Back from Chicago...

[rusty_armour]

I got back late last night from a wonderful trip to Chicago with jackycomelately and E. Our main reason for going was to attend VividCon (which I'll touch on later), but we also wanted to squeeze in as much sightseeing as we could before that. Thanks to E's excellent organizational skills and sense of direction, I think we managed to see a helluva lot. Here's a photo album of sorts for those of you with the time, interest and patience.

We started our tour of the city in true Chicago fashion by purchasing transit passes and taking the "El" (the Elevated Train). While not the most picturesque of places, Forest Park Station (near O'Hare Airport) got us where we needed to go -- Washington Station and the Macy's on State Street to pick up our Go Chicago Cards.







One of the first places we visited was Grant Park where we found the beautiful Jay Pritzker Pavilion. We were fortunate enough to be there while the Grant Park Orchestra was rehearsing for that evening's free concert.







We also took great delight in the Cloud Gate Sculpture ("The Bean") in Millenium Park.



The Bean



The three of us reflected in The Bean.



jackycomelately and E at Millenium Park



Michigan Avenue as seen from Millenium Park



The El seen in the distance from Millenium Park


After visiting Grant Park, we grabbed some takeout from Noodles and ate in a small plaza on Michigan Avenue before heading to Navy Pier. On the way there, we saw a number of interesting things.




Wrigley Building



Carbide and Carbon Building -- a classic example of Art Deco architecture



Fairly obvious, I know, but here's the Chicago Tribune



26-Foot Tall Marilyn Monroe statue. Happy now, Kiki? *g*


One of the highlights of the trip was the Shoreline Architectural River Cruise. I took a ton of pictures, but I'll try to control myself and just include some of the best ones.




Such as this one of jackycomelately and E sitting on our Chicago River chariot.



The Merchandise Mart



One of my favourites, 333 West Wacker Drive



Civic Opera Building



Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) and 311 South Wacker Drive



The Chicago Board of Trade Building (with three-story Art Deco statue of Ceres)



The Chicago Fire Department rushes to extinguish a burning river piling...



But the water taxi has already taken care of the problem.



Top of the Carbide and Carbon Building. As you may have
noticed, the top resembles the neck of a champagne bottle.



Some of the beautiful Chicago skyline as seen from the Chicago River


After the river cruise had concluded, we walked along Navy Pier, where E and I indulged in some Häagen-Dazs. Then, we headed for the Willis Tower. For those of you who don't know, the Willis Tower was completed in 1973 and was the tallest building in the world at that time. Even now, it's an impressive 1451 feet (which, as the helpful information within the building explains, is the same height as 313 Oprah Winfreys and 289 Barrack Obamas). Below are some pictures I took from the Skydeck -- a whopping 1353 feet up. My ears actually popped on the elevator as it ascended all the way up to the Skydeck.




A view of the crown of 311 South Wacker. The translucent
cylinder (which is 105 feet tall) and the four surrounding
cylinders are lit at night by 1852 fluorescent tubes, which makes
this the most visible Chicago skyscraper when the sun goes down.









View through the glass floor of the Skydeck. I stood on it for at least 10-15 seconds.



E and jackycomelately placing one foot on the Skydeck


At the Willis Tower, I bought a number of souvenirs. I even brought back a little something for my action figures -- a replica of Willis Tower that was molded out of plastic right before my eyes thanks to this amazing machine.




Oh, come on! Seriously? Well, I guess this is what
happens when you buy two Master action figures.


After the Willis Tower, we decided to visit Union Station. E was hoping to find the stairs featured in The Untouchables, though we were all curious to see the place in general.










E and I think these are the stairs you can see in The Untouchables


jackycomelately really wanted to check out the Chicago Diner, which specializes in vegan and vegetarian cuisine, so we took the El up north to hit the restaurant. We started off at Quincey Station, which is a beautiful example of what some of the older stations look like with their wooden platforms, etc.







On the following day, we visited the Chicago History Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Buckingham Fountain -- not to mention some other sights we also came across in our travels.




A fountain outside the Chicago History Museum



Interior of South Side Elevated Railroad car 1 (CTA 1)



Pioneer



Buckingham Fountain



Closer shot of Buckingham Fountain



Another close-up of Buckingham Fountain



Enjoying my Monster Cookie while admiring Buckingham Fountain



Crown Fountain



Chicago Theater


After our second day of sightseeing, we arrived back at the Springhill Mariott in time for the "Introduction to VividCon," which outlined what we could expect from our weekend. As I'm lazy, it's getting late, and a number of attendees have no doubt written con reports, I'll just say that the convention was fun, informative, and very interesting. I was impressed by how enthusiastic and helpful the organizers and volunteers were, not to mention the sheer professionalism of the whole affair. Everything ran like a well-oiled machine. The three of us attended most of the vidshows and panels, not to mention Club Vivid.




