Day 31: A Spaceship for Jim

     In the heart of the city lies three buildings that are the centers of city, county, and state government activity in Chicago.  Today's entry takes a look at the building responsible for services to the state government, the State of Illinois building.  Or as it has been known for the past 20 years, the James R. Thompson Center.   Built in 1985, the Center houses offices of the State of Illinois.  For instance, the DMV is located on the ground level of the place.  The most distinctive feature of the building is without a doubt it's exterior design.  Architect Helmut Jahn decided on a distinctly post-modernist design that can be best described as a 17-story spaceship in the middle of the Loop.

     While this design may be aesthetically arresting, it creates huge problems when it comes to regulating the temperature of the building.  Originally plans called for curved, double-paned glass to improve insulation.  However, costs proved prohibitive, and after Jahn rejected flat double-paned glass, the building was erected with curved, non-insulated glass.  This immediately necessitated an upgrade to the HVAC systems in the building, which ultimately proved to be insufficient, since the interior temperature of the building still gets to be up to 90 degrees on hot summer days.  In addition, the building can get very cold in the winter.  In fact, in the building's early days ice would form on the interior of the windows in the building, and the melting water damaged the marble in the atrium.  Fortunately, that particular problem has since been addressed.

     One other interesting quirk about this building is the presence of art in and around the building.  Through the Percent for Art program, .5% of the total construction costs were set aside for the purchase of works of art.  One of the more unique pieces is outside of the building, Standing Beast by Jean Dubuffet.  Overall, this is a very interesting building.  If you find yourself in the city at some point, I highly recommend it.

Day 28: A Polish Revolutionary

     In 1776, America decided that it had had enough with the British, and they were gonna take their ball and bat and leave the British Empire.  Obviously, our tea-drinking rulers from across the pond took issue with that, and thus we got involved in the Revolutionary War.  Now while the Revolutionary spirit displayed by our Founding Fathers would serve as a shining example to this day, we needed some help.  In addition to the French getting in on the action to thumb their nose at the Brits, there were a number of ex-pats from other countries who helped us out.

     One of those folks was Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a Polish General.  Before we get too far into this, we should iron out one important detail: his name.  "Thaddeus" is just the most popular Anglicized way of spelling his given name.  His actual name is Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko.  In Lithuanian his name is given as Tadeušas(or Tadas) Kosciuška, and in Belarusian it is Tadevuš Kaściuška.  How Kosciuszko came to be involved with the Revolution is an interesting story.  Due to a conflagration of turmoil in Poland and family infighting, Kosciuszko had emigrated to France by 1775.  That next summer, word of the Revolution made its way to the people of France, who were in total favor of it. After a successful appeal by American diplomats, the French government gave a substantial loan to an arms dealer so that there could be a shell corporation established to smuggle guns and ammo to the Continental Army.  In June of 1776, Kosciuszko, having made contact with the arms dealer, sailed for America.  His first task was to supervise the fortification of Philadelphia.  After that, he served in both the Northern and Southern Theaters of the war, and then retired after the war ended.

     Upon his retirement, he returned to Poland, where he was active in the military there, but then eventually left Poland for good.  First to settle in France, and then finally in Switzerland.  One final note about Kosciuszko of note pertains to his will.  In it, he left $50,000 to Thomas Jefferson so that Jefferson's slaves could be freed and educated.  However, Jefferson was unable to carry out his bequest, since in 1817 (when Kosciuszko died) the state of Virginia did not allow the freeing or the education of slaves.  Therefore, that portion of his bequest languished until 1852, when the U.S. Supreme Court gave the money back to his heirs living in Poland.

     Now, I bet you're all wondering how this connects back to Chicago.  On the Museum Campus, there are a series of statues.  One of them is of Nicolaus Copernicus, and another one is of Kosciuszko.  And in yet another rehash of the name dispute from earlier, the inscription on the statue identifies him as "Theodore Kosciuszko".  This just serves as yet another example of the Polish influence in Chicago, as well as an important reminder that our freedom wasn't paid for by only Americans, but at times concerned foreigners as well.

