France.
# Its Modern Art collection is said to be Third best in the world after MoMA [New York] and Center Pompidou [Paris].



The Best known paintings are:
- American Gothic - Grant Wood
- Nighthawks – Edward Hopper
- The Old Guitarist – Pablo Picasso
- A Sunday Afternoon - Georges Seurat
- Haystacks – Claude Monet
- Paris Street, Rainy Day – Gustavo Callibotte
- The Bath – Mary Cassatt
- Excavations – William de Kooning



There is a large place for temporary exhibitions; and it has deliberately placed at the far end of the museum; so that visitors have to traverse some of the it’s permanent exhibits
I’ve seen [only] two of the “special” temporary exhibits:
- The Art of Paul Gauguin
- Girodet: Romantic rebel [ is currently running]
Though photography of permanent collection is allowed [No flashes, No tripods & No video-camera]; but it’s not allowed in temporary exhibitions. So I don’t have any photograph of Girodet’s paintings.



However, I’ve been the most interested in:
Impressionisms ...
Post - Impressionisms ...
some “… ISMS” ... in post Post-Impressionisms phase ...

and I’ve covered them separately or else this post would have become too unwieldy.