Spring weather is just around the corner and that means that storm season is almost upon us. Since I like storms, I decided to go through some older pictures today and found one of a storm from last year. This one had some really cool clouds as the storm was breaking up and you could still see the sun peeking though just over the horizon.
Day 84: Retreating Storm
Posted in Chicago, Nature, Weather
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Day 83: Ready, Set, Go
In keeping with my current theme this past week, seeing beauty in the every day overlooked things, here is a photo of a street light. Funny how this can be such an annoying thing during a commute but such a great photo.
Enjoy!
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Day 82: Spring (Weekly Photo Challenge)
As many of you know, or maybe don’t know, the first “official” day of Spring was March 20th. Sadly, if you live in Chicago, it doesn’t quite feel like Spring yet…especially with the light snowfall that hit us last night. However, here is a nice shot of Spring from last year, as the buds have not started blooming here yet.
Day 81: No Wake Zone
This photo was taken by the Kinzie Street Railway Bridge. I often think that capturing the photo in black and white calls out the beauty of the scene better than when shot in color. The details in the wood just pop more and the white birds stand out against the dark background.
Posted in Bridges, Chicago, Life
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Day 80: Viaduct
I am always a big fan of how taking a photograph of something ordinary can make it look extraordinary. Things that you look at everyday and not even take a second glance, can make you stop in awe when seen in a photograph. Here is just one example (to me, at least) of something that people drive past, or under, everyday and they don’t see the real beauty behind it. This is the viaduct that you would drive under on Randolph street from Congress as you head on to Lake Shore Drive.
Posted in Architecture, Chicago, Life
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Day 79: Kinzie Street Bridge
I did a post earlier this year on the Kinzie Street Railroad Bridge, I really like this bridge a lot and decided to head out there again this weekend to see what kind of photos I could get since the weather is warming up. Here is one of the shots that I got.
Not only is the bridge itself something great to photograph, but the location lends itself to some great shots a well.
Posted in Bridges, Chicago, Historic Landmarks
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Day 78: Wacker Drive
Construction started on Wacker Drive, both lower and upper Wacker, in April 2010 and will continue thru December 2012.
Lower Wacker will see a series of improvements from Randolph to Congress. The deteriorated viaduct structure built in the 1950s will be replaced, lifting the vertical clearance by more than one foot. New lighting will improve visibility and new ventilation equipment will improve air quality. The service drive and through lanes on Lower Wacker will also be separated, alleviating congestion and expediting traffic. Upper Wacker Drive will be significantly improved from Randolph to Congress. Ramps to Lower Wacker Drive at Jackson, Adams and Washington will be removed and replaced with landscaped medians. In addition to the medians, Upper Wacker Drive will be outfitted with sidewalk planters and decorative light fixtures. The ramp at Monroe will be removed and replaced with a new one-way ramp to Lower Wacker Drive.
Crews will work on no more than two intersections at one time. Each section will be closed on a rotating basis for the duration of the project. The Congress Parkway Interchange reconfiguration will help improve traffic safety and create new green space. Improvements include moving the eastbound Congress exit ramp at Franklin below ground and moving the Lower Wacker Drive entrance ramp onto westbound Congress below ground. These improvements allow for three acres of new green space accessible to the public.
Traffic improvements include removing the Franklin ramp onto westbound Congress. This will eliminate the existing double-merge with the Lower Wacker Drive ramp onto westbound Congress. Additionally, the Lower Wacker ramp will have a longer merge lane.
Here are a few images taken of the construction taking place on Upper and Lower Wacker Drive and Madison St.
For more information on the progress of the Wacker Drive project, click here.
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Day 77: Railway Powerhouse
Located on Milwaukee and Clinton, the Powerhouse is the best-surviving building associated with the Chicago and North Western Railway. This was one of the city’s most prominent historic railroads. While a utilitarian building, this grandly-scaled example of the Beaux-Arts architectural style is noteworthy for its giant round-arched windows and fine cream-colored brick walls laid to resemble rusticated stone. The powerhouse provided electricity and steam heat to the original terminal (now demolished), standing passenger cars, and other nearby railroad facilities for over 50 years. It was designated a Chicago Landmark on January 11, 2006.
Posted in Architecture, Chicago, Historic Landmarks
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Day 76: McCormick Bridgehouse
The McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum uncovers the marvels of the Chicago River. Visitors find themselves inside the southwest bridge tower of the Michigan Avenue Bridge where each of the five-stories of the Bridgehouse Museum captures a critical moment in the history of the Chicago River. Surrounded by snippets from various stages of the river’s uses, visitors explore visions for the river realized or forgotten. The historic bridge tower is itself a relic of another time, when bridge tenders operated the opening and closing of the bridge from the narrow tower. The Bridgehouse Museum also houses the gears of the landmark bridge. Visitors to the Bridgehouse Museum are treated to a rare look at the interworkings of the bridge that is lifted by two 100 horse powered engines.
Information Credit and touring information click the image below.
Posted in Architecture, Bridges, Chicago
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Day 75: Emerald Society
The Emerald Society is an organization of American police officers or fire fighters of Irish heritage. Emerald Societies are found in most major U.S. cities such as New York City, Milwaukee, WI, Jersey City, NJ, District of Columbia, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Minnesota. While the organization is geared toward Irish-American culture, Irish heritage is not listed as a requirement for membership.
This photo was taken of the Emerald Society marching in the Southside Irish Parade. Each year they used to participate in the Chicago Southside Irish Parade, until it was cancelled in 2010. The parade was started in 1979 by the Hendry and Coakley families and eventually became beloved to thousands. It was cancelled in 2010 due to the strain managing the 300,000+ spectators had on the town resources.
This year the Emerald Society participated in the Northwest Side Irish Parade where they were promenently featured.
Showcasing Chicago One Image at a Time 
