I recently was lucky enough to be able to travel to Chicago over "fall break"-a lousy three day weekend Miami University allows its students in the middle of October-but nonetheless I had fantastic time. Before this trip, I had only been in the tiny, cramped neighborhoods of South Chicago and had not ventured to the northern suburbs or much downtown other than to the Field Museum (BIG fun to be had at the Field Museum-not). However, I was surprised by how clean downtown Chicago was (and how relatively void of homeless persons), the ease of use of the transportation system, and the striking array of building styles within its boundaries. Not to mention the excitement of the Magnificent Mile...
The development along the waterways within downtown seemed to be very strong. There was a TON of construction happening the day I toured with people from MU. This included work on Donald Trump's new tower and Santiago Calatrava's spire that supposedly will be around 2,000 feet tall (I think it was supposed to be finished in 2011-I'm not so sure).
This picture is of Trump's new hotel directly on the water. By the time it is finished it should stick out well on Chicago's skyline-our tour guide said it will be about twice as tall as it is in this picture (see far right).
The Wrigley Building (home to the Wrigley Company) is one of my favorite buildings in downtown Chicago. Not overly ornamental, it proudly displays an American adaptation of the French Renassiance style of architecture. Its beautiful craft and the gleaming white of its 250,000 terra cotta tiles allow it to stand out from its surrounding buildings. At the head of Northern Michigan Ave, it is also prime real estate.
I am fast-fowarding for the sake of time to the Sears Tower. From the water on the tour boat it was somewhat difficult to get a great picture of such a tall structure-but on the way back I took this shot. Such a simple design, the Sears Tower still is awe-inspiring and captivating. The movement from its base to each successively smaller piece to the white antennas at its top, the Sears Tower is the tallest building in the U.S. From its skydeck, it is claimed that one can see into four states (Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois).
*It should also be noted that I found my future home in Lake Forest, IL, about an hour north of Chicago. On Lake Michigan, it would most likely go for around $25,000,000. I'm sure my starting salary will cover that-no problem.
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