Day 27: Chicago's Money Families-The Pritzkers

     This being as big of a city as it is, naturally there are going to be some families who've got some good amounts of money lying around.  Now, going with the assumption that not all wealthy families are the living embodiments of C. Montgomery Burns, there are also bound to be a decent amount of highly philanthropic families.  Well, truth be told, you're right.  Chicago has a fair amount of rich, generous families.  One of those families are the Pritzkers.  The most famous and well-known of the company's holdings is the Hyatt hotel chain, but they have also had their fingers in the Superior Bank of Chicago, the TransUnion credit bureau, and Royal Caribbean cruise lines, to name a few.  And, here is a (non-exhaustive) list of some of the things that the Pritzker family has affixed their name on via donation in the city.

• The Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millenium Park
• The Cindy Pritzker Auditorium at the Harold Washington Library
• The Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago
• The Pritzker Military Library
• The Pritzker Hall of Cosmology at the Adler Planetarium
• Pritzker Park in the Loop
• And the list goes on...

     Of course with a combined net worth of over $19 Billion(as of 2011), the fact that they are so generous with their money isn't that surprising.  So, next time you're out on the town, look around.  You might be benefiting from the generosity of the Pritzkers.

Day 24: A Place by the Water Tower

     In the late 60s, the Mall division of Marshall Field was starting to conceive an idea of putting a mall up in the area of the old Water Tower.  Eventually, the complex was built in 1975.  Water Tower Place consists of a 78-story residential tower and an 8-story mall area containing over 100 different stores. One of the most important legacies of the Mall is that it not only opened up the Magnificent Mile to more middle-class shopping abilities, it also helped to move Chicago's shopping nucleus north from State Street to that particular area of North Michigan Avenue. 

     When you get to the Michigan Avenue entrance to the mall, you come upon an atrium featuring an information desk, and two restaurants.  As you take the escalators up to the mall proper, you pass by a fountain that spans the entire length of the escalator.  The effect is quite cool. At the top of the escalator is a representation of the Water Tower made out of Legos, which is oddly appropriate since the LEGO store is directly across from the escalators on that level.  Another interesting store is one called Marbles that sells all varieties of brain games and exercisers.  One of their products is a brain-themed Rubik's Cube, where instead of matching up colors, you have to match up different sections of brain.  Needless to say, it is more difficult.  After that, one other store of note is called Cubs Clubhouse, and that is exactly what it sounds like.  A Cubs memorabilia shop.  You can buy flags, clocks, wall hangings, steering wheel covers, clothing, and even flasks with the Cubs logo emblazoned upon them.  At this point, we find ourselves going all the way down to the Mezzanine level to find the best part of any mall-the food court.  In this case, the court is separated into several different restaurants for you to choose from.  Going down one level further takes us to the parking entrance for Water Tower place.  And do you know what is directly next to Water Tower Place? The John Hancock building, but that's a destination for another day.  After all of that hullabaloo, there isn't much more to see, just walk out of the mall the same way you came in.

Day 18: We are NOT the center of the Universe

      Today's entry takes us southwards, down to the Museum Campus(right in front of the Adler Planetarium, to be specific.). Standing in front of the building is a small plaza, and in the center of this plaza is a statue of Nicolaus Copernicus. For those of you that don't know, Copernicus was a Polish astronomer who made the utterly groundbreaking claim that the earth revolves around the sun, not the other way around. Okay, so it doesn't sound super groundbreaking, except for the fact that Copernicus did the bulk of his work in the early part of the 16th Century, a time in which the Church was the ultimate end all be all. Unfortunately, the whole concept of heliocentrism was not really accepted within the church, and going against the teachings of the church was not something you wanted to do back then In fact, this fear partially contributed to him delaying the publication of his final masterpiece by more than ten years. And even when his book finally did come out, he included an inscription dedicating the work to the Pope, so as to deflate any controversy.

      As to the statue, it was given to Chicago by the Copernicus Foundation and the Polish-American Congress in 1973 to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of Coperinus' birth, and was placed outside of the Adler Planetarium. One fun fact about the statue is that in one of his hands, the statue his holding an astrolabe. That astrolabe has twice been stolen by folks who think that kind of stuff is funny. The astrolabe has since been equipped to deter it's theft, such as the addition of laser beams(not really)

Day 21: An Annual Cubbie Occurance

     A Year of change.  A clean out of the roster.  101 losses.  And a packed convention?  Yup, that's Cubdom for ya'.  In 1986, the Tribune Company (who owned the Cubs at the time) pioneered the then unheard-of idea of having a bunch of fans come together in the middle of the off-season to meet current and former players, attend a multitude of panel discussions, and of course, to buy a bunch of stuff from vendors.  And it actually worked. 

