Not the best photo...but 2 of the best people!

Architect Erin Besler and her oft-time collaborator and husband Ian H. Besler (also known as the kidz) slowed down for a photo in front of one of their friend's exhibits at the Chicago Architecture Biennial which opens tomorrow. Their project is located on the 1st floor of the Chicago Cultural Center.

Ravenswood and Lincoln Square neighborhoods in Chicago....

While We are in Downtown Chicago...

we can tour The Loop, near to and beneath the actual structure of elevated rail tracks that define the city's downtown area. In these scenes, we are headed east on Lake toward the NW corner of the Loop.

Williss (formerly Sears) Tower in the news....

views you normally don't see. The first from a block north on the east side. The second taken from the east at State Street, a bit south.

The Migration....

Each year, millions of birds make the arduous flight to their Northern breeding grounds. Sometimes, in the city we see them (often dead, since they tend to fly into buildings). On the ledge of the window on the 37th floor of the office at Adams and Clark, we found and photographed this nice Blackburnian Warbler at rest during his journey. Sweet. Auspicious journey, Buddy!

I Begin to Edit Photos.....look out!!

Field Trip, Class.  Hubs and I walked Devon Ave. in Chicago from California Ave to Western and back this
past Sunday. Pretty interesting people, shops and products available. This was a secretive "grab", then I discovered my Google gadgets for playing with the results. I really like this edit even better than the original.

Canyons with Fire Escapes, Cityscapes and a Room with a View...

 I would never venture into the back alleys of the city--far too timid for that--but am always interested. This one, behind our building, is mainly a "smoker's lounge" for the local office workers.

 I don't smoke, but I know that this open porch (with a wonderful view from 37 floors up) is the one used by our offices' smokers.

 Saved by the McDonald's: the small older office building is 100 years old, a generic "skyscraper" of the turn of the last century. All the other old buildings on that block were torn down in the last 30 years, but this little trooper has a very successful McD's in the ground floor! Currently, the building is under renovation. Cool.

 My daily walk from train station to work at the base of the "Sears" Tower, looking east on Adams St.

The old "Field Building", 135 S. LaSalle St. Iconic in it's day as one of the last large buildings constructed in Chicago before the Depression of the 1930's.

Red....

A Celebrity-Guest Photo, if you please.....

A busy corporate executive of our acquaintence took a second off from his duties to snap this serene summer day shot of the Chicago River-scape including the newly completed Trump Tower.  It's fun to have occasional contributors to the 'Blog.  Thanks! I like the calm reflections on the river and the faintly misty quality of the light.

Blonde-Boy, Bloggsy and the Bean...

The under-belly of the Bean. Don't usually see these angles, do you?

More Style Secrets of Chicago Commuters....

 Yes, just ordinary working people on a weekday morning inside Union Station and on Jackon Blvd. heading east.    The "new retro" clothing feels slightly "off" to me, since I lived 60's and 70's clothing styles as a young woman. We didn't actually have "leggings" in those days, tho if you felt thin enough to feel comfortable, there were stretch pants with stirrups around the feet to keep the legs in place. But, hey girl, cute jacket with pleated little skirt.

Everyone carries large and/or multiple large bags. Break my shoulder, will you? Mostly black; mine is maroon, old and "LandsEnd". And I strive to keep in light!

Some bring foldable scooters on the train; some have long walks from the train station to work places perhaps a mile or more.

Occasionally, bright splashes of color among the black, brown and denim blue.

Little "pops" of bright orange. Since we get the fun of having the NATO Summit here this coming weekend, for several weeks signs of extra security--orange cones, police tape, extra security, the entrance to the "Sears Tower" open only to people who must be there, news trucks parked around the streets, etc. Today there were many more European-seeming people apparent in the Financial District as I walked back to the train in the afternoon.

Fashion Secrets of Downtown Chicago...

Truth be told, the working people I see on the streets are mostly conventional in approach to dress. The contrast in styles seen above: the exception. The young guys reminded me of  these two kids from a year ago in Roanoke, VA.   How are the pants held up? Honestly, I was trailing them with the camera, wondering if I'd be able to get the photo of the kid picking the pants off the ground. lol.

Come Inside the Rookery Building in Chicago....

 As I mentioned before, my father's business office was located in this building in the mid-to-late 1960's. This ornate and sumptuous lobby you see here is entirely different from the picture I would have taken back then, when it was just a tired, grimy, 80 year old hulk of an out-dated structure.  In those days, many grand old Chicago buildings were torn down. In the 1980's, the building was completely renovated, cleaned and reconditioned. A fabulous architectural jewel once again.

Part of a famous staircase, which is difficult to visit now.  As a kid, I would take friends up to see it and actually climbed the entire way up to the top, perhaps 10 stories.

 Intricate, ornate moaic floor tile; cleaned and restored--the camera doesn't do them justice.

More details....

Classic Chicago Architecture...

A somewhat  awkward "slice" photo of Quincy St., a narrow alley between the Rookery Building and the building that houses the Bank of America's main branch....

The Rookery, among the oldest and most revered classic Chicago buildings.  In the mid-90's I was out one day on LaSalle St. on an errand. As it happened, a film crew was out front of the building--the left side of this view--and were filming one of the sequels to the dreadful but popular "Home Alone" series of movies. A couple of the supporting cast (the actors who played the "bad guys") were on set. The young star was not there, but a tiny, wiry little lady, the star's body double for distance shots, was there, dressed up as a little boy.

The building was cast as a toy store in NY.    I've always liked this part of the building, the south side. It feels so authentically "1880's".   My Dad used to work in the building in the early 1960's, so I sort of grew up here.  There is a wonderful spiral stair case inside--I used to take my boyfriends to see it; it's quite a surprise.

Getting It Out of my System....

I hate "heights": the out-door porch (while it's a fun novelty) gives me bad dreams; so, too chicken to look over the shoulder high wall, I carefully tilted the camera lens down to look over the edge.

From another part of the office, I see one of our famous Chicago roof gardens. With my "zoom" it looks to me as if this may be a typical Chicago "roof" version on a vacant lot?  But still, it's Green, right?

OK, I promise I will act mature enough not to do this again! The "zoom" means I can peek in windows.
Also, I may get close-ups of architectural details I might not be able to see from the ground.

With the "zoom" I can see the top floor of the Federal prison (used for prisoners awaiting trial and so on, at near-by Federal Courthouse.) You can see the lower half of prisoners in the play-yard. having rec. time. Gotta admit, you don't see stuff like this on every blog.

New Views from my Office Window...

For years, we have watched the action at my humble bird-feeder in the suburbs, as I toiled at my desk, phone and computer. For the intermediate, foreseeable future I working on a project in the downtown area of Chicago. Weekend Reflections! Yes.

From the 37th floor of the building I'm in, we can see several landmarks, for example, the Aon Center-or at least, the top 1/3 of it. Looks like a little sister of the lost World Trade Center-twins, doesn't it? Same construction was used.

Just a few blocks away is the Building-Formerly-Known-As The Sears Tower....

 Here's the Actual View from My Actual Window.  That's a Federal CourtHouse with all the black little bee-hive looking windows directly ahead.    hmmm, this could get interesting come the soon-to-occur Nato Summit set to happen in May.

Here is an open-air view of the Chicago Board of Trade Building as shot from our creepy little "back door" entrance to the fire escape. We can go out anytime we want. It would be a great place for the smokers in our office to go grab a cig', except the air intake for our office is just above where I'm standing. Smokers just can't win. The smell of smoke wafts back into the work space; people get crappy.  I don't smoke, but don't make a career out of being offended by people who do--except they should quit for their health, of course.