Saturday, May 30, 2009

Critical Mass


Down Clark, originally uploaded by kendoman26.

Critical Mass, according to their website is a bike ride at the most basic level. It can be more if you want. A protest against cars, promoting a cause ect..

Friday evening I went down to Daley Plaza to meet with other flickr members who were shooting the event. Critical Mass, I guess, didn't expect the Turkish Tourism Board to take over the Plaza, so they were running behind schedule. Finally, around 6:15 the bikes headed out of the plaza and onto the street. They rode around the plaza and then headed south on Clark, blocking Washington street. It lasted about 15 minutes. It was a cool thing to see.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Cloudgate



Cloudgate, originally uploaded by kendoman26.

Sunday morning was a cool time to come downtown and due a little photography work. The Cloudgate has to be one of the most photographed objects downtown.

I'ts unusual to be able to shoot this without people around, actually there were a couple just to the left of the picture. I took this oppurtunity to ge this shot! I'm thinking about a series around how the Cloudgate interacts with it's environment. We'll see how that will work out.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Finally Open!






The opening of this park, which at the moment is being called Park 531, has seemed to take forever. There has been a lot of environmental problems in developing this park which used to be the Stearn Quarry. The park isn't finished yet, with construction around the fish pond and the wet lands haven't been created yet, but at least you can now walk around the paths and get some exercise. Below is a picture at the very top of the walking path.


Friday, May 22, 2009

Almost Gone


We're past mid-May and well into prime walking season. On Sunday the 17th I decided to explore Clybourn Street east of Halsted. Clybourn in one of those northside diagonal streets. I've walked the stretch west of Halsted up to about Diversey so it was time to see where this eastbound stretch went.

Surprisingly this final stretch is fairly short it ends at Division and Larabee. Not much really to see and a large portion of the land was part of the New City YMCA which is under redevelopment. The above photo is some of the last highrises left of the Cabrini-Green complex. I'm sure they will not be here much longer.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Modern Art


Saturday was the Grand Opening of the new Modern Wing at the Art Instiute of Chicago. This picture was taken from the bridge that connects the wing to Millennium Park. You can take some neat photos from this vantage point.

The museum was packed, surprise,surprise it was free :D I'm not the greatest fan of modern art but I did see some interesting pieces. I spent around three hours and could have spend more but my legs were getting tired.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Pillows


Pillows, originally uploaded by kendoman26.

Sometimes your at the right place and time with a camera. Monday morning was such a time. This was the scene out the kitchen window that morning.

There's something cool about these kind of clouds and the farther in the distance you go it looks like the tuffed-up upolstery from late seventies Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Caddilac's.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Walking Through the Urban Prarie


He's Watching Me, originally uploaded by kendoman26.

Thursday was another great walking day. It was warm, no east breeze on this day. I decided to take a walk along the lakefront path past the original McCormick Place.

Just south of McCormick Place is a bird sanctuary in a large prarie field. It fits between the lake path and an off ramp of I-55/LSD. There was lots of red winged blackbirds and many of these little yellow birds as the picture shows. It looks like I got his attention because it's like he's looking right at the camera.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Looking for Red-wing Blackbirds


Take me home, originally uploaded by kendoman26.

On Sunday I paid a visit to the grounds of the nature museum at Fullerton and LSD. I was trying to get photos of the red-winged blackbird. The best I could do was a sort of blury pic of one with his back toward me.

Well that wasn't going to do, so on Tuesday I went to Northerly Island (formerly Megis Field) to try again. The praire grasses haven't grown much but there was many red-winged blackbirds. These birds seem to sense when you want to photograh them. They fly away laughing at your. Eventually I found some calmer ones in the grass and with the 12x zoom on the kodak I was able to get photos of them.

This photo is unique. I had just walked back to were the Planetarium is to get the 146 back to Roosevelt and the L. This little fellow decides to fly onto the garbage can at the right of the photo. I had already put my camera away so I couldn't capture the moment but he then flew onto the ground and I snapped this shot. It was like he wanted me to take him home LOL!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

The beginnings of Chicago


Portage Sculpture, originally uploaded by kendoman26.

This sculpture marks the entrance into the Chicago Portage National Historic Site. Located at 48th and Harlem. The only remaining area of pre-Chicago history. This is the same land that Joliet portaged his canoe all the way to what is Ashland Avenue and the beginning of the south branch of the Chicago River.

This land was used by the traders to capture beaver and other wildlife. According to one of the info markers, wild leeks grow in this area giving off a pugent smell that the Indians called "Smelly Onion". This is probably were Chicago recieved it's name.

There's a short trail at the Historic Site, but a much larger trail on the other side of 47th street at the Ottawa Woods Forest Preserve. I'll have to trek out there some other time.