E and jackycomelately dressed to the nines for Club Vivid


There were so many fantastic vids that it's impossible to list them all. However, a VividCon Challenge vid called "I Swear" stands out in my mind because it was so frickin' HILARIOUS. While a number of vids made me teary-eyed, I was totally crying while watching this vid because I was laughing so hard. Even if you aren't a fan of Smallville, you really should check it out. I only watched the first season of the show and I had no trouble getting the humour.

Watch on YouTube

Oh, thank Herne. I thought I'd never finish. Thanks to anyone who actually made it through this entire...whatever. It hardly seems likely, but if anyone wants to see any more pictures of Chicago, you can find my complete photo album here.

Comments

[funkyinfishnet.livejournal.com]

Yay, glad you're back okay :) And thanks for all the pretty pictures, it looks like you had a terrific time. I love all the historical stuff you saw. That's exactly the sort of thing that me and the hubby would check out if we were there :)

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Yay, glad you're back okay :) And thanks for all the pretty pictures, it looks like you had a terrific time.

Thanks, funkyinfishnet. All three of us made it back in one piece. *g* I'm glad you like the pictures. They brought back happy memories as I was uploading and posting them. :-)

I love all the historical stuff you saw. That's exactly the sort of thing that me and the hubby would check out if we were there :)

If you and the hubby love historical stuff then you'd love Chicago because it has quite a rich and colourful past. :-)

[crimsoncorundum.livejournal.com]

Looks like you had a great time. And those were some really impressive photos. For instance, that station was fantastic. None of ours look half as grand.

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much, crimsoncorundum. I'm happy you like the photos. :-) I assume the station you're referring to is Union Station, which is very grand. There's actually a Union Station in Toronto that looks similar in some ways, though it isn't quite as nice. I should look to see if the Toronto station architecture was influenced by the Chicago version.

[crew4.livejournal.com]

Awesome photos. Looks like you guys had a great time! The Smallville vid is so funny!!!

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Hey, crew4! Great to hear from you! :-) I'm glad you liked the photos. The three of us did have a great time.

The Smallville vid is so funny!!!

I'm happy it gave you a laugh! I totally lost it when those green Kryptonite unicorns appeared! *g*

[pyrateanny.livejournal.com]

Hey, Rusty! Sounds like you had a terrific time. The photos are wonderful! I love how you captured the architectural beauty of the city, from the old art deco buildings to the more modern skyscrapers, and even some of the more prosaic utilitarian structures and the geometric patterns they create in the cityscape. The weather was certainly co-operating, as those clear blue skies add a sharpness of detail to all the pics. I also like your emphasis on Chicago's water features -- the slightly decadent grittiness of the river winding through the stark lines of the city, the expanse of the lake seen from on high, the unexpected beauty of public fountains. You really have a good eye for images!

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Hey, Rusty! Sounds like you had a terrific time. The photos are wonderful!

Oh, thank you, pyrateanny! I'm happy you like them! :-)

I love how you captured the architectural beauty of the city, from the old art deco buildings to the more modern skyscrapers, and even some of the more prosaic utilitarian structures and the geometric patterns they create in the cityscape.

Well, I'm not sure if I can really take credit for that. The beauty you see is what already existed. I simply pointed my camera and clicked. :-)

The weather was certainly co-operating, as those clear blue skies add a sharpness of detail to all the pics.

We were extremely lucky in terms of the weather. The two days we chose for sightseeing were perfect. Sunny with blue skies and, yet, not too hot. The Windy City often provided a welcome breeze.

I also like your emphasis on Chicago's water features -- the slightly decadent grittiness of the river winding through the stark lines of the city, the expanse of the lake seen from on high, the unexpected beauty of public fountains.

It wasn't a conscious effort on my part, but I see what you mean. I did take a lot of pictures featuring water. Come to think of it, many of the images I chose to post were the water-related photos...I guess I was drawn to all the water. Of course, Chicago has a lot of water to begin with because of the river, its proximity to Lake Michigan, and all those gorgeous fountains.

You really have a good eye for images!

Thank you very much! That's a real compliment coming from you considering your own talent at photography, not to mention vidding! :-D

[anitamaid.livejournal.com]

Awesome photos! Also I remember those stairs from The Untouchables! Even though, for course, I haven't seen them in real life ;-D

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Hey, anitamaid! Thank you very much! I'm happy you like the photos! :-) And it's great to know that those are the stairs from The Untouchables. I'll have to let E know.

Sorry I haven't gotten around to responding to that one Twitter comment of yours. I'm still playing catch-up.

[jackycomelately.livejournal.com]

Oh my god! Your photographs turned out wonderfully! I can't believe how quickly you got it up. You are a speed writer! You really captured all the best moments. Every time I read one of your travel entries I think you should write nonfiction as well as fiction. You really have a talent for it.