     A couple of weeks back, the 28th Annual Cubs Convention was held at the Sheraton in downtown Chicago, and it was just as good as usual.  The opening ceremony was held in the main ballroom, and it started out with some videos that had been put together by WGN.  After that, the Cubs Alumni were introduced onstage, then all of the current players walked through the middle of the crowd on a red carpet.  After that, the opening ceremonies were over with, and we were dispatched on an Autograph Hunt, where we would find guests spread throughout the building and see how many signatures we could get.  From there, I got back upstairs just in time to get a seat for Cubs Bingo, which is just what it sounds like.  There I sat with a couple from North Carolina, a father and son from the suburbs, and various other people.  After Cubs Bingo, the night was over, but there was still Saturday.  Saturday opened up with a forum led by the Ricketts family (the current owners of the team) where they fielded various questions asked by fans. After that, there was a session of Cubs Jeopardy, which had two teams of former players going up against each other.  After that there was a session detailing the team's plans for restoring Wrigley Field. Then they had a series of live broadcasts from WGN Radio featuring interviews with players and executives.  There were numerous more sessions going on throughout the day, however I did not attend them.  With the exception of the panel discussions, there were also numerous interactive experiences, the dealer rooms, and a Cubs Memorabilia exhibit. Other than that, not too much else, except for an interview.  As I said in the first entry, I am trying to put interviews into this blog from time to time, and this is the first one, conducted by one of the members of the couple from North Carolina.

What is your favorite part about the Convention?
My favorite part are the opening ceremony and the forums, I like to be able to ask questions and get inside the heads of the panelists a little bit.

How long have you known about the Convention?
I didn't know about it until just two years ago.

What makes the Cubs Convention a unique part of Chicago?
This Convention showcases the connection that the team has to the community, it's way more than just a business, and I feel that that is something which is unique.

Day 17: Remembering Marilyn

     For this next post, we'll need to fire up the time machine and go about a year into the past, because what we will be looking at today no longer is in the city.  In 2011, there was a statue installed in Pioneer Court depicting one of the more infamous scenes in cinematic history, specifically from the 1955 movie The Seven Year Itch; this being the scene where Marilyn Monroe steps over a subway grate and has her skirt fly up.  Anyway, the statue was installed in 2011 and was almost immediately universally criticized.  (Though curiously, all of that negative press did nothing to stop the more-than-occasional tourist getting an under-skirt shot of Marilyn.)  Unfortunately, it was not meant to last forever, so in May of 2012 the statue was disassembled and shipped off to Palm Springs, California. Therefore, Californians and Chicagoans can now share their anguished admiration for this piece of odd art.

Day 20: The First Honoree

     If you walk out of the AMC theater on Illinois Street and take a right, then take a left on Columbus.  Walk about half a block south, and you'll see a park with benches.  A sign identifies this as Milton L. Olive III Park.  The layout itself is very much like Pritzker Park,  but what makes this unique is who this particular park is named for.  Milton Olive III was a Private in the United States Army during the Vietnam War who was originally from Chicago.  On October 22, 1965, his unit was attacked by the Viet Cong.  In the scrum, there was a live grenade thrown at his unit.  Noticing this, Pvt. Olive immediately jumped on the grenade, saving the lives of four fellow soldiers while costing him his own.  For his selfless sacrifice, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, thus making him the first African-American recipient of the Medal of Honor from the Vietnam War.  On April 21, 1966, President Lyndon Johnson held a ceremony on the White House steps where Olive's medal was presented to his parents.  In 1979, the City of Chicago dedicated a park to Milton Olive, and that park still remains to this day.

Day 19: He's a Brick House!

     Moving back to Pioneer Court, today's entry deals with another statue, however this statue is much more well-loved and universally adored than the Marilyn Monroe statue. In 1998, longtime broadcaster Jack Brickhouse died.  Doing a full expose on the career of Jack Brickhouse would take up quite a bit of space, so I'll just give you some of the highlights in bullet points:

• He covered the Bulls from their inception all the way until 1973
• He served as a boxing announcer
• He started broadcasting games for WGN in 1940, and he manned the booth for the Cubs and the White Sox all the way up through 1967, during which he managed to broadcast more than FIVE THOUSAND games, which is a record that will never be broken.
• He covered the 1945 Presidential Inauguration, as well as several Democratic and Republican Conventions
• He covered the funeral of Winston Churchill
• He covered the Bears for 24 Years
• He was featured on the first transcontinental TV broadcast in 1962, as well as covering a Papal audience held by His Holiness Paul VI
• He broadcast the World Series on 4 separate occasions.
• And many, many more items are on his resume as well...

