A day in the city

jtm1631 · 08-21-2006

I decided to take some time off of work to spend with the kids before they go back to school next week. For various reasons we decided to stay local and be tourists in our own city, Chicago.

Being inspired by some of the recent threads here on the board, I thought I would share some photos with you.

I have lived in Chicago most of my life with the exception of 4 years in school outside of LA. I have also been fortunate enough to spend 2 - 3 months a year when I was younger in New York, San Francisco and Houston. I love Chicago as evidenced by the fact that I moved back here after college. I do have to admit however, that Chicago has such a different vibe than New York. New York just smells like a big metropolitan city. Chicago has hints of those smells, but they are not as over powering as New York is. I think of Chicago as an overgrown farm town and that's just fine with me.

I am not the photographer that some of our more esteemed peeps are, but hopefully I can convey how beautiful the city of Chicago is. Click on the images for larger views.

Despite getting numerous phone calls from my office, we still had a good time.

As tourists we decided to take the 'L' into the city.

Chicago has a good deal where you can get a pass good for 24 hours on all the city trains, buses and suburban buses for only $5.00.

After about 45 minutes we arrived into the downtown area of the city and had this view from the L car of the Chicago river.

We were not sure of exactly where we wanted to go, but we knew we wanted to start with a visit to Millenium Park. Millenium Park is one of many projects that Mayor Daley has gotten accomplished during his tenure. Like most of the projects, this one was way over budget and took considerable longer than planned. The park is beautiful and really is a great addition to the city.

One area of the park has two large rectangles sticking up in the air. The rectangles have water gushing down them and are about 30 yards apart with a puddle of water running between them. When you walk over the the water you can see that the rectangles are made of blocks that have images projected on them.

The images on the fountain change to different faces every few minutes.

From there we walked over to the Jelly Bean. The JB is a large sculpture that speaks for itself.

You can walk up to and under the JB. We decided to take a family self portrait.

Just beyond the JB is a large stage for music concerts.

In addition to the large seating area seen behind my daughter, there is also a huge grass area for people to sit and listen to the concerts.

From Millenium Park we walked through Grant Park to Buckingham Fountain. While impressive during the day, the fountain really comes to life at night when it is all lit up. Since we were there during the day, you will just have to trust me on this.

After lunch at Marshall Field's (soon to be Macy's

) we decided to go on a boat tour.

The boat tour we took takes you along the Chicago River and than out to Lake Michigan.

There are some great architectural sites along the river and the city has done a great job cleaning things up. This is a shot of one of the river walk areas that people can sit and enjoy the sights and cool breazes along the river.

Here is a shot of Marina Towers and a shot of the tower and the dock beneth.

The lower floors of the tower on the left is actually a parking garage.

After cruising on the river for a spell, you start to head out to Lake Michigan. In order to get to the lake you have to go through the lock. Lake Michigan is a couple feet higher than the Chicago River so you go through a lock system to raise the water level to match the lake.

On the way out to the lake you pass by Navy Pier which is now the most popular tourist attraction in Chicago.

The views from out on Lake Michigan are pretty spectacular.

We did not get to see the southern portion of downtown on our tour because of a "medical emergency" on the ship. When we got back to the dock the paramedics took a pregnant women off the ship who apparently had her water break on board!

Hopefully she has a healthy baby and they are doing OK!

After the tour we had just enough time to grab some ice cream and head back home. It was a full and tiring day, but I regret like others have commented before, we do not take advantage of many of the treasures our area has to offer.

My last photo is of my wild and crazy daughter Casey enjoying herself.

The weather was perfect for our day downtown and we all had a great time.

mckinzie · 08-21-2006

Spectacular photos JT

Good lookin family too

jsotherj · 08-21-2006

Nice report! Thanks for sharing! And I think you did a great job as photographer!
Hope we get to meet you in November

jtm1631 · 08-21-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by mckinzie

Spectacular photos JT

Good lookin family too

Luckily for my kids, they look more like their mom!

