Happy birthday to Grace Slick and to Dr. Timothy Leary who would have been 93 this year.
Images
Full sails
It’s tough to improve upon power at sea provided by the wind. Be it 1492 or 2013 a wind stretched sail just plain feels good.
Bookends, how two men framed a city
Architectural engineer Fazlur Khan and architect Bruce Graham of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, designed the John Hancock Building to the right (North) and soon thereafter designed the Sears Tower to the left (South). I don’t believe the buildings were located by accident as the Chicago skyline falls between the two.
All that glitters
Not my favorite building in Chicago, but the Trump Tower provides a dramatic light show throughout the day, but none better than at sunset, as seen here from the John Hancock Building. Prior to 911, Donald Trump planned to build the tallest skyscraper in the world at this site.
John Hancock Building – Chicago
The names of the other buildings around the John Hancock don’t matter. They exist only to frame the star.
Another Saturday night
Chicago Police stopped and detained the man in the black shirt and the man in the white and black hat. They are handcuffed together, wrist to wrist. Police are waiting for another officer to transport a witness for positive identification. I was unable to learn of the alleged crime, but the number of officers indicates it was a misdemeanor. Suspected felons usually attract a larger police presence. When possible, if CPD is arresting a person suspected of a serious crime, the officers encircle the suspect making it very difficult to shoot a photo of the person getting handcuffed. If there are police outside the circle, they attempt to stand directly in front of a photographer. More than any other police force I’ve had contact with as a reporter, the Chicago police resent being photographed and often express hostility. The man in the cream sweater and the woman in brown clothing are undercover officers. I took this photo at the Chicago Water Tower, one of the hubs of tourism where police have the largest presence in the city. The goal is zero crime in order to protect guests and one of the largest drivers of the economy in the city.
John Hancock – Chicago
When clouds drift across the top 100 feet of the John Hancock Building a reverse draft is created on the opposite side of the building where a plume of cloud will often circle and re-circle in the same general area for minutes at a time or until a breeze from a different direction hits the building. It’s especially interesting looking from inside the building on the observation deck. There may be beautiful blue skies on three sides of the building and then what looks like a storm brewing on the fourth side. The Hancock may not create weather, but it alters it at 1,100 feet. On the next partly cloudy day with a mild wind, look up and watch something remarkable. Besides, it’s a good neck stretch.
The Old Playboy Building
Once the home to Playboy Magazine, this 37 story art deco legacy was finished in 1929. Now called the Palmolive Building, it houses luxury condominiums while the bottom two floors are retail space. The Palmolive sits on Michigan Avenue with stunning views of Lake Michigan to the North and city views to the South.
The Trump Tower – Chicago
Although not one of my favorite skyscrapers in the city, the glass structure provides drama 24 hours a day with light. Interesting shape captures light bouncing it twice and sometimes three times. Architect Adrian Smith of legacy agency Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, designed the building which is the second tallest in the United States surpassed in height only by the Sears — now — Willis Tower. It was Trump’s intention to build the tallest building in the world at this site, but scaled back after 9/11.
Burberry Building on Michigan Avenue
Mirrors, mirrors
Ralph Braseth Dot Calm 