     As I said, that barely scratches the surface of what Jack Brickhouse did in his 50 year career.  If you want to see the statue for yourself, just go down to Pioneer Court and check it out.  Make sure to say hi to Jack for me when you're there.

Day 14: The Playstation Memorial

     Today's entry talks about a work entitled Trascendent-3GP.  Once again, it is located on the lakefront path, the same one with the explodng lightbulb and the blimp.  When you walk up to it, the first thing you notice is the fact that what stands in front of you is a black metal pillar with different geometric shapes draped over it.  Before we get to my take on it, let's look a little bit at the sculptor.  Ray Katz was born and raised in the Detroit area, and promply went into the Army upon his graduation from High School.  Taking the following from his artists' statemtent, " metal has remained best suited for my work because of its strength, malleability and inherent beauty...My sculpture is abstract. The abstract manipulation of form in space to create visual balance, using rhythm, action and movement, combine to create compositions that convey the implied energy found in my work."  However, the REAL thing that makes this work stand out like a sore thoumb even more is what the sculpture looks like.  It is a panted black piece of metal, that thas four colored shapes draped over it, in the shape of a square, a circle, and two straight bars of metal.  In other words, this looks like a blatant tribute to the Playstation video game system of old.  Don't take my word for it.  Look at the pictures on the Facebook page and judge it for yourself.

Day 16: Pioneers, oh Pioneers...

     Sometime in the 1780s, a Haitian explorer by the name of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable sailed into what is now known as the mouth of the Chicago River and decided to set up a home there.  Little did he know at that point that his humble abode would turn into a city of 3 million people.  However, it did and du Sable has gone down in History as the founder of Chicago.  Numerous accolades have been accorded to him as such, but one of the more permanent and noteworthy memorials has been the dedication of Pioneer Court.  In 1965, the Equitable Life Assurance Society of America building was being constructed, and the site of du Sable's first home was developed into a plaza that would be called Pioneer Court.  Situated in the middle of the Michigan-Wacker Historic District, Pioneer Court is a mere stone's throw from many Chicago landmarks, such as the Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower, NBC Tower, the Billy Goat Tavern, the Michigan Avenue Bridge(among others), and one statue from the past that we will be examining in the very next entry.

Day 11: Taking a Beastly Stand

     Today we find ourselves in the heart of the city, right in front of the James R. Thompson Center.  However, we aren't writing about the Thompson Center quite yet.  Instead, we are writing about the sculpture right in front of the building, entitled Standing Beast. The proper title of the work is actually Monument with Standing Beast, but let's not split hairs.  This sculpture, by Jean Dubuffet was unveiled in 1984, and it is actually based on a painting that he painted in 1960 called Horoscope. It is supposed to represent a standing animal, a tree, a portal, and an architectural form.  Apparently it is affectionately known amongst Chicagoans as "Snoopy in a Blender"  Personally, I just know it as wierd.  It is very interesting to walk up to and explore, you can walk up and underneath it, and it provides a bevy of interesting camera angles.  You'll have to check out the facebook page to see the pictures and know what I'm talking about.

Day 10: The classiest Walgreens you'll EVER see.

     Walgreens.  What comes to mind when you hear that word.  A quick place to pick up stuff at the corner?  An easy place to get cash out of the ATM? Late night food runs?  What if I told you that you could find a full selection of Beer, Wine, and Sprits at Walgreens?  Or how about an assortment of different cheeses? You'd probably think I was crazy, right?  Well, today's entry would attest to the contrary. At the corner of State and Randolph(a corner which has housed Walgreens since 1926), the most recent Walgreens store in that area is incredibly good-looking and well done.

     The store is situated right next to the Chicago Theater, and walking in on that side brings you into the store nearby the alcohol section.  Looking to your right, what do you see?  A wine-tasting counter?  In Walgreens!?  Yup, this place is so classy it has a WINE-TASTING STATION. Anyway, after that, you go past the well stocked beer and spirit selections to the upstairs area(yeah, this place has a second level as well) where you'll find the pharmacy and the "Downtown Living" section.  This section has essentials for living in the city, such as pet supplies, apartment furnishings, and the like. After that, I went back downstairs, where I found out that the store was celebrating their one-year anniversary, and to celebrate it, they were giving away free samples, including small smoothies from their ON-SITE SMOOTHIE BAR. (Seriously, this place has got everything!) Other than that, some fresh flowers, and a stand for souvenirs, that's about it.  Except for this: on my way out of the store, there was a red-carpet out side where people could stand in line to win makeup products.  Suffice it to say that I was not interested in that competition!

