Let the river run

Trump International Hotel and Tower

On the day after I finally graduated from college, TG and I had breakfast in "da region" before driving the twenty-five miles to Chicago.

When we travel -- and even when we are at home -- TG and I like to find places that serve breakfast all day -- or at least until mid-afternoon, when they close.

In my case, I'm in search of a huge fluffy omelet. Or pancakes. And fresh, hot, strong coffee.

TG and the Wrigley Building

When we lived in Northwest Indiana, a favorite place to dine was Round the Clock.

There are several locations but this time, we visited the one in Highland. As the name implies, they may doze but they never close. The food is good and the prices are excellent.

There were several old-school diners in Chicago where we planned to eat later in the week, but on this day we wanted to walk a few steps further down memory lane.

Hot Pocket Building

Round the Clock did not disappoint and soon, having enjoyed eggs and biscuits and breakfast potatoes, we were cruising along Interstate 94 towards the city.

It was a beautiful day aided and abetted by a fluffy-clouded mackerel sky.

Yes; the weather in Chicago can be quite horrible a full six months out of the year.

Marina City

Of the remaining six, four are sure to be iffy. They'll be either (still) too cold, too hot, too humid, too wet, or too windy.

Or a truly baffling combination of all of the above. Within a twenty-four-hour period of time.

But there are eight weeks per year -- give or take -- in which one is sure to encounter near-perfect climatic conditions even in Chicago: sunny and mild, with low humidity and a delicious breeze.

Nuveen Building :: 333 W. Wacker Drive

This was one of those days -- although, before its conclusion, it did get a trifle too hot for my liking.

But we muddled through.

Our immediate destination was the Riverwalk.

Get on the Riverwalk here

It's exactly what it sounds like: a stretch along the Chicago River where one may walk.

A mile and a quarter long, the Riverwalk can be accessed by stairs from several of Chicago's bridges.

We merged onto the walk at the DuSable Bridge, where Michigan Avenue -- specifically the Magnificent Mile -- meets the river.

There are plenty of pigeons

(Chicago boasts the greatest number of movable -- or trunnion bascule -- bridges of any city in the world except one: Amsterdam.)

(Well. That is what the docent who guides your Shoreline Architecture River Tour will tell you. But if you actually look it up, you will find that this statistic may not be entirely true. At the very least, the subject is open for debate.)

(And don't ask anyone from Pittsburgh.)

You can hail a water taxi

At any rate, these dozens of impressive counterweight drawbridges are raised several times each year -- in the spring, when the sailboats that have been wintering farther up the river make their way back out to Lake Michigan for the summer season, and again in autumn, when those same sailboats travel (reluctantly I'm sure) back upriver for the winter.

I've wanted for years to see that, but here is what happens if you don't do your homework: you miss it.

As in, the day after TG and I were walking the Riverwalk, was a boat run day. And I didn't know it.

One of those bridges

Looking back, we had a semi-tight itinerary and it probably wouldn't have worked out for us to stand there and watch. But still. I would have liked to know what I was missing.

For future reference (both yours and mine) here is a web site that provides the bridge-lifting schedule. If you make it there to witness this, do let me know.

But if it's merely boats on a river that you like to see, there is no shortage of those. Boats of all sizes -- both private and commercial -- happily cruise the river most hours of the day and night.

You can rent this pirate vesselFor the last two years -- plus one summer a long time ago -- TG and I have enjoyed the aforementioned Shoreline Architecture River Tour.

Every time we take this seventy-five minute tour, we see something different (because the skyline is always changing) and learn something new.

I never tire of hearing a knowledgeable guide discuss architectural styles and the history of the skyline, while seated comfortably on the deck of a barge.

Tribune Tower and DuSable Bridge

Of course, the vast majority of Chicago's architecture is newish, having been built after the near-total destruction of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which decimated over two thousand acres and more than seventeen hundred buildings.

Take the Sears Tower*, for example. Talk about an icon. It was completed in 1974, the same year I moved to the area to start college.

I remember being transfixed by that building each week as we were trundled into the city on buses, to be dropped off on our Sunday School bus routes where we spent the day visiting our riders.

Standing tall on Wacker Drive

(Yes; we did that year-round. No; I never had a warm-enough coat. Another story for another day.)

The Sears Tower* -- from every angle, every time -- still mesmerizes.

In my next post, I'll show you close-up street views of it, as well as the vistas on show from its 103rd-floor observation deck.

Looking east, towards the lake

Speaking of angles -- at the top of this post is a picture of the Trump International Hotel and Tower, the second-tallest building in Chicago, the seventh-tallest in the United States, and the thirtieth-tallest in the world.

Completed in 2009, it is stunning and I never tire of taking its picture. From near or far, this building is truly an incredible sight.

Chicagoans -- many of them -- detest it, as you may imagine. 

Vietnam War Memorial on the Riverwalk

I like it.

Then there's the Nuveen building, the post-modern curved blue-green wall which, in a definitive example of contextualism, follows the gentle line of the river and reflects the buildings, sky, and water around it.

There are the Marina Towers, completed in 1968. Within the confines of Marina City you can live, park your car, shop, get your clothes dry cleaned, and for all I know, get embalmed.

All with a great view of the city, the lake, and the river.

The city in a garden

I remember the "corn cob" buildings from when we lived in Chicago when I was a kid, when they were brand spanking new. Every apartment is wedge-shaped and has a balcony.

