In honor of a special person’s birthday today, I decided to post this photo since I know that she really loves this one.
This photo was taken using a tripod and shows the reflection of the skyline in the windows of the Adler Planetarium. I just love how rich the colors in the photo are (and it was not color corrected) and the different take on the skyline view. I hope you like this picture as much as I know my friend does.
So you might have noticed by now that I have quite a few photos of firefighters, firehouses, fireboats and the memorials to fallen firefighters. In admiration of the brave men and women who dedicate their lives to saving the lives of others, I like to try to feature them in their finest moments and during their hardest times. I like to try to show the dedication that each one of them have for their job day in and day out.
This photo was taken of the firemen after they were dismissed from standing as honor guards saluting Corey Ankum as he made his way to his final resting place. The firefighters from surrounding communities showed up hours before the processional started to arrange their apparatus to honor Corey. They stood at attention throughout the processional as countless police and firetrucks lead the way.
This was a picture taken along the Lakefront Trail right before a storm hit. I like the way the dark clouds were rolling in over the blue sky and turned the skyline into a silhouette to the background. 
This is a building that is located on Exchange Ave in Chicago, right near the Entry Gate to the Union Stockyards. Formerly the home of Chicago Steaks Co., the building now stands abandoned. You can see the cracked paint and aged look of the building, but also see the detail in the moldings and around the clock. They just don’t make buildings like this anymore.
The Chicago Temple Building is located on Washington St. right next to Cook Daley Plaza Civic Center and is the home of the United Methodist Church of Chicago. It was built in 1922, by architects Holabird and Roche and designed in the neo-gothic architectural style inspiring from the Empire State building in New York and is constructed of steel and masonary. At one time this building was the tallest building in Chicago (1924-1930) until it was surpassed by the Chicago Board of Trade. Although it no longer claims that title, it does remain the tallest Church building in the world at 29 stories and 568 feet tall. 
All 23 floors of the building are designated for religious and office use. There are three sanctuaries in the building:
Again, something I found during one of my photo walks around Chicago. The alternate-leaf dogwood is native to the Chicago region and much of the northeastern United States. This photo was taken of the Dogwood and its berries during the fall season–as eminent from the coloring of the leaves.
The Victor L. Schlaeger is the City of Chicago’s only current Fireboat. The 92 foot vessel is made completely of steel and was built in 1949 and has been around for nearly 60 years. The Fireboat is capable of pumping over 14,000 gallons per minute of water, and in the winter, breaking ice 8 to 12 inches thick. It is docked between Navy Pier and the Water Treatment Plant and is manned by a live aboard crew 24 hours a day. You can see the Fireboat in action during the Air & Water show each year at North Avenue Beach.
The city of Chicago is currently in the process of building a new Fireboat to replace the Victor L. Schlaeger sometime in 2011. For more information on the Victor L. Schlaeger or to find out information on how to tour the boat, click here.
This is the boardwalk featured in the Lurie Garden located in Millenium Park. The boardwalk floats over stepped pools leaving a 5″ wide surface along the Seem Wall. It is built of sturdy Ipe wood and was designed as a strolling path through the garden. A 24″ wide step runs along the length of the boardwalk which becomes a casual seat to let people sit on the edge of the water way and dangle their feet in the water as they relax in the garden.
In the Evening the water way is brightly lit by in-ground fixtures. The shoulder hedge acts as the solid container to the magical night scene and transforms the garden into a subtly glowing “container” of light.
Came across these tracks when I was out on one of my photo walks. These are the tracks that run through what used to be the Union Stockyards. Although at one time they were used regularly in a thriving industrial park they now seem run down and abandoned. Even though there is not much to this photo, I just like the light play off the tracks, the surrounding debris and how the rails trail off into the distance.
This is a photo of the working sundial outside of the Adler Planetarium with the Chicago skyline in the back. The sundial was designed in 1980 by Henry Moore and is named “Man Enters the Cosmos”. Here is a little more information on the sundial:
This specific design is known as an equatorial sundial, the most accurate geometric shape of a sundial that has been used since the Renaissance. It rests on a golden patina, which, along with the sculpture’s name, symbolizes the “golden years of astronomy” from 1930 to 1980 – the time the Adler opened to the time the sculpture was installed. This 50 year period saw remarkable advancements in astronomy, technology, and space exploration, especially with the Apollo XI Moon landing in 1969.
You might remember seeing this lightning photo from my "Day 181: Lightning Strikes" post. It was chosen to be the main screen in the Gameday Central App.
To find more great Cubs items, click here.
Showcasing Chicago One Image at a Time 