Well, we've gotten 10 days under our belts, time for some more!

Day 13: To The Skies!

     This next entry takes us back to the Lakefront Path(remember, the same place we saw this gem), except this time we are looking at a representation of an airship.  In fact, the sculpture is called Airship.  When you first walk up to it, it is somewhat interesting looking.  It is a model of a blimp, suspended in a wooden frame.  The blimp itself is painted white on it's big section, with a grey cabin section. It also has fin-style back wings which are painted Red.  It is definitely a very interesting sculpture(and maybe a little bit out there), but that is what can be said for most works of public art.  I do think that it's worth seeing if you're in the area.

Day 12: Harold's Place

     In 1987, the city's main library branch had been in use for more than 90 years, and it was starting to show it's age.  So, a new building was commissioned.  This new home for the library was to be on the South end of the Loop, and it was going to be big. 12 floors, 750,000 square feet, and consistently named amongst the largest library buildings in the world.  The building itself is a fusion of two well-known architectural styles, Beaux Arts and Mannerist.  Another exterior touch was the addition of acroteria(basically think gargoyles, but merely ornamental) to the roof of the building in 1993.  When you first enter the building, you walk through a corridor into a large two-story lobby area.  From there, you can either go up or go down.  If you go down, you find yourself in the basement, by a presentation hall.  If you go up, you enter into the libary proper.  The interior is pretty average as libraries go for the next six floors, but once you get to the 9th Floor, there is a huge atrium, called the Winter Garden.  This area can be rented out for Private Events, and when not being used, it is simply an open area.  The special exhibit area of the library is also located on floor #9.

     After the long process of building was finally complete in 1991, the place still needed a name.  It was at that point that then-Mayor Richard M. Daley suggested that the library be named for former Mayor Harold Washington, who had passed away from a Heart Attack in 1987.  This honor recognized Mayor Washington's committment to literacy, as well as his drive to build the new library.  This building is a very impressive piece of architecture, a fine library, and a fitting memorial to Harold Washington.

Day 9: Kelpies? In Chicago!?

     Imagine if you will, that it is the summertime.  You walk out of the Shedd Aquarium and want to go to Navy Pier.  So, you walk over to the dock for the Shoreline water taxi.  As you walk over there, you see two horse's heads on pedestals on a grassy area.  You think to yourself "What the heck is that?"  That, my dear reader, is what today's entry is about.  The statue itself is called The Kelpies, and they were built by Scotsman Andy Scott.  It is quite the interesting design. 
    
     First off, a little background: the kelpie is a mythological sea monster with the head of a horse.  So, this sculpture features two Kelpie heads seemingly rearing out of the water.  You can see this clearer on the picture, but if you look closely at one of the Kelpies, you can see a small human figure standing in what appears to be either awe or terror at the emerging Kelpie(my money is on terror).  It really is quite entertaining to look at, but it gets really interesting when you consider this.  The models in Chicago are just that: models. The sculptor is in the process of building full-size Kelpies in Scotland. These statues will be straddling a canal in a new art park being planned, and each one will be 100 feet tall. So this is what that means: remember that little figure standing in terror on one of the Kelpie statues?  That was built to scale.  According to the Website, the full-size Kelpie statues should be installed in their permanent homes sometime in the beginning of 2013.  After that, you can see the real ones for yourself.  One more thing: the scale models are in Chicago as part of the Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition(you know, the same thing that yesterday's sculpture was here for).  That about does it for today.  See you tomorrow!

Day 6: An Electric Station

     Today we are continuing the mini-tour we've been on of the South Loop with this: Today's entry requires a little background information. Chicago's commuter rail system(Metra) has 5 origin stations in Downton Chicago, which branch out to more than 200 suburban stations.  Today we'll be looking at one of the five downtown stations.  Located (once again) in the South Loop, Metra's Van Buren Street Station is one of two downtown terminals that serves the Electric District.  The Electric District has been around in one form or another since 1856. When it was first built, the line ran into Chicago on a railway bridge overhanging Lake Michigan.  After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the debris was dumped into the lake, forming what we know of today as Grant Park, but also makng the tracks land-based. From there, the RTA(and then Metra) was formed, which bought the line in 1987.

