Slice of Life: Skating with the Skyline
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise: while Chicago has had some dang cold days in January, it’s been a mild Winter of 2016 so far. And while you’ll never see the elbow-to-elbow crowds like North Avenue Beach draws during the summer months, there are still those in Chicago who insist on venturing outdoors for fun, even as wind chills dip below freezing. Chicago has two ice skating venues perfectly located for tourists...
Millennium Park Turns 10; Demands Cake
Millennium Park recently turned ten years old. In spite of what anyone might think about the price tag, the location, the target audience, or the (alleged!) corruption involved, it’s hard to deny that the park is a success. It’s become a focal point for the city’s tourist industry, and a symbol of the city on everything from tote bags to web site logos around the world. While Millennium Park is ten-years-old, this...
10 Years Later: Millennium Park
On a crisp autumn night, September 26, 2003, a young journalist sat down at a desk in what was then called Hotel 71, unfolded a keyboard, slotted in a travel-worn U.S. Robotics Palm Pilot and started to write about what he saw around him. The Chicago Architecture Blog was born. This is the second part in a series where we dig into the blog’s photo archive and compare Chicago as it was when we started this caper with how it...
Slice of Life: Millennium Park From Above
After nearly a decade since its opening, Millennium Park has not lost its shine. To the contrary, Millennium Park has secured its status as an icon of Chicago, illustrating the city’s standing as a global and cosmopolitan metropolis. When looked at from above, the 24.5-acre park projects a colossal impression and monumental scale that a pedestrian visit to the park does not capture. In addition, Millennium Park has served as a...
Slice of Life: Quiet Cold
Here’s something you don’t see every Winter’s day: Both Cloud Gate and the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink devoid of tourists. Very peaceful. Very very...
Week Links: March 2, 2012
In order to declutter this publication a little bit, the “Briefly” segments that were being published Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons will now be called “Week Links” and published only Friday afternoons. “What’s weak this week” was already taken. What does a British tabloid think of Chicago? Check out this review from The Mirror, which includes things you’d expect (Cloud Gate,...
Autumn Comes to Millennium Park
The leaves are changing. Get out there and enjoy the season before we’re up to our nipples in snow again. Here are a few shots from Millennium Park....
Slice of Life: Ice Scrapers
Freshly scraped and smoothed by a Zamboni, the McCormick ice rink at Millennium Park reflects its neighboring skyscrapers in early afternoon light. For those from out of town, the big stripey building in the middle is 150 North Michigan Avenue, formerly known as the Smurfit-Stone...
Fixing The Burnham Pavilions
Much has been written here and elsewhere about the damage done to the architectural exhibits in Millennium Park intended to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Burnham Plan that, instead, were treated like jungle gyms by ill-behaved children and adults. The good news is that repairs are being made, and by the time you read this should be complete. Here’s some pictures of the work in...
Status Update: The Nichols Bridgeway
After yesterday’s mini-rant about the Art Institute’s Modern Wing, it seemed logical to follow that up with an update on the bridge that will link the museum with Millennium Park. The 620-foot-long bridge has a Renzo Piano pedigree and like most modern architecture is simple in design. In fact, it’s a big white pipe cut in half. A culvert, really. Which I guess is symbolic or ironic or something since it’s...
