Rooftop Daydream
Spotted this unusual rooftop area, by the Wabash stop downtown. It’s the top of the New York Jewelers building, and it got me wondering: “How do you get up there?”
Posts Tagged "downtown chicago"
Bridge View
On my way in to work, I hop on the CTA to get to the Merchandise Mart. I happened to catch this nice image, crossing the Chicago River.
While I’m still not a fan of needing to commute in to work… on days like this, the commute ain’t all that bad.
Alone on the CTA
An interesting side note: as I was taking this photo, I looked around and realized I was totally alone. No one else was in the train car with me, and it was a bit surreal.
Ice Sculpture at the Merchandise Mart, and a 20 Year Callback
I got to the office fairly early, and there were just a handful of people milling about. But I think this spot got a lot more popular, as the day wore on.
What tickled me the most: I remember an earlier promotion, right at this exact spot in front of the Merchandise Mart, some 20 years ago. This was way back in the day, when it was still a novelty that Starbucks opened up a store in the building.
Winter Commute
Waiting for the train, it was definitely cold and slightly uncomfortable. By Chicago standards, this was not anything remarkable. But by my standards, it was annoying.
Expect me to grumble for a while here, about needing to commute in to work. It’s going to take some getting used to. So mix that amount of time with how much I like to grumble.
Embedded, Wired Lights
Looking more, I realized bot lights were actually piped, with conduit lines leading to someplace official.
It’s been ages since I was downtown, and even longer since I was here at night. I’m not sure if these lights are meant to be decorative or utilitarian. Or perhaps both.
Commuting Win, Commuting Fail: Metra + CTA
If you imagine the CTA lines around the Loop as a clock: I was expecting to travel Clockwise, exiting at 3:00. Instead, I was actually traveling counter-clockwise (because we were “operating like a Brown Line train”), exiting at 9:00.
So I had a bit of walking to do. Ah well, more exercise.
Working Downtown, Post-Work Errands, Returning to the Floors
With the workers coming back today, to address the various issues we found… Liz and I couldn’t stay home. So we did what we used to do in the old days – head downtown, to work onsite at our respective offices.
A Day of Events: Hidden Brain, 20×2 Chicago
Big day, today! A while back I saw that Hidden Brain was doing a live tour! With Shankar Vedantam sharing insights spanning the ten year the podcast has been on the air.
I got two tickets, and realized later that they were on the same day I was slated to participate in 20×2 Chicago. Busy, busy day.
Heavy Fog on Lake Shore Drive
It’s weird – I saw this on the way up to the North side. I don’t know if I would classify it as fog. It looked… dirty. It was dirtier than what I normally think of, when I think of fog.
Felix Birthday Night Out: Drinks at Kumiko, Dinner at Girl and the Goat
A relaxing, laid back night out to celebrate my birthday tonight. First up – stopping in for drinks at Kumiko.
Landscaping and Bringing the Outside Inside
Spotted this vehicle as I was walking to work. There was no one around, the doors were open, and all I could see inside was just bags and bags of potting soil.
Off the Rail
Spotted this, on my way home. There’s a part of my commute that involves walking down a set of stairs, down to Lower Michigan. It’s a bit grungy, but gets you in to Millennium Station through one of the less frequented entrances (at the track level).
Chicago at Night
Most days, going to and from work – I’m in a rush. I’m rushing to get to work; I’m rushing to get back home.
Every once in a while, if I get lucky, I’ll see something that slows me down. Or I’ll remember that I should slow down a little.
It’s been a long while since I’ve carried a camera around. But with a camera in your hand, that weight is what serves as a reminder. That weight says: “Wait a minute, just… wait a minute. Did you see that over there?”
Grace in Chicago, Day Two: Museum of Science and Industry, Eleven City Diner, Winter Garden at the Harold Washington Library
Grace and Liz, setting up to play “Mindball.” For this exhibit, each person straps monitors to their foreheads… which measures stress levels. The lower your stress level… the more the ball goes towards your opponent.