The Bean! The Bean! Hee! I love that photograph. And you eating the monster cookie!

I swear (I'm never going to be able to use that phrase again) I'm just going to link all my friends and family to your LJ and tell them that I'm you! Of course there is the small matter of them recognising me from my photographs...damn it! I guess I'll have to write my own.

Your entry really brought the experience back. Thank god for E! We would have seen like two things over five days if we had to rely on my sense of direction. Sorry to take so long to comment—I have a bit of a cold and it's slowing me down.


So, which of The Masters won the replica of the Willis Tower?

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Oh my god! Your photographs turned out wonderfully! I can't believe how quickly you got it up. You are a speed writer!

Thank you very much! :-D I was pleasantly surprised by how well the pictures turned out. As for being speedy, I did have most of Monday to upload my photos, write the report, etc. And compared to some of my other posts, I don't think I actually did that much writing. It probably just seems like it. *g*

You really captured all the best moments.

I'm glad you think I captured all the best moments. Naturally, it was impossible to describe everything, so I tried to pick what would be of most interest to everyone.

Every time I read one of your travel entries I think you should write nonfiction as well as fiction. You really have a talent for it.

Stop! You're being much too kind! :-) I'd like to think that my nonfiction writing is improving, though I still have a lot of work to do when it comes to things like description, research, etc. I feel as if I was really just scraping the surface with this report. Of course, if I had written a more complete report, it would have taken up a helluva lot of time, not to mention posts! *g*

The Bean! The Bean! Hee! I love that photograph.

Yes, I'm very fond of that photo myself. :-)

And you eating the monster cookie!

I just received an email from my mom and the monster cookie picture is one of her favourites! *g* Of course, you deserve ALL the credit as you were the photographer and it was your idea to capture that moment in the first place. :-D

I swear (I'm never going to be able to use that phrase again)

*Giggle* I KNOW! I can no longer say that phrase with a straight face. *g*

I'm just going to link all my friends and family to your LJ and tell them that I'm you! Of course there is the small matter of them recognising me from my photographs...damn it! I guess I'll have to write my own.

Well, I think you should write your own -- when you have the time and energy for it. I remember you mentioning some fab ideas for a report, such as comparing the differences between Canadians and Americans. If you still plan to write an entry on VividCon, you could always include a short section on the sightseeing in which you post some of your favourite pictures.

Your entry really brought the experience back.

I'm thrilled to hear that. I was really hoping it would. :-)

Thank god for E! We would have seen like two things over five days if we had to rely on my sense of direction.

We could never have done this trip without E! :-D And we certainly wouldn't have been any better off if we'd had to rely on my sense of direction! *g*

Sorry to take so long to comment—I have a bit of a cold and it's slowing me down.

All things considered, I thought you responded pretty quickly! :-) When I posted this, I knew you'd be trying to catch up on sleep, work, etc. I'm sorry you haven't been able to fight off that cold you've been struggling with. Try to take it easy and get better soon.

So, which of The Masters won the replica of the Willis Tower?

I'm afraid that neither Master won it. I mean, things looked pretty good for Master 1.0 when Earhart got under Master 2.0's feet and tripped him. However, the Doctor appeared before Master 1.0 could disappear with his prize. Apparently, placing a sonic screwdriver against a plastic replica of the Willis Tower generates some serious vibrations. Before Master 1.0 could attempt to retrieve his prize, he had been tackled by Sheppard, which is distinctly unfair considering that Sheppard is a much bigger action figure. In any case, the replica of the Willis Tower is safe once again, but I'm not sure if the same can be said for the rest of my apartment as I'm pretty sure both Masters have been casing the joint... ;-)

Speaking of action figures, you'll have to let me know if you would be interested in another action figure fic for your next birthday and, if so, which character(s) and/or scenarios you would most like to see. The big day is over a month away, so take your time and think about it if you'd like. :-)

[tazzles.livejournal.com]

Cool photos of Chicago. I didn't realise it was so close to the water. A body of water?

I adore those big ol' American train stations. We just don't have anything that grand in Melbourne. They tend to gut them and make them all 'open air'. Loses the charm. Probably makes it easier for the ever increasing number of commuters to get around, but the 'feel' of the place goes.

I'm not sure what Vivid Con is, but I'm glad you all had a great time. Now, I'm off to watch that video you shared.

[tazzles.livejournal.com]

That video? I think it's more a hysterical laughter, tinged with some confusion.

Appropriate icon is appropriate. ;)

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

LOL! I think hysterical laughter, tinged with some confusion, is an appropriate response! And, yes, your appropriate icon is completely appropriate as well! *g*

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Cool photos of Chicago. I didn't realise it was so close to the water. A body of water?

Hey, tazzles! I'm glad you liked the pictures! :-) Chicago is right next to Lake Michigan and the Chicago River runs through various parts of the city. Here's a map (http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/chicago-city-map.html) if you're curious.

