Downtown Chicago, May 6, 2006

[Nelson Bradford]

This past Tuesday, we took the train to Chicago, made our way to the Millennium Park and eventually Navy Pier.

This photo is from

http://www.millenniumpark.org/artandarchitecture/

The remainder are from my digital.

-neb

[Nelson Bradford]

The Crown Fountain

Designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa and inspired by the people of Chicago, The Crown Fountain is a major addition to the city's world-renowned public art collection.

The fountain consists of two 50-foot glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. The towers project video images from a broad social spectrum of Chicago citizens, a reference to the traditional use of gargoyles in fountains, where faces of mythological beings were sculpted with open mouths to allow water, a symbol of life, to flow out. Plensa adapted this practice by having faces of Chicago citizens projected on LED screens and having water flow through a water outlet in the screen to give the illusion of water spouting from their mouths. The collection of faces, Plensa's tribute to Chicagoans, was taken from a cross-section of 1,000 residents.

The fountain, which anchors the southwest corner of Millennium Park at Michigan Avenue and Monroe Streets, is a favorite of both children and families. The water is on from mid-spring through mid-fall each year (weather permitting,) while the images remain on year-round.

A fountain is the memory of nature, this marvelous sound of a little river in the mountains translated to the city. For me, a fountain doesn't mean a big jet of water. It means humidity, the origin of life.
-Jaume Plensa

[Nelson Bradford]

(The high brow people call this The Cloud Gate - however, us poor folks call it THE BEAN. And perhaps you'll soon discover why. :laughing - neb)

Cloud Gate on the AT&T Plaza

Cloud Gate is British artist Anish Kapoor's first public outdoor work installed in the United States. The 110-ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect the city's famous skyline and the clouds above. A 12-foot-high arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their image reflected back from a variety of perspectives.

Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high. Cloud Gate sits upon the At&T Plaza, which was made possible by a gift from AT&T.

What I wanted to do in Millennium Park is make something that would engage the Chicago skyline…so that one will see the clouds kind of floating in, with those very tall buildings reflected in the work. And then, since it is in the form of a gate, the participant, the viewer, will be able to enter into this very deep chamber that does, in a way, the same thing to one's reflection as the exterior of the piece is doing to the reflection of the city around.
-Anish Kapoor

[Nelson Bradford]

we rode the Ferris Wheel - and frankly?
BTDT - it's one of those items I've now checked off my long list
and don't really care to repeat.

The 2nd picture is the Chicago skyline from the very top of the wheel.

(Never again!)

[Nelson Bradford]

We are almost always impressed with the care someone takes keeping downtown Chicago looking spiffy.

And we were very fortunate to be there when the tulips were in full bloom.

I stood in the middle of Michigan Ave to take pictures 2 and 3.

Amazing, eh? Who said IL is broke??

:basic07

[Nelson Bradford]

Trump Tower
is nearing completion
We've heard there is not only office space avail but also
some sweet suites.
:q)

-neb

ps - Isn't God good?

[Marilyn Lawson]

Awesome!!!

[Dana Grant]

Nice photos, Nelson!

[Jonathan Long]

Nelson,

Considering that I live 60 miles north of Chicago... you'd think I'd make it there more often to take pictures!

I want to go downtown some evening and shoot the skyline at twilight...

Jon

[BobHunt]

the ex CEO of my wife's work used to have a townhome downtown on Lake Shore Dr (paid 3000 dollars a month) floors were all marble, had a grand piano in there, the place used to belong to Mayor Daily's father. Up on the roof is the swimming pool, and from there you could watch the fireworks on the Navy Pier!

[Jay Stiegelmeyer]

THose are great pics. I used to live in Chicago. I love that city. Here's a shoutout to Northside Church of the Nazarene if anyone from there is tuned in!

[LoraineStanton]

Looks like I need to get back to Chicago before the next niece turns 10 in 6 years.

[Jay Stiegelmeyer]

you have some time.

[Jim Franklin]

I do not recognize any of the sites since the last time I was in Chicago was 1950.

[BobHunt]

I saw that they have a garden called the Lurie Garden, and I saw the list of items they plant, seems to me it would be beautiful.....have you ever seen it? I am wondering if it would be a good photo shoot?

[Karl Tabor]

THose are great pics. I used to live in Chicago. I love that city. Here's a shoutout to Northside Church of the Nazarene if anyone from there is tuned in!

Present... if a little tardy! :)

Hey Jay, how's it going?

Yes - very nice pictures of the city. And I like the lake... and driving up and down Lake Shore Drive all different times of year in all types of weather, best right around dawn.

Jay - come on back to visit anytime you like. We're hoping to land the 2016 Olympics. Shall we save your family a spot?

[Jay Stiegelmeyer]

Present... if a little tardy! :)
Jay - come on back to visit anytime you like. We're hoping to land the 2016 Olympics. Shall we save your family a spot?

Hey Karl! We are doing fine! Definitely, save us a spot! That would be awesome to come back for a visit and see the Olympics!