Nerak936 · 08-21-2006

Oh, JT!!! Thanks so much for "taking us along" on your family day!!

The pics are wonderful (I love the Jelly Bean!), and your descriptions of everything really made it come alive.

I'm happy you took the time out of the "normal day-to-day" to spend what looks to have been a great "date" with your beautiful wife and daughters!

jtm1631 · 08-21-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsotherj

Hope we get to meet you in November

I'll be disappointed if we don't meet. I look forward to seeing you in November.

jsotherj · 08-21-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtm1631

I'll be disappointed if we don't meet. I look forward to seeing you in November.

We'll be at Andilines meet on the 10th. At the TB I think.

BonnyW · 08-21-2006

Wow! Nice day, nice trip report, nice family, nice town.

I'll be in Chicago next June..and it will be my first 'real' trip to Chicago. (I've changed many planes there though

)
Thanks for the preview!

bufante · 08-21-2006

That last pic made me smile!

jtm1631 · 08-21-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by BonnyW

Wow! Nice day, nice trip report, nice family, nice town.

I'll be in Chicago next June..and it will be my first 'real' trip to Chicago. (I've changed many planes there though

)
Thanks for the preview!

If you need a tour guide or a place to hang out, let us know. Heck, my deck and hot tub that they started over a month ago should be done by then.

**sctx** · 08-21-2006

very cool JT, I'd like to get up there some time and check out the old Frank Loyd Wright and Sullivan houses

BonnyW · 08-21-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtm1631

If you need a tour guide or a place to hang out, let us know. Heck, my deck and hot tub that they started over a month ago should be done by then.

Gne...gne...gne...kinda like our deck and hot tub (from 3 years ago)

.

I would love to meet you and your family....if nothing, just to meet up for lunch or dinner...or something

However, I won't know what my schedule will be until the first week in November.

Doggiemom · 08-21-2006

Very nice pics.........

Looks like a great day with the family!
Sweet Home Chicago!

Jacko · 08-21-2006

I love Chicago...great pics, fun time...thanks!

Barb&Meg · 08-21-2006

THANK YOU for these marvelous pictures! I grew up in Chicago and it is still "home". It's a great city, full of great people, and you made my day by sharing your day with us!