I adore those big ol' American train stations. We just don't have anything that grand in Melbourne. They tend to gut them and make them all 'open air'. Loses the charm. Probably makes it easier for the ever increasing number of commuters to get around, but the 'feel' of the place goes.

I could be wrong, but I'm guessing Union Station is protected as a heritage site or historical monument. Of course, it still serves a very useful purpose and doesn't need to be changed as far as I can see. However, as an older building, it may have been spared from any attempts at renovation.

I'm not sure what Vivid Con is, but I'm glad you all had a great time. Now, I'm off to watch that video you shared.

As I'm lazy, I'll just include the blurb from the website. I think it offers a pretty good explanation of what the con is about:

VividCon is intended for anyone who enjoys fannish vids - watching them, talking about them, or making them. As interest in vids has grown, cons have been accommodating longer vidshows and adding vid-watching and vid-making panels to their schedules, yet there never seems to be enough time to discuss all the different facets of vids in depth.

VividCon aims to fill that vacancy. We welcome all vid genres: gen, adult, het, slash, anime, experimental... If you like vids, you want to be at this con.

[karen9.livejournal.com]

You really know how to make the most of your trips. Thanks for the lovely photos.

I didn't realise that Chicago was such an attractive city. I particularly like The Bean, Buckingham Fountain, the Art Deco building, Union Station and the railway carriage.

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

You really know how to make the most of your trips.

Well, I certainly try, though I think the success of this trip was due entirely to E, who read and consulted her guidebook frequently, possessed an excellent sense of direction, and always seemed to have wonderful suggestions for places to see. :-)

Thanks for the lovely photos.

Well, thanks for taking the time to look at them. I'm so glad you enjoyed them. :-)

I didn't realise that Chicago was such an attractive city.

No, I didn't either. I was pleasantly surprised by its beauty.

I particularly like The Bean, Buckingham Fountain, the Art Deco building, Union Station and the railway carriage.

You've managed to pick at least three of the crowd favourites so far. *g* Of course, everything on your list was worth seeing. For example, given your love of history, I think you would find the Chicago History Museum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_History_Museum) quite fascinating.

[alysscarlet.livejournal.com]

Fantastic architecture, and beautiful photos! SOunds like you had a lovely time.

Thanks so much for my New Home card, which arrived a couple of days ago. I'm going to knuckle down and take my own photos as soon as we get another sunny day. I'll have to upload them the old fashioned way, as Picassa and Flickr seem to be letting me down.

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Fantastic architecture, and beautiful photos! SOunds like you had a lovely time.

Thank you very much, alysscarlet! :-) The architecture is fantastic, and if my pictures are beautiful it's because the subjects were beautiful. Well, that and dumb luck. *g*

Sounds like you had a lovely time.

I did. The trip was definitely worthwhile. :-)

Thanks so much for my New Home card, which arrived a couple of days ago.

No problem. I'm glad it arrived safely. Canada Post has been less reliable than usual since the strike.

I'm going to knuckle down and take my own photos as soon as we get another sunny day.

Yes, you really must! I'd love to see any photos of your new house and/or the surrounding area! :-)

I'll have to upload them the old fashioned way, as Picassa and Flickr seem to be letting me down.

I'm sorry Picassa and Flickr have been letting you down. I hope the old-fashioned way works and doesn't cause too much of a headache.

[njc2007.livejournal.com]

Welcome back. I'm glad you had a good time.

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Thanks, njc2007! I did have a good time, though it's nice to be back. :-)

[boobamiaow.livejournal.com]

hmm I wrote a comment a couple of days ago and it's not shown up! That's the 2nd time it's happened :(

But gorgeous pics, I love your travel reports!

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

hmm I wrote a comment a couple of days ago and it's not shown up! That's the 2nd time it's happened :(

Oh, no! How frustrating! I'm sorry your first comment was lost! :-( Well, I'm happy to say that your second comment made it through. Thanks for trying again. :-)

But gorgeous pics, I love your travel reports!

Oh, thank you! I'm happy you liked both the pictures and the report! :-D I've been debating whether I should create a tag for such reports (e.g. "travel"), so maybe I'll do that.

[morganstuart.livejournal.com]

Welcome back! Glad you had a great time. :D

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you, morganstuart! While I had fun in Chicago, it's nice to be back! :-)

I really must apologize for not getting around to commenting on Sentry Duty (http://morganstuart.livejournal.com/11537.html) yet when I pretty much read the story as soon as you posted it. However, it was around the same time that a friend was getting married and I was trying to get ready for my trip, so I wasn't commenting on anything I was managing to read. Then, when I got back, I was playing catch up and selfishly reading more fic (without commenting). Anywaaaaaay, I'm going to comment on your wonderful story right now while I think of it. :-)