     Now that we have that out of the way, back to the observations.  There are numerous entrances to the station, and once you get down there, you walk down a tunnel to get to the station proper. At this point, you find yourself in the ticket office, where you can either go to the ticket counter to buy a Metra ticket, utilize one of the vending machines to do so, or buy a ticket for the South Shore Line, which runs from Chicago to South Bend, Indiana. After that, you can advance to the waiting area and then sit down on the benches and wait for a train.  When the train actually arrives, you'll walk outside where you board the train, and then you go on your way.  On your way out of the station, if you take the closest stairway to the platforms, then you'll notice an iron formation above the exit.  Upon closer examination, you see that that is actually a gift from the Paris transit company, given in honor of it's Centennial.  So, now that you've gotten that basic tour, the work of this blog is done for today.    Till Next time...

Day 7: A Park in the City

     Today's entry shoots us into the Loop, at the corner of State and Van Buren.  While there are many parks and green spaces in the city of Chicago, what makes Pritzker Park unique is that it is literally located right smack dab in the middle of the southeast corner of the Loop.  The baic layout is a concrete surface with a terrace set-up that gradually introduces grass into the setting. For most of the year, the park is just that: a park.  But, at various times I have been witness to various street performances at the park, as well as works of public art.  Of course, when it comes to public art at Pritzer Park, I feel I must mention a blast from the past.  About 3 years ago, there was a public art piece that went up in Pritzker Park that was nothing more than a giant eyeball.  It was both fascinating and delightfully creepy.  Unfortunately, it was only temporary and it has been down for roughly two years now.  Other than that, there isn't too much left to do other than to remind all of you that we're going to be seeing a lot more of the Pritzker name during our tour of the city.

Day 5: A Spirit of Music

Author's Note: Just so you don't think I'm a super genius or anything, all of the details I have about Theodore Thomas come to us from his Wikipedia page.

Another Note:  As with yesterday's update, there are photos from this excursion up on the Chicago 365 Facebook page

     Today we start our first sort of 'theme' week, since we're gonna be bouncing around various locations in the South Loop for the next 5 days. Bearing that in mind, let's look at another statue today. 
    
     At the corner of Michigan Avenue and Balbo Avenue, (within Grant Park) there is a statue standing that honors a man named Theodore Thomas. An inscription behind the statue says in part that "Scarcely any man in any land has done so much for the musical education of the people as did Theodore Thomas in this country..." Seems like a pretty big deal.  So who is Theodore Thomas?  Well, a little digging reveals that Thomas was a musical prodigy as a child, came to America from Germany, and in 1891, started up a little musical outfit that we know of today as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The CSO originally played their concerts in the Auditorium Theater, but Mr. Thomas was nonplussed by the idea of having to sell out a 3,000 seat hall twice a week.  So, he spearheaded the construction of Orchestra Hall, which houses the CSO to this day.  However, Thomas would only live just long enough to usher the CSO into their new home.  While conducting rehearsals for the dedicatory concert(which happened on December 14, 1904) he came down with influenza and eventually died on January 4, 1905.  After his death, he was hailed as a "legend in his own time", amongst many other accolades.  Eventually, there was a statue erected in his honor nearby Symphony Center.  One more tidbit of note:  the cousin of Theodore Thomas' second wife is a distant ancestor of the Bush political family.
  
     Now, there is one more thing I want you all to remember.  The area where Thomas' statue is located is known as the Spirit of Music garden. Keep this in mind, becasue in a few months we will be revisiting this location.

Day 4: Civil Rights, Sports, and all with a side of fries.

     Today's entry in the blog brings us downtown, to the Loop.  But this isn't just any ordinary store on the Loop.  No, this is the McDonald's at 230 S. State St.  And here is why that is such a big deal:  it has a dual theme.  The first floor of the establishment is a tribute to the city's storied sports history, featuring various posters and other pieces of memorablia(more than just one piece featuring Michael Jordan.  However, that is not all.  After you get your food, you have the option of going up to the second floor.  Do that, and you'll come face to face with Reflections of the Civil Rights Movement, a pictorial tribute to the career of Dr. King.  There are all sorts of items there in relation to the movement, and also a pictorial board depicting the life and times of Cirilo McSween.  Born in Panama in 1926, he was a member of the Panamanian Olympic Track and Field Team before going to work for New York Life Insurance Company(where he was their first Black sales agent).  He also was a participant in the Civil Rights Movement.  His prowess in the field of insurance led him to eventually acquiring 11 McDonald's franchises.  Finally, in 2005, he renovated his State Street location to have the second floor tell the story of the Civil Rights Movement.  So, the next time you're downtown and want a bite to eat, stop in at the McDonald's at 230 S. State to eat--and learn.