08-21-2006	#1 (permalink)
jtm1631 añejo Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 2,370	A day in the city I decided to take some time off of work to spend with the kids before they go back to school next week. For various reasons we decided to stay local and be tourists in our own city, Chicago. Being inspired by some of the recent threads here on the board, I thought I would share some photos with you. I have lived in Chicago most of my life with the exception of 4 years in school outside of LA. I have also been fortunate enough to spend 2 - 3 months a year when I was younger in New York, San Francisco and Houston. I love Chicago as evidenced by the fact that I moved back here after college. I do have to admit however, that Chicago has such a different vibe than New York. New York just smells like a big metropolitan city. Chicago has hints of those smells, but they are not as over powering as New York is. I think of Chicago as an overgrown farm town and that's just fine with me. I am not the photographer that some of our more esteemed peeps are, but hopefully I can convey how beautiful the city of Chicago is. Click on the images for larger views. Despite getting numerous phone calls from my office, we still had a good time. As tourists we decided to take the 'L' into the city. Chicago has a good deal where you can get a pass good for 24 hours on all the city trains, buses and suburban buses for only $5.00. After about 45 minutes we arrived into the downtown area of the city and had this view from the L car of the Chicago river. We were not sure of exactly where we wanted to go, but we knew we wanted to start with a visit to Millenium Park. Millenium Park is one of many projects that Mayor Daley has gotten accomplished during his tenure. Like most of the projects, this one was way over budget and took considerable longer than planned. The park is beautiful and really is a great addition to the city. One area of the park has two large rectangles sticking up in the air. The rectangles have water gushing down them and are about 30 yards apart with a puddle of water running between them. When you walk over the the water you can see that the rectangles are made of blocks that have images projected on them. The images on the fountain change to different faces every few minutes. From there we walked over to the Jelly Bean. The JB is a large sculpture that speaks for itself. You can walk up to and under the JB. We decided to take a family self portrait. Just beyond the JB is a large stage for music concerts. In addition to the large seating area seen behind my daughter, there is also a huge grass area for people to sit and listen to the concerts. From Millenium Park we walked through Grant Park to Buckingham Fountain. While impressive during the day, the fountain really comes to life at night when it is all lit up. Since we were there during the day, you will just have to trust me on this. After lunch at Marshall Field's (soon to be Macy's ) we decided to go on a boat tour. The boat tour we took takes you along the Chicago River and than out to Lake Michigan. There are some great architectural sites along the river and the city has done a great job cleaning things up. This is a shot of one of the river walk areas that people can sit and enjoy the sights and cool breazes along the river. Here is a shot of Marina Towers and a shot of the tower and the dock beneth. The lower floors of the tower on the left is actually a parking garage. After cruising on the river for a spell, you start to head out to Lake Michigan. In order to get to the lake you have to go through the lock. Lake Michigan is a couple feet higher than the Chicago River so you go through a lock system to raise the water level to match the lake. On the way out to the lake you pass by Navy Pier which is now the most popular tourist attraction in Chicago. The views from out on Lake Michigan are pretty spectacular. We did not get to see the southern portion of downtown on our tour because of a "medical emergency" on the ship. When we got back to the dock the paramedics took a pregnant women off the ship who apparently had her water break on board! Hopefully she has a healthy baby and they are doing OK! After the tour we had just enough time to grab some ice cream and head back home. It was a full and tiring day, but I regret like others have commented before, we do not take advantage of many of the treasures our area has to offer. My last photo is of my wild and crazy daughter Casey enjoying herself. The weather was perfect for our day downtown and we all had a great time. __________________ JT Last edited by jtm1631 : 08-21-2006 at 08:19 PM.

08-21-2006	#11 (permalink)
sctx political anarchist Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Body in San Marcos Tx....Tankah in my mind Posts: 27,164	very cool JT, I'd like to get up there some time and check out the old Frank Loyd Wright and Sullivan houses Last edited by sctx : 08-21-2006 at 08:50 PM.

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08-21-2006	#2 (permalink)
mckinzie lightweight Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Highland Village,Tx (Kinz Standard Time) Posts: 13,551	Spectacular photos JT Good lookin family too

08-21-2006	#3 (permalink)
jsotherj añejo Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Where the river meets the sea.... Posts: 1,870	Nice report! Thanks for sharing! And I think you did a great job as photographer! Hope we get to meet you in November

08-21-2006	#5 (permalink)
Nerak936 =^. " .^= Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 18,508	Oh, JT!!! Thanks so much for "taking us along" on your family day!! The pics are wonderful (I love the Jelly Bean!), and your descriptions of everything really made it come alive. I'm happy you took the time out of the "normal day-to-day" to spend what looks to have been a great "date" with your beautiful wife and daughters!

08-21-2006	#8 (permalink)
BonnyW añejo Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Left Coast...So Cal Posts: 8,655	Wow! Nice day, nice trip report, nice family, nice town. I'll be in Chicago next June..and it will be my first 'real' trip to Chicago. (I've changed many planes there though ) Thanks for the preview!

08-21-2006	#9 (permalink)
bufante minucker Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Crop Dusting the IA Posts: 2,600	That last pic made me smile!

08-21-2006	#13 (permalink)
Doggiemom Canine FANatic Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Humble, Texas Posts: 5,983	Very nice pics......... Looks like a great day with the family! Sweet Home Chicago!

08-21-2006	#14 (permalink)
Jacko añejo Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 17,984	I love Chicago...great pics, fun time...thanks!

08-21-2006	#15 (permalink)
Barb&Meg life=playa Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 996	THANK YOU for these marvelous pictures! I grew up in Chicago and it is still "home". It's a great city, full of great people, and you made my day by sharing your day with us!

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