Walking around Chicago

Our first morning in Chicago I stepped out to get breakfast, one of the first things I saw was ladybug cow clinging to the outside of the Talbott Hotel.

At first it struck me as odd, but I realized it was probably part of a Cow Parade:

http://www.cowparade.com/

I was familiar with this, because we had one in Portland, and also, due to occasionally browsing in Hallmark stores, I know that this type of fundraiser has also been done with horses, pigs, and other things.

It looked to me like Chicago may have seen several similar campaigns. That might explain what appears to be a Blues-themed fireplug on Michigan Avenue, a heart in Connors Park, and a collection of Mouseketeers that almost seemed like an extension of what we had seen in Millennium Park.

Overall, it felt like there was a fair amount of whimsy present in how Chicago got decorated, and a fondness for some of the temporary things that might pass through, where a few remnants got left behind.

At the same time, the many bridges gave other opportunities for decor, Every one was a little different.

It was a city that we expected to look interesting. The majority of these posts have focused on specific attractions, and there will be at least two more posts doing that, but I wanted to cover a little bit just how visually interesting the city was in some less expected ways.

Chicago - Millennium Park

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/millennium_park.html

There is a lot more to Millennium Park than the Bean.

That is what you hear about, and the Cloud Gate sculpture is pretty cool. Still, there is a lot more there, and a lot more to do.

Our visit did not coincide with any of the entertainment available, so I can't really speak to that. If you are going to be in Chicago, it makes sense to check the schedule. We thought we would check it out Saturday evening, and with some of the delays we encountered it ended up being Tuesday afternoon. (It also could have made sense to combine it with our visit to the Art Institute of Chicago, as they are next to each other.)

We started out near the Crown Fountain, designed by Jaume Plensa. Digital faces shift and change on walls at either end, while there is a reflecting pool and fountain in between. This was a nice shady spot to sit and relax.

We passed by several stele by Jun Kaneko. Apparently the oblong statues were his, and were stele, and the figures were badgers, and also his. For some reason the city's photos all seem to focus on the badgers. I kind of like the stele better.

http://www.junkaneko.com/

This eventually led us to the Cloud Gate. I kind of like both names. The "Bean" fits the shape, and is a fun and funky name, but "Cloud Gate" evokes the sculpture's amazing reflective power, and how it pulls in the images around it and makes them part of the art. I thought it was pretty cool.

We then headed toward the Jay Pritzker Pavilion and Great Lawn. Having seen this one on the news, it felt like there was some historical significance, but also you can see how it would be useful for many events. It looks like a good place for an open air concert.

We then looped back in the direction of Michigan Avenue, coming out by Wrigley Square. Here there is a kind of a semi-circle of Doric columns that is a replica of an original peristyle that had stood there from 1917 to 1953. This is the Millennium Monument. I thought it was a nod to the influence of Classical Greek Architecture on the city's architectural history, but it is also a nod to the city's more recent past. It's really beautiful, and based on the size it makes an impression.

We did not see everything that they had to offer. With the theater, gardens, and bike options, there will always be things you can do. This is a great use of urban space, and remembering that it was a an industrial wasteland pretty recently is inspiring. We found the park system in general to be excellent.

And yes, you totally need to see the Bean.

Chicago - Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows

http://www.navypier.com/things2do/rides_attract/smith_museum.html

We really lucked into the Smith Museum. The other attractions that we visited were all better known. Either they were in the City Pass, or they were things that everyone tells you that you need to do, or that we already knew about.

It came up because I was checking another web page that I cannot even find now to see if we were missing any museums or tours. This sounded intriguing, and it was free, and because we were going to take our architecture tour from Navy Pier it was convenient.

I am really glad we did know about it, because it is just so beautiful. It would be pretty easy to miss. It felt like we were walking a long way, where maybe we had accidentally passed it, but then we saw a sign and kept going.

Because it was free, I don't think we were expecting that much, but it kept going on - 800 feet past 150 stained glass windows. I mentioned the beauty, but that does not fully express how much variety there was, and how you get an overview of how the craft developed by going through.

When I think of stained glass windows, the windows we saw from the 1890 to 1920 time period match the mental image. There were changes though, and different things being done in different time periods. Chicago's key spot in architecture influenced its art as well. So it is educational as well as inspiring.

It doesn't really come across in my pictures, but the arrangement and illumination of the windows is great, where you can really appreciate the individual works. It is very normal to go to Navy Pier; while  you are there, don't miss this.

Chicago - Architecture Tour

http://www.architecture.org/tours

http://shorelinesightseeing.com/

There are more than 85 architecture tours available in Chicago. We were told that one of the things that we must do was take the architecture tour by boat. We didn't have any objections to that, but in terms of trying to figure out which one to take or to book in advance, we were not having any luck. Eventually we just went to Navy Pier, saw people at booths, and the one we took happened to cost the special price of $18.71 per person, because it was the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire that happened in 1871. (That was a two-day special, because the fire lasted over two days.)

We loved our tour. We saw a lot, the guides had great information, and it is definitely worth seeing. That may have been the result of dumb luck, but there didn't actually seem to be a lot of competition. It may be that there are different routes for different types of year, or times of day, but the main difference seems to be your mode of transportation.

I had questioned whether you could really see that much by boat, but I was amazed. Portland has a river running through it, but the way it works is almost like you have two separate cities connected through 10 bridges. The Chicago River does not seem to disrupt Chicago. I guess it is narrower, and it has 45 bridges, and you are always crossing it without it being a big deal. By boat we were able to see an amazing number of buildings, and we also got to go past the spot where they dye the river green.

I had known that Chicago was important in architecture. I sort of knew that already, but I had made a point of reading Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City before the trip, and so knew some of how the 1893 World's Fair was constructed and how it influenced others, and also a little about Chicago's importance to the development of the skyscraper and even a little about Frank Lloyd Wright.

On the tour, our guide made another point, which was that after the fire they had to do a lot of rebuilding, and so they could make conscious decisions about how things would look and be laid out. Most cities go through different phases in development, but Chicago got a reset.

Still, all of that is thinking about decades past and they also did a great job of pointing out more recent developments, and their influences and the stories behind why some buildings ended up the way they did.

Also, there were things that went beyond architecture, like an unusually large post office, which was necessary because you have three large mail order businesses, with Mongomery Ward, Sears, and Marshall Field. Then, you need an even bigger building, but in the meantime you have constructed something that they can use for Gotham, and she could tell us about seeing the Batmobile driving around when they were filming The Dark Knight.

So I highly recommend taking an architecture tour on the Chicago River, and I don't think you need to stress about it. Just show up and take one, and it will work out. That's how it happened for us.