There is the Wrigley Building -- completed in 1924, built by the chewing gum magnate of the same name, for the headquarters of his company -- with its facade of pure white glazed terra cotta rising so grandly from the sidewalk, facing the gothic masterpiece Tribune Tower across the avenue.

Wrigley Building from the Riverwalk

Many call one of the newer skyscrapers towering over Wolf Point -- the confluence of the north, south, and main branches of the river -- the "Hot Pocket Building" because it resembles -- well. A hot pocket. Or the cardboard container a McDonald's apple pie comes in.

Once we'd finished walking the Riverwalk both ways, we climbed the steps to street level and walked some more, northward on the Magnificent Mile. We bought tickets for the architecture cruise and walked until time to climb aboard.

We bought cold beverages from the drugstore across the street from Water Tower Place, and because we were hot and thirsty, they tasted so good. 

Wolf Point from the Riverwalk

And it was a good thing too because by the time we took our seats on deck, the sun was shining full on it, with little to no cloud cover. We were grateful for a cool breeze once we got underway. And sunglasses.

The sun was sinking lowish by the time the cruise concluded, and I went to the prow of the boat as we floated away from the lake, back towards the spot just east of Michigan Avenue where the vessel docks between tours.

Dominating the skyline here is the wavy 101-story Vista Tower, the new under-construction project of Jeanne Gang and her Studio Gang Architects.

Jeanne Gang's Vista Tower

It's actually three connected towers and is planned for residential use. Towards the top of the tallest tower is a blow-through floor, to mitigate the effects of lake shore winds on this supertall skyscraper.

It's going to change everything. It already has.

I guess the buildings of Chicago prove that the sky is the limit.

Contextualism at its finest

TG and I walked to our car then, and headed back to Northwest Indiana. We'd be guests of our friend Jerry for one more night there, before coming into the city to stay for the next few days.

Also we had a dinner engagement -- with some old (not them; our friendship) and very beloved friends, Fred and Vickie. On our second date, in 1978, TG and I triple dated with them and another couple.

Fred and Vickie treated us to an excellent meal at Little Italy in Dyer, Indiana. If you ever have an opportunity to dine there, do not pass it up.

If you're conflicted about what to order, I recommend the crispy pork shoulder.

And that is all for now.

*It has another name but I don't use it.

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Happy Tuesday

Comments

[Mari]

I'm not a city girl but you make me want to visit Chicago! I've been there but it's been a long time. I actually visited in high school on a class trip and went to Sears Tower - all the way to the top,
I love all the beautiful buildings you shared. Trump Tower is gorgeous and it's sad that Chicago doesn't like it, when a few years back they were all fine with the man and his buildings. But that's a whole other subject. Suffice to say, I have a feeling you and I agree on said subject.

[Jennifer]

@Mari ... Trump 2020! 'nuff sed. xoxo

[Jane]

I love visiting Chicago through your posts. Coming from a tiny, rural town, the buildings are just amazing.

[sally]

You always have the most interesting posts, Jenny, and this was no exception. Never been to Chicago, but now feel like I kinda have. :)

Yes
Trump 2020
And, I don't care who knows it.

xoxo

[Jennifer]

@Sally ... thanks my friend and I don't care who knows it either. The kooks who want to take him down are standing on the tracks and there's a freight train coming. They can't see it for TDS blinding them. MAGA xoxo

[K. Kluth]

It was great to see you recently. You have a beautiful family! I enjoyed reading your blog as you brought back sweet memories of seven years in the Chicago area. Steve and I had our first date on the Chicago Boat Ride 42 years ago. We took the evening cruise and neither one of us dated anyone else after that romantic evening. We took our teen daughters and they too fell in love with Chicago. Keep writing...love you!

[K. Kluth]

It was great to see you recently. You have a beautiful family! I enjoyed reading your blog as you brought back sweet memories of seven years in the Chicago area. Steve and I had our first date on the Chicago Boat Ride 42 years ago. We took the evening cruise and neither one of us dated anyone else after that romantic evening. We took our teen daughters and they too fell in love with Chicago. Keep writing...love you!

[Jennifer]

@Karen ... it was a real treat to see you too, and also Steve. You look wonderful. I didn't know that about your first date with Steve. That IS romantic! Such wonderful memories. Love you back. xoxo

[Barb]

I'm coming to the table late but still finding a feast of words and photos. I've only visited Chicago once with a friend 17 years ago. I have a very good memory of my time there. A young man tracked me down and found me to return my wedding band which I had removed in his store while applying hand lotion. Lesson learned! And a heartfelt gratitude for the honesty and kindness shown to me in Chicago. Your photos of the architecture show the magnificence and blending of many styles.

[Jennifer]

@Barb ... what a wonderful memory! How tragic it would have been to lose your wedding ring over a dollop of lotion. I am always cautioning my daughters not to take their rings off when they wash their hands in a public place. I did that once (as a teenager) and lost a beautiful ring that my mother had given me, when I washed my hands in the washroom of a hotel restaurant.. Luckily for me, a man in our group was a seasoned business traveler and he went to the management and (I know not how) shook them down for my ring, which they had. Now I never take them off in public, for any reason. But I'm glad your learning experience gave you a happy memory. And Chicago is not only a city of nice people, but as you say also of amazing beauty. xoxo