Discombobulation Station

My Downtown World

I have to admit I really liked my last freelance job partly for one reason: I was absolutely delighted with the building I went to work in every day.  

The Wrigley Building on Chicago's touristy-named "Magnificent Mile" just looks fucking delicious from every angle.  It's actually composed of two towers that are connected by a two short pedestrian bridges, on the 14th floor and the 3rd floor, which also forms a cool sort of windblocker of windows underneath it.  According to the internets, the building was the first office building constructed north of the river in the 20s, built by William Wrigley Jr. to house his offices. It was designed by the local architecture firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White (Burnham's legacy) taking inspiration for the tower from Seville's cathedral, and using Renaissance touches throughout. I worked in the north tower, which felt newer even though it was built only three years after the south tower was in 1921. If you took the footbridge to the south tower (as I did once to get my building pass from management) you noticed a discernible difference in the hallway decor. Perhaps because these were Wrigley managed floors, everything had more of an old school Chicago feel - the wooden doors with the gold painted square letters that demarked "janitorial" and so on. Love love love it.

As I exit the building, either to walk to a session (everything is so much more convenient when you start at 410 N. Michigan) or to cross the street to go to the Equitable Building's cafeteria (which is only so-so, but cheap and the only thing around), I am greeted by this  lovely couple, always surrounded by a throng of tourists getting their picture taken with them. Ah, American Gothic. Our own set. Now the Equitable Building, as you can see in the background, I can do without. I did a temp job there once in the late 90s, working for a non-profit all about hand health, and the job nearly gave me carpal tunnel, and the office was dark and cold.

However, just north of the Equitable building is yet another historic landmark - the Tribune Tower. Although the paper is going downhill, riddled with typos and bad writing, this building will always stand for what the monolithic newspaper business used to be. The design of the Tribune Tower was the result of a contest called for by the Tribune company, which resulted in a great deal of interesting entries, the winner of which was this very Gothic building by a team of New Yorkers called Hood and Howells, who are immortalized above the main entrance's doors by images of Robin Hood and a howling dog.  A lot of the tourists like to take pictures of the far flung and historical bricks that are built right into the building's facade. Owner Colonel McCormick had asked his foreign correspondents to bring back samples of the world, and you can see pieces of stone from the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, the Palace of Windsor, the Great Pyramid and the Alamo. 

Another randomly fun thing to do is cross the river at Michigan! Either to go to my bank , which is still  over in the AON building which I have a fondness built of seven years employment, or to just pop over to the corner bakery and get lunch. This bridge is known as a bascule (French, for seesaw and balance) type bridge and has helped populate what is now known as a "Chicago style bascule." When it was completed it was the main link between the north and south parts of town, having replaced the Rush street bridge as part of Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago. Also, when you walk across it, it bounces!

Some other buildings I got to visit in my travels:

The Playboy (aka Palmolive Building)

      

Courthouse Place @ 54 W. Hubbard (completed in 1893, housed the Cook County Criminal Courts for over 35 years)

      

I found good scooter parking near the newest piece of Chicago architecture, the Trump Tower. Everyone complained about it when it was going up, but it really isn't all that hard on the eyes, and the view from inside is divine. My favorite is seeing the Wrigley Building and tribune in the same vista. Because the ugly Sun-Times building was there for many years, this is an entirely new way to see the city.

      

Of course we can't forget my train stop every morning, the beautiful and imposing Merchandise Mart. When built in 1930 it was the largest building in the world, owned by the Marshall Field company to centralize Chicago's vendors. It was later bought by JFK's daddy and was in the Kennedy family's possession for over fifty years. Today it houses many wholesale showrooms, antique furniture shops and other retailers (including my housemate's place of work!)

So now its off for some well deserved travels, so upon my return I will appreciate my home town even more. Hopefully, summer will set in soon and I can put up pictures of the beach and motorcycles and road trips, oh my!

E.

I [Heart] Knitters

So I got a strange call on Monday morning. I was up at ten am, surfing the net "looking for work" (a futile daily ritual), IM-ing with A and reading blogs. A woman I used to work for called randomly, asking my availability for another work colleague who had moved to LA and needed a Chicago producer. I said sure, I was available, she didn't know much about the job except that it wasn't a TV shoot and it just involved a lot of organizing. Still, sounded like something I could do.

So when the agency called back later and said they would need me to organize a knitting art installation, I was totally game. I love advertising because you never know what you're going to get. Although the project kept changing on a daily basis, basically I just immersed myself in the world of knitting. And it was fascinating.

For a day and a half or so, I was looking for someone in town who could mass produce some knit objects - cozies or wide swatches of knit material in order to get started on the project immediately. I had three days to prep for this. As I learned, there are almost no knitting machines left in Chicago available for any sort of mass project. All that stuff moved to China. This I know by talking to a very nice gentleman who was truly concerned about my project and even took my number in case he came up with an idea. There are home crafters with knitting machines, but they are hard to reach (even though I emailed both guilds in Illinois). I left messages at the fashion departments of both Columbia college and SAIC. Eventually I had to give up on this part because I had to find 20-30 knitters to come downtown at short notice and knit all day. I emailed every yahoo knitting group, as well as the largest knitting group in the city, and went to their meeting, trudging through the snowstorm on Tuesday night to encounter a group of about ten (very nice, very welcoming) people. I was getting nervous, but knowing that the word only really went out on Tuesday morning, I gave it until Wednesday evening before I just emailed everyone I knew in Chicago that might know someone who knits.

The other part of my project was finding and buying all the yarn. I needed two colors in particular (this was, after all, a corporate promotion at the end of the day) and I bought Jo Ann fabrics out in both shades. At such short notice I didn't have any other choice, and after Jo Ann's and considering my tight schedule, I had to hit a few boutique type shops. But I called ahead, which taught me something. Do you know what kind of person it is really hard to get a straight answer out of? A knitter. I called a few places so I could plan a busy day of shopping:

Me: Hi, I'm looking to buy bulk amounts of yarn in bight orange and bright green. Would you have large amounts of those colors?
Them: Why? What are you making?
Me: Well, I'm sponsoring a knit-a-thon of sorts, I just need a LOT of yarn.
Them: Well, do you have a pattern? What size needles are you using?
Me: No, listen, we're just knitting everything in sight. I just need to know if you have large amounts of those colors or not, before I come in.
Them: Worsted?
Me: [Silence. I have no idea what this means.] I have no idea. I'm not a knitter. I just bought a cartful in variety of yarns at Jo Ann, and I need to buy about the same amount.
Them: I have some orange, but not so much bright green.
Me: Great, thanks.

So the stores were a bit of a challenge, but I have found a new love: the knitter. Some of these gals were so excited about the project, and didn't really even expect to be paid. They offered to bring yarn, and varieties of needles, and signed up for shifts starting at 6am. I had a hard time getting to sleep the night before, thinking about waking up at 4am and taking the train in the dark downtown. It was freezing Thursday morning, and being pitