Hands, Monroe and Michigan

Old Town Art Fair, Wells Street

Again, better late than never.  The Old Town Art Fair, along Wells Street from Division Street to North Avenue, was weeks ago but I couldn't find the time to do any editing.  I always feel a little awkward taking photos of the work of professional artists, so my emphasis here was street photography.  These are the images that ruled over others.

High Maintenance, Michigan Avenue

Lion's Den, River North

Montrose Harbor

View of the Lake

Old Town Demolition

Front Deck

On a Boat

Happy 4th of July!

Zooming from a Gold Coast Rooftop

This is a view of the Loop as seen from a 20 story Gold Coast rooftop.  I experimented with 'zooming' a few months ago.  To obtain an effect as seen in the photograph above you simply adjust the focal length of a zoom lens during a long exposure.  You can really achieve some striking effects with this type of technique.

Grossinger Cadillac Building, Old Town

A few weeks ago I was riding by and noticed demolition in progress next to the old Grossinger Cadillac Building on Wells Street near Division.  This old auto garage always caught my eye with its terra cota exterior making it unique from the surrounding buildings on the block.  The building is a mix of neo-gothic style and art deco architecture.  Art deco symbols appear on the facade while hawk gargoyles protrude out from the top at each side.  A portion of the building will remain standing as construction makes way for a 250-unit, mid-rise apartment complex.  Here's a look the completed design at Yo Chicago.

On Boardwalk's Edge, Lake Michigan

 These images were taken a few weeks ago on the boardwalk between North Avenue and Oak Street Beaches.  This guy is facing east as the sun is setting behind him.  I couldn’t resist taking this shot because it illustrates how small we are in this large world that we live in.  I think a lot of locals come to the lakefront, particularly during a weekday, to get away from the congestion of daily city living.  Chicago gives you the best of both worlds, you can be alone in your thoughts staring into Lake Michigan while at the same time being just steps away from downtown. You wouldn't know it, but there were actually dozens of people walking by at the time.  As any good photographer does, I kept my patience and waited for clearance. 

Chicago Blues Festival 2011 and some Street Photography

Since today is the last day of June I thought I better post the photos from this year's Chicago Blues Festival that was held in Grant Park the weekend of June 10-12.  My concentration was on the performers on stage and some street photography throughout the festival.  Here are my favorites that made the final cut.  Not too bad for a photographer holding a beer.  Happy Summer!

Brown Line Above

Bus Hut Beauty, Michigan Avenue

Merchandise Art, River North

Chatting, Gold Coast

Clinton and Lake, West Loop

Right Only, Jackson Street

Pedestrians Crossing, North and Wells

Salpicon, Wells Street, Old Town

Old Town is home to many of Chicago's Victorian-era buildings constructed during the 19th century.  Over the past 20-30 years gentrification has transformed the neighborhood into more of an exclusive hotspot.  Old Town's charm is based on the great restaurants and bars, but the historical architecture and old businesses that continue to thrive in the area.  While Wells Street has maintained its historical look, many modern-styled buildings have risen in between.  The Salpicon Restaurant is a prime example of the old and new that exists up and down Wells Street between Division and North Avenue.  Salpicon serves authentic, upscale Mexican food that I have yet to try.  It seems that the food is similar to how you could describe the architecture - traditional red-brick fused with expensive modern glass.

Bongo Session, Gold Coast

"This is Chicago and Franklin" - CTA Guy

One of my favorite stations along the L.  The Chicago Brown (and Purple Line Express) station has a great views and is much less touristy than downtown stations along the Red Line.  Not to say that I have anything against tourists.