Haymarket, one May Day.
Tag: 42nd_Ward
Dreamtime, West Loop
Another view of two of the Presidential Tower buildings, taken a few seconds before this photo.
Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: Salvador 84
Flash: Off
Film: DreamCanvas
Dream caused by the flight of a bee near Presidential Towers
Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: Salvador 84
Flash: Cadet Blue Gel
Film: DreamCanvas
Lightbox version for your viewing pleasure.
Title stolen from Salvador Dali’s painting: Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening, 1944
Evening rush of dreams
New Hipstamatic add-ons include a multi-exposure lens called Salvador 841, and a film called DreamCanvas which adds a bit of texture and some weird edges to photos. I like them both a lot.
This photo is of the evening commute on Randolph Street, in a hail/sleet storm, the first frozen particulates of the season, and always worth celebrating.
Lightbox version.
Footnotes:- i.e., Salvador Dali, duh [↩]
When The Air Does Laugh
Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone1
Lightbox version
Yesterday, the Chicago media started drumming up fear and awe for a storm front that was rolling in, with stories such as:
A combination of strong thunderstorms, followed by violent and destructive winds, will make for one of the Midwest’s most dangerous storms in 70 years. The temperature Monday hit the 70s under partly sunny skies. But when Tuesday morning comes around, the Chicago area will be slammed with furious thunderstorms as a cold front passes over the area. Damaging winds will likely be a component of the thunderstorms, and there is a risk of tornadoes,
The severe storms are expected to sweep into the area between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. Tuesday, coming in the form of a squall line, which often means strong straight-line winds. The storms will be at their heaviest during the Tuesday morning rush. The rain and severe storms will pass out of the area by midday, but at that point, high and dangerous winds will roar into the area. The winds will maintain a sustained speed of 35 to 40 mph, and may gust to 55 mph or more. They will be most severe north of Interstate 88, particularly along the Wisconsin border, Kleist said. Over Lake Michigan, hurricane-force winds are possible.
…
The National Weather Service reports that based on its records, this will probably be one of the most powerful storm in 70 years, Kleist said.
(click to continue reading Storm To Be Among Worst In 70 Years « CBS Chicago – News, Sports, Weather, Traffic, and the Best of Chicago.)
Of course, when the actual storm arrived2, it was mild. There were a few gusts of wind, and a splash of rain, but nothing End of Times-esque, as the media had promised/threatened.
The photo above was taken out of my window, during the worst part of the deluge. I liked how the light caught the water droplets on the window screen – they look like pieces of gold.
Footnotes:No Sense Of Time
Better in Lightbox
Both Metra and Amtrak use these rails to link to Union Station and the Ogilvie Transportation Center so they are quite active with trains. Shot with my Nikon 18mm-200mm lens, and converted to black and white in Photoshop using the Alien Skin Exposure 3 plugin. If this area of the West Loop wasn’t so fouled with diesel smoke, I’d set up a tripod here, and get a better, long exposure shot, maybe even a photo that included a CTA train in the track in the upper right of the frame, but it is, and I’m impatient anyway.
Caught Without A Ticket
I know I’m probably repeating myself1 but the shadows under the El tracks were just too richly inviting to ignore. Franklin Street, Little Hell2 area. Shot using a Tokina 12mm-24mm lens, converted to black and white in Photoshop with the help of Alien Skin’s Exposure 3 plugin.
better in Lightbox
Footnotes:Montgomery Ward Park
a view of the eastern part of the newly named park at Kingsbury and Erie1
It took him two decades to win his personal battle to get rid of the seedy stables, railroad sheds and other eyesores along the lakefront to turn it into what would become Grant Park.
It took Chicago nearly a century to name a park in his honor.
A Montgomery Ward Park was officially dedicated Monday at 630 N. Kingsbury.
It’s named for Aaron Montgomery Ward, the retail catalog pioneer who famously declared that Grant Park should be “forever open, clear and free.”
“Based on his civic contribution, this honor is long overdue,” Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) said.
(click to continue reading An honor a century in the making :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State.)
probably waiting for the various dignitaries to arrive2
another recent view of the park.
Footnotes:Today Ward is recognized for his hard work, generosity and vision.
“[He] pulled out his checkbook to pay for lawsuit after lawsuit,” Tranter said.
“We wouldn’t have had Grant Park to fight over … were it not for A. Montgomery Ward’s efforts to protect it,” Reilly said.Significantly, A. Montgomery Ward Park, formerly called Park 511, is on land once owned by the retailer.
The park, on the corner of Erie and Kingsbury, features rolling hills, small trees, a riverwalk and a playground.
Reilly said “some modest improvements” to the playground and riverwalk are in the works because of the park’s growing popularity. “In the summer months, you can’t find a blade of grass,” he said.
- I always have called it Erie Park, but apparently until this week, its official name was the generic sounding Park 511 [↩]
- Mike Riordan, president of River North Residents Association; state Rep. Ken Dunkin; Erma Tranter, president of Friends of the Park; Ald. Brendan Reilly, and former Ald. Burt Natarus. [↩]
One Thousand Stories Contained Therein
Taken with my iPhone, and modified in SwankoLab.1 I’m sure I borrowed the title from somebody else…
Click here for Lightbox version
Footnotes:- using SwankoDev H1N [↩]
Urban Jungle
iPhone photo taken from Riverbend, then manipulated on the iPhone with SwankoLab12
Click here for lightbox version
Footnotes:Without shadows is without magnificence
Developed in SwankoLab for iPhone using Vinny’s BL94, Vinny’s BL04, Noir Fixer, and Noir Fixer.
Wonder how long the SwankoLab “blue” bug will remain? Has been quite some time now.
Click here for Lightbox version
You can see the erroneous blue tint in the upper right of the photo; amusingly, Riverbend Condominium does have strips of blue lights on their buildings, just not quite like this.
An old delusion
Click here for Lightbox version
Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: John S
Flash: Off
Film: Pistil
walking home from signing our new lease.
Impromptu Christopher Wheatley memorial at Avec
www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/08/firefighter-criticall…
Sad Chicago news while I was away: a firefighter by the name of Chris Wheatley fell 35 feet to his eventual death attempting to put out a grease fire across the street, at Avec. Avec has been closed since, and there are fresh flowers at the spot.
End of Days blues
Developed in SwankoLab for iPhone using Vinny’s BL94, Vinny’s BL94, Noir Fixer, and MineCo Sapphire Wash
view of afternoon traffic out of my office window…
Click twice to embiggen
Haymarket Riot memorial, old version
(old) Haymarket memorial. Now removed.1
For some reason that I haven’t been able to track down yet, this photo has been viewed nearly 10,000 times in the last couple of days. A high profile blog or website has used it, in other words. If you’ve seen this image anywhere, I’d like to hear about it.
I don’t mind the photo being used, I just like to keep track of who republishes my work, and for what purpose.
For a reference point, my photos usually are viewed in the 20-100 range on the day I upload them, and a few topical images still get views later, 5 to 10 a day typically, but nearly 10,000 views in two days is unprecedented. Very curious.
Footnotes:- If you want a copy of this photo of your own, there is one available at Clustershot www.clustershot.com/sethanderson/photo19735 [↩]