Summertime in Chicago

Recently I’ve become a bit concerned about the upcoming, and my first, Chicago winter. I’m assuming the worst, and perhaps with these extreme expectations, it won’t hurt as bad. What’s really informing me and making me nervous is the sheer ubiquity of summer activities (thus my assumption that nothing happens during winter). I’ve attended numerous street, music and food festivals, fireworks, fairs, farmer’s markets, and beaches and pools. These things seem to pop up not only on the weekends, but on the weekdays as well, and a local must be very careful and discerning of which pursuit interests him more, as there is never enough time to do all things on the calendar of events for any particular day.
Seen below: Tour da Fat, Folk and Roots Festival, Chinese Heritage week

Observe the Conservatory

Last week I ran into an acquaintance of mine, and he mentioned that he volunteers as a bee keeper (aka apiarist) at the Garfield Park Conservatory, and that if I had some time, I should go and check it out. I rode over one afternoon and spent close to 3 hours wandering through the premises. I was always a fan of greenhouses, and this one seemed to be on steroids. Towering 60 foot palm trees in the Palm House, lush ferns with requisite ponds and waterfalls in the Fern Room, and a fragrant display of flowering plants in the Show Room were some of my favorites. However, my most beloved find within the grounds was the labyrinth. With no resemblance to the one in the David Bowie classic, the Shining or that Harry Potter flick, this was much more meditative and zen. See for yourself.

Scenic pics

Plateau?

Well, I’ve been living in Chicago for 10 weeks, and I feel that it’s time to take another look at my image of this city. As I become more comfortable with getting around, finding routine paths, recognizing landmarks, returning to familiar shops, restaurant, parks, etc., I’m sensing that my learning curve has plateaued. Going to the grocery store has become mundane, as it is for most people, but to unearth new experiences and gain more insight isn’t impossible. It just takes a bit more effort, spontaneity, and expansion towards the unknown.
My first 10 weeks here felt like a rebirth, and now I’ve learned to walk. My surroundings are the same, but my perspective has changed. At this next level, I’m compelled to take a deeper look into this great metroplis. I’ve begun to explore different routes to the same places using parallel paths like Superior, Ohio, and Grand instead of the usual Augusta or Chicago to get into the loop. I’m taking longer rides outside of my immediate surroundings into Pilsen, Chinatown, Fulton Market, and Lincoln Square. And trying to find even the simplest treasures like a great polish deli, that I’ve passed numerous times, located not 3 blocks away. New findings will be less frequent but just as satisfying. Now begins the next chapter on my journey in Chicago.

Chinatown

I took about a 15 mile ride from my hood down to IIT and back a few days ago. I happened upon many new places and among my favorites was Chinatown. It was much smaller than I expected, but oddly enough, smelled like all other Chinatowns I’ve visited.

The river and its bridges

When I was in New York, working as a musician, my only knowledge of the Chicago river was that it had the dubious distinction of being a dumping ground for the Dave Matthews tour bus. I’ve also learned of how it’s turned green for St. Patrick’s Day, and that a huge engineering feat transpired long ago to reverse the flow, from the lake and into the Mississippi (for sewage reasons). If one can look past these substantial traits, the river is a beautiful, integral, and special part of this city.
The river cuts due west into downtown and splits a half mile inland with one leg (North Branch) shooting NW and the other meandering SW to become the Ship Canal. My experiences with the river exist in the loop and the North Branch, primarily when traveling downtown or to other neighborhoods NE from me. Many parks and condos have been springing up as the industrial corridor gentrifies and becomes more cosmopolitan. Taking one of the 38 bridges over the river usually gives me a beautiful view of the skyline, of other bridges, wildlife, boaters, and in general, a dynamic reserved for only a handful of great metropolitan areas (e.g. Paris, Boston, etc.)

Quick Hits June ‘09

-I don’t really enjoy biking in the rain or snow, but I hate biking in heavy wind. I know Chicago is the windy city, but this is a weather pattern you can’t see and never anticipate. And it won’t prevent me from biking, but I’ll just have to work twice as hard to get to where I’m going.
-I attended NEOCON this month at the Merchandise Mart, aka the world’s largest commercial building, aka the building with its own zipcode, aka the ridiculous and overwhelming art deco behemoth. I got a headache just trying to figure out which set of elevators to take (but there was a cool bucky ball in the entrance).
-I took a trip with a zipcar to IIT (33rd and State), and while returning home (Ukrainian Village) I decided not to use the map or any highway. I made it home in one piece! I haven’t spent much time in Chicago in a car (thankfully), and truthfully haven’t owned 4 wheels for over a decade, but will gain a greater understanding driving one here.
-A recent survey came out and specified that 4 of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the US are located in Chicago. Coming in at #2 is the vicinity of 55th and State. I wasn’t aware of this stat when I took the green line up from Hyde Park the other day, but it did feel shady. Three others cracked the top 20 in the south side community of Englewood. Ouch.
-I spent the day at the beach this last weekend. What a wonderful day, but how long will it take to get used to bathing in fresh water?
-Is it the “EL” or the “L”? I keep calling it the subway.

Closer Inspection

I have memorized my immediate ‘hood bordering Damen/Augusta/Chicago/Western, albeit about 6 square blocks. I recognize other streets of course, but not with such clarity. However, I am getting more acquainted with certain recurrent paths. For instance, Damen (from Chicago/Fullerton), Ashland (Kedzie/Milwaukee), and Milwaukee (California/Desplains) have become more and more vivid as I increase my utilization of these paths. I guess logic holds that we remember the places not necessarily nearest to our home, but of the use and frequency of our traveled routes. In NYC, you could spend your entire life on E. 4th St. and never even venture down E. 6th. The scope of my understanding of Chicago is not like a small cell, growing outward and expanding consistently, but one that’s scattered and discombobulated. More like connecting the dots, without ever having all the dots to begin with. This seems more of a natural way in which to learn about urban places. As Jane Jacob once wrote, “We may wish for easier, all-purpose analyses, and for simpler, magical all-pupose cures, but wishing cannot change these problems into simpler matters than organized complexity….”.

Underpass overload

Along those same lines (as my last blog, pun intended), I need to talk about the incredible quantity of underpasses in this city. Overwhelming, to say the least. Whether it’s downtown under the el, below the Dan Ryan or Eisenhower expressway, beneath some Metra or Amtrak rails, and what my guess is to be numerous unused/not in service tracks, the site of these shady, grimy and rusty passages abound. These places also become havens for artists (of all kinds), shady respites for the homeless, and for me, a special spot for popping bike tires. Oh well. They are a fixture of this city, and complement greatly the ease of which to travel.

Rails aplenty

“All roads lead to Rome, all railroads lead to Chicago” was spoken at a lecture I recently attended, and the speaker wasn’t kidding. Chicago is famous for the it’s ‘el’ train running through the loop, but there are a ton of other tracks, used and unused, that are scattered among the city. The city has 8 colored el train lines that spew forth from loop, and a Metra line, a commuter train not unlike Metro North in NY, that travels to the suburbs. But there are countless tracks that have carried goods into and out of this metropolis for over a century. Historically, Chicago became the main shipping hub in the midwest for many reasons. Chicago was incredibly central, and with its proximity to the east and west, it could easily import and export by transport (train), or ship (boat) its meat packing, steel, and lumber products (to name a few). With the help of wealthy donors in New York, Chicago beat out St. Louis (it’s closest rival, w/ help from Philly), to become the dominant player the midwest. Now there are hundreds of lines littering the city, creating a virtual museum all across the city.