Live on location! Michigan Av.: three perspectives

This post is mainly a product of my desire to photograph with greater frequency the city of Chicago. It's odd that we live here and have very pictures to show for it. So lately, I've been snapping phone pictures at random. The following is an admittedly random chronicle of the last few months.

Part I:

Anyone who is even remotely familiar with the landscape of Chicago is surely acquainted with one of the city's major arteries: Michigan Av. Running from 950 North to 12600 south, the thoroughfare is widely known as home to the Magnificent Mile, which houses swanky restaurants, hotels and shopping. Other parts, especially along its southern stretch, run through completely decrepit parts of the city. The street is an important part of the fabric of the great city of Chicago.

As I was winding up my teaching duties a few weeks ago, I realized that all three of my workplaces are located at a point along Michigan av: 600 north (on the mag mile), 600 south (south loop) and 3100 south (Bronzeville). I decided to snap some pictures of all three locations to contrast and chronicle my daily jaunts into the city (all which put me in close proximity to lots of fascinating and period-architecture).

3100 South. Home to lots of stunning Mies van der Rohe buildings. He's often called the father of modern architecture. I absolutely love his buildings and the extensive use of steel throughout. (Yes, I even took pictures of the bathroom).






600 South Michigan: Historically, this part of Chicago served as the major business district. One can find a lot of ghost advertisements here. See this page for a great explanation of ghost ads: http://www.forgottenchicago.com/ghad.php






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And last, but certainly not least, 600 North. This is probably the most aesthetically stunning of the three, in all likelihood because it is the focal point of the Magnificent Mile. The view is amazing and moreso, the close proximity to Chicago's heart.





Part Two:

Speaking of Chicago and its history, I thought I'd post a bit about landmark eateries in light of the fact that we spend a great deal of time (probably too much) eating out. Too bad I'm the only one that bears any physical evidence of this habit.

The Berghoff, at 17 west Adams, is one of Chicago's oldest and finest places for traditional (read: *real*) German cuisine (in other words, it isn't watered down).
The Berghoff closed for a while, but reopened after a great outcry from patrons citywide. For more info., see the history at http://www.berghoff.com/Berghoff/home.html

The famous marquee:



S2 enjoying traditional German Chicken soup (made from the herb Hühnereintopf and durum noodles):



S1 playing tic tac toe with Sean before dinner:


A failed attempt to capture the famous murals in the original dining room from 1898:




Marshall Fields closed its doors in 2005 admist heavy protests from Chicagoans (and others). Still standing, however, are the old marquees and clocks on the sides of the buildings. And inside, the famous Walnut Room and its legacy lives on. Here are some views from the top. A little less daunting and more clear than the Signature Room.