C H I C A G O

The first three times I visited Chicago (three times, mind you), I arrived to find the city enshrouded in fog and low-hanging clouds. I don't mean the skies were simply cloudy... I mean the top half of Chicago was gone. Although the skies eventually cleared during the last two trips, I am beginning to take this fog stuff personally. I've always had clear weather when flying, but only through, not to O'Hare. I'll see what happens in a couple of weeks when I fly to town. Maybe it only happens when I arrive via ground transportation, and this time it'll be like some kind of sneak aerial attack.
	JOHN HANCOCK CENTER The John Hancock Center seen from the Sears (top left), shining red & green for the holidays (middle left), from Illinois Street on a clear day (bottom left), and as the Mysterious Disappearing Skyscraper (below right). Completed in 1969, the 100-story tower is Chicago's third tallest building (1,105 feet), behind Sears Tower (1,454 feet) and the Amoco Building (1,136 feet). However, its residential 711 units, on floors 45 through 92, remain the world's highest. With my luck, if I lived there, the fog would roll in permanently and park itself just around the Hancock.
	"FLAMINGO" Alexander Calder's free-form sculpture sits in the Federal Center plaza. Those of you who know me know why I had to get a picture of a work called "Flamingo," although it was bitterly cold outside at the time. I only wish I could find a miniature version, like the little replica of the damn Picasso they sell all over town.
	WRIGLEY BUILDING Another of Chicago's famous landmarks, the Wrigley Building on Michigan Avenue where it crosses the Chicago River, is illuminated every night. The glazed terra cotta façade is hand-washed to retain its unique polish.
	TRIBUNE TOWER The Tribune Tower's Gothic design is the winning result of the Chicago Tribune's 1922 international competition. The building's street-level facade is inset with stones from famous places around the world.
	MARINA CITY Chicago's twin 60-story cylindrical ("Corn Cob") condominium towers (1964, 1967). Chicago's House of Blues sits at the base of the west tower.
	311 SOUTH WACKER DRIVE Looking down on the 970 foot, 65-story 311 South Wacker Drive building from the Sears Tower Skydeck at night.
	THE ROOKERY Designed in 1888 by Burnham & Root, the Rookery is a more beautiful building (by far) than their hideous 1891 Monadnock Building. Architectural Historians may admire the Monadnock for its historical significance (or for whatever reason), but I think it's one of the ugliest things I've ever seen. Frank Lloyd Wright worked on the Rookery's renovation in 1907.
	RELIANCE BUILDING Designed by D.H. Burnham, and built in 1895, the Reliance was the first steel-frame "skyscraper." Burnham also designed the amazingly beautiful Flatiron Building in New York City (if you watch NBC's "Veronica's Closet," her office is supposedly in the Flatiron).
	OLD CHICAGO WATER TOWER The Old Chicago Water Tower at night. The Water Tower and Water Works were among the very few buildings to survive The Great Chicago Fire of October 8, 1871.
	CARSON PIRIE SCOTT This is the ornate cast-iron entrance to the Carson Pirie Scott department store on the corner of State & Madison Streets in Chicago's Loop.
A VIEW FROM THE TOP The best time to go to the Hancock Observatory is just before sunset. That way you get to see the city both in daylight and after dark. Looking southeast from the 94th floor (above left), you can see Navy Pier extending out into Lake Michigan near the base of Mies van der Rohe inspired 70-story Lake Point Tower (1968). In The Loop (above middle), Chicago's historical business district, you can see the Amoco Building and Sears Tower (you can't see it here 'cause it's cut off between two pictures). Chicago's Merchandise Mart (above right) is the world's largest commercial building (4.2 million square feet). Looking north, you can watch traffic on Lake Shore Drive and Clark Street.