P.S. I took some pictures when I went to this place, and they can be found on the Chicago 365 Facebook page.

Day 3: The "Front Door"

     Today's entry is located on prime lakefront property, and shoots water 150 feet into the air during the summertime.  Any guesses?  Yes, I am talking about the Buckingham Fountain.  And no, it is not named after Lindsey Buckingham.  The fountain is actually named in honor of Clarence Buckingham.  The fountain was dedicated in 1927 as a memorial to the aforementioned Mr. Buckingham.  During the summertime, there are light and water shows every night.  Then, when it gets to the winter, the Fountain's pumps get turned off(so as not to have the water freeze the pipes) and the fountain gets decorated with festive lights for the season. Other than that, here are some interesting tidbits:
     -From its dedication in 1927 all the way up until 1994, the computer that controlled the pumps was located in Atlanta.
     -The control room for the fountain is actually located underneath the fountain itself. I'm not sure if this is still the case, but a few years ago, there were tours offered of the control room in exchange for donations.

Day 2.5: A Quick Note

Hello everyone!
     One thing I forgot to mention in my intro piece was the fact that this blog also has a presence on Facebook.  Go to the Search Bar and type in Chicago 365, and there we are. This is going to be the area where you all, as my fans, can post ideas and suggestions for the blog, as well as the place where I will be putting up pictures of my various travels in the course of the blog. 
     So, to sum this up in two bullet points:
     -Chicago 365 is on Facebook
     -You should find(and like) our page on there.

I hope you're enjoying the blog so far!
-Matt

Day 2: It's Letterman! It's Obama! It's a Man--with a Fish?

          Before we get too far into this blog, I feel that I should mention something. I work at the Shedd Aquarium, so you can expect to see references pop up here and there from time to time.  Anyway, why I bring this up is that Shedd is the destination of our first actual thing to see/do in Chicago. No, we're not going to be profiling the Shedd today, but we are profiling something on the Shedd property.  In 2001, one of Shedd's trustees commissioned a statue by the artist Stephan Balkenhol(to the tune of $1 Million) that would sit outside of Shedd's accessible entrance.  The statue is entitled Man with Fish, and that is pretty much what it is.  Apparently, this artist goes around the country making different statues, all featuring a man holding something.  And so, that is the story of one what has become one of the more unique features of the Museum Campus over the last decade.  One more thing that relates back to the title of this piece.  Several times over the course of the summer, I would have guests come up to me and ask me if the man in the statue was supposed to be Obama(the man in the statue is painted black, and being that this is Chicago, I can almost see how one might be tempted to think this is in tribute to the President.[However, the fact that the statue was built in 2001 pretty well kaboshes that theory]).  And then today, I overhear a guest asking whether the statue was meant to be depicting David Letterman.  Yup, only in Chicago.

          Congrats on the first day done.  Only 363 left to go!

Day 1: Broad Shoulders and Broad Itineraries

          First of all, Happy New Year to all of you. I hope that 2013 brings you all the success and joy on the planet.

         Secondly, since you're reading this, I'd like to welcome you to this blog.

         And now that we have that out of our way, I'd like to give you a bit of a scoop about the journey that we will be taking over the course of the next year:  Chicago is a great city, with close to 3 million people.  Of course, with all of that population, there's bound to be a good amount of things to do, right?  That is where this blog comes in.  The aim of Chicago 365 is going to be to profile the mulititude of various possible things that you can do in the city.  Over the course of the year, we will be visiting statues, historical sites, museums, airports, and other places. One more thing about this: When I go to these places, I plan to (sometimes) do an interview with the propriotors of the establishment so we can further our understanding of the subject.  Oh, one more thing: the success of this Blog is dependent upon your efforts to spread it around(and/or by contributing ideas for more things for me to do).  If you like it, PLEASE help us in someway.

          So, there being no further business here, I offically declare the Chicago 365 Blog open for business. Happy Tavels to all of us.

-Matt