Chicago Skyline Secrets

People are always asking me where they can find the best vantage points for taking skyline photos of Chicago.  While there are countless places to set up your tripod for a nice view of the city, the following ten spots never cease to arouse my creative juices.  Different seasons, different times of day, the view is always changing.  Perhaps other photographers think I am giving away trade secrets (not unlike a magician revealing his tricks), but these locations are there for everyone to appreciate.

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Taken from the Adler Planetarium at dusk

The Lincoln Park lagoon at dawn, from Fullerton Ave bridge

A lake cruise offers a great view of the city

At the bend of the Chicago River, off Canal St., south of Kinzie

Looking north from the Roosevelt Road bridge

From the Sears Skydeck looking north

Halfway up the peninsula from the Shedd, at dawn

From Jane Addams Memorial Park, near Navy Pier, early morning

From North Avenue Beach at dawn

From the Kinzie Street Bridge late afternoon

Green City Market: A Perennial Favorite

Located in Lincoln Park, the Green City Market is Chicago’s only year-round farmers’ market promoting local, sustainable farmers, producers and chefs by connecting them to the public through educational programming and special events.  Market days are Wednesdays and Saturdays, and during the winter months the market is held under a tent.  October 7  there will be a Savor the Seasons Apple Fest where apples and heirloom tomatoes will be the featured guests.  Many celebrated chefs regularly shop here, and the produce is often found in the city’s best restaurants.  photos by Alan Klehr/ www.photographerchicago.com

Chicago Going to the Dogs

"Stop teasing me and just give me that treat!"

Chicago may not get the 2016 Olympic bid, but at least we will always have the Chicago Dog Show.  Every year 10,000 dogs descend on McCormick Place for the Chicago Dog Show sponsored by the International Kennel Club of Chicago.  Approximately 150 breeds participate in agility, obedience, and Best of Breed competitions, and there is even a “Best Puppy in Show” award.   There are dogs everywhere and there is plenty of opportunity to pet your favorite dog.  Enticing refreshments are available, but out of respect for the animals in attendance, no hot dogs are served.

Why don't my dogs obey like this?

Agility competition is one of the most popular events

"I'm not wearing this bling."

"It's not easy being a celebrity."

Turkish World Festival Whirls into Town

Demonstration of traditional paper-making techniques

In late August the Turkish World Festival arrived at Navy Pier with cultural offerings from Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyszstan, and the Balkans.  There should have been a booth to help visitors pronounce the various countries, but we were happy to sample the food, dance, music and crafts from these exotic regions.   It’s not often can we experience Whirling Dervishes, Ottoman Military Bands,  and unique Central Asian cuisine all under one roof.

Demonstration of traditional paper-making techniques

Big Lebowski Lives in Chicago

Who said bowling had rolled a gutter ball in the big city?  Perhaps it’s been a few decades since you wore a pair of those fashionable fungus-breeding petri dishes they call bowling shoes, but the sport is thriving in Chicago.   There are approximately a dozen bowling alleys within the city limits, and several are like time capsules from a long-forgotten era.  One bowling alley–Southport Lanes–boasts  real live breathing pin-setters.   I recently went to the Fireside Lanes on west Fullerton, and it brought back memories from my youth at the Old Orchard Lanes in Skokie.  Sure, the price is no longer 35 cents per game, it’s closer to $25 per hour, but the nostalgia is priceless and The Dude would approve.  And let’s not dwell on the fact that I would prefer to interchange my bowling and golf scores, nevertheless, it was reassuring to discover that some aspects of life are slow to change.

Rick Bayless — celebrity chef

Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill and Topolopambo in Chicago is famous for his PBS TV show “Mexico One Plate at a Time” and for winning the top honors in Top Chef America a few weeks ago.   In early October 2009, his first new restaurant in 20 years opened on north Clark Street–it’s called Xoco, and the early reviews are quite favorable.  Here he poses in his restaurant and meditates on his phenomenal success..

New blog arrives with photos of Chicago

STOP THE PRESSES !!!  (do they still say that?) Welcome to the premier posting of Chicago Daily Views, a visual and written chronicle of the Windy City, a.k.a., my kind of toddlin’ town with the big shoulders.  I plan to focus primarily on my visual images, all things photographic, happenings in Chicago, and anything else that needs to see the light of day.  In time you will find photos of Chicago skyline, beaches, restaurants, historic buildings, architecture, and everyday people.  Comments are welcome…

"Duck Soup" at Grant Park

Last month approximately 20,000 people came to Grant Park to view the Marx Brothers’ “Duck Soup”.   Mayor Daley is touting this and every other gathering of ten or more people as evidence that Chicago is capable of hosting the 2016 Olympics.