I toured in Chicago one day. My friend Irfan was very kind to drive to me to downtown Chicago with his nice Benz car (I really like the seat heater on his car) and show me along the Lake Michigan. There are large parks along the waterfront. Some people were jagging there along the lake. The city and the nature mix perfectly. I don’t like the wind from the lake though.
Sears
The first stop is the Sears Tower. I read about this tower in an architecture book when I was in primary school. I totally agree that Chicago is architecturally the most important city in the United States. The Sears Tower looks so powerful. I can easily draw the diagram of the tower. Here it is: (x denotes the building itself and o represents the absence of the column)
xxx xxo oxo ooo
xxx xxx xxx xxo
xxx oxx oxo ooo
The 9 columns were cut by two first, then the other two were cut. With the cross-shaped tower rising to very high, the remaining 3 columns were cut and leaving the last two extending to the sky.
© Jian Shuo Wang. Sears Tower from the Jasckon Street
© Jian Shuo Wang. The designer of the Sears tower with my friend Irfan’s reflection in the image.
Park
There is a nice park by the Chicago Institute of Art. The huge steel ball stands there as a big mirror, reflecting the skyline of the city in a way people can see easily.
© Jian Shuo Wang.
© Jian Shuo Wang.
The skyline of the image looks brighter and nicer in the reflection.
Chicago River
By the corner of Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River, there is two very interesting building (satelite image). It has the parking area built into the building. Astonishing design! Did anyone drive down from the top by accident? I guess people may put the shift to R when they mean to use D.
© Jian Shuo Wang.
Chicago River at Night
The bridge on the Chicago River looks even more beautiful at night.
© Jian Shuo Wang.
© Jian Shuo Wang.
Chirstmas Season
It is Christmas season. Celebration is everywhere. The street artists even changed their songs to Christmas related. The windows of the shopping malls of Michigan Ave. become the display board for the Christmas spirit. I took the following picture at a Christmas gift market at the exit of Washington Station of Chicago Subway Red Line. I am considering using this as my Christmas card of this year. “Hey, Man. Remember the Christmas card of my last year – the one Wendy took?”
BTW, I learnt the slogan to add “Man” in Chicago. When I said to a black artist who sings very well, he replied: “Thanks, man.”
© Jian Shuo Wang.
Metro
As I prepared, I visited the subway system in Chicago. It is using color to name the lines, just as London (some reader pointed out before).
© Jian Shuo Wang.
The single ride is 1.75 USD. It is expensive – just as Hong Kong. In Shanghai, the most expensive metro ticket you can buy is 6 RMB, which is about 0.75 USD. I don’t mean to complain – how nature and cheap the ticket is after one completed the shopping (or window shopping) long the Michigan Ave.!
The entrance of the Red Line is decorated with a real Red Line.
© Jian Shuo Wang.
The red line has a station named Chicago. So I understand how long the line is (because it may connects other cities), or how old the line is (because at that time, Chicago only refer to a small town?)
Public Radio is Really Public Radio
At the grand floor of the Chicago Tribune Tower (satelite image), there is a special room with two sides surrounded by glasses, so people can directly see what is going on inside. It is the studio for WDN 720 AM radio. The small speaker broadcasts the radio on real time while visitors can see the host inside and wave hands to say hi.
© Jian Shuo Wang.
In the above image, the host Ralph Russell is broadcasting the program On the Money. It gives listener a great sense of where the audio come from.
Spring Board
The most unique thing in this windy city is the spring display board. Did you noticed the two springs at the foot of the board? When the wind blows, it blends and restores to its original position. It may be the invention of this windy city.
© Jian Shuo Wang.
I realized how strong the wind in Chicago blows this time. It is freezing outside. The temperature is 30°F but the wheather forecasted “Feels like” 18°F.
Want More Pictures?
I have put all my pictures here.
Acknoledgement
I’d like to thank Irfan and Andy for their kind host. It is part of the great memories in Chicago. Irfan drove me all around and waited me at the Sears Tower at 8:00 PM in the cold to send me back. The breakfast Andy prepared for me is super. Thanks you very much!
Dont miss out on Chicago style pizza at Giordano’s, Uno’s or some other place.
Thanks for your appreciation of my city~~~ I like Chicago TOO……
Chicag Style Pizza? Please don’t. Little Italy will do.
Wow, nice happy pics! Hi, JS and Wendy! :)
hehe, I like Giordano. But Uno is most famous.
As to the Little Italy, Tuscany is good.
Metro price in NYC is $2 per ride, $7 one-day pass, and $21 one-week unlimited pass;
In Boston, it is $1.25 per ride (sorry I forget the price of one-day pass in BOS, roughly around $5).
Colors (green, blue, red, and orange) are also used in BOS to denote various lines; but not the case in the NYC. You definitely will be impressed and amazed by the metro system in the NYC. Remember to ask for one copy of free MetroMap of the NYC at MTA Kiosk as a wonderful souvenir.
Where are you now?
我靠，老王，我真tmd admire你和你老婆！
Nice city with strong style of industrial culture!
Wow!nice city pictures! And it also reflected the nice perspective of photographer!
nice city! nice man
I stopped by your blog randomly but couldn’t help leaving short message.
I’m in Seoul Korea and came to HK for business twice.
I didn’t much time to see many places except HK island so HK is the place where I wanna go again someday.
I enjoyed your nice pics and glad to swing by your cyber home.
Wishing you happy holiday season and healthy new year.
It is now 2005, but I will leave the message anyway.
About the two buildings for cars? While I was there between 1994 – 2002 (not sure which year), someone did get out the wrong way!
Really? Someone did get out the wrong way? Falling onto the ground? I guess it is something that will happen – in design like this.
Chicago is a fantastic place! A river runs through it…
i just was visiting USA. then i thought about the historical SEARS TOWER.
it is really unblievable.
i never thought that such beauty contains this tower.
i am proud of him who founded this.
yeah. he is F.R khan from bangladesh.
i’m also proud being a child of that distric where this meritorious one bron.
i will be more happy if i get a chance to look it live.
that redline stop is named Chicago because it’s stop is at Chicago Ave. … the names just go along with the street that stop is at.
Oh man, I didn’t know that you’ve been Chicago before. Should have followed your blog more often, otherwise it would have been nice to host you here.
Next time when you are in town, let me know!
that big metal ball… thats called “the bean”
http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archives/2004/12/13/chicago-christmas-gift.jpg
This made my day. Chicago is my home and the view from my balcony (if I stand on my toes, hang over the railing and look to the left) is of the Sears tower. It’s so nice to hear from a vistor who enjoyed the trip so much!
The big metal ball called ‘The Bean’ is a sculpture by Anish Kapoor. He was given a retrospective exhibition at the Royal Academy in London recently. Well worth going to.
My friends told me about – MeetBlackwhite. C’ 0- M –told It’s the best place to meet black white singles. Come in and stay a while. Complete your profile. Post a message, a picture of yourself and check out the photo galleries.
Give it a try, you will find someone you like there… ;)
@@@@
oh amazing , i love this !
I am a 38-year old lawyer, mature and rich , and single at present ..and now I am seeking a woman who can love me back So i got a username seglox on MeetBlackwhite. ℃○M~.it is the first and best club for wealthy people and their admirers. D’ating CEOs, professional athletes, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, professional models and cheerleaders, and even Hollywood celebrities is an easy experience there…you don’t have to be rich ,but you can meet one there , lol i love it…~~~~~~~What a cool story bout time something good is put on here…..Hope there recover completely and they make a movie out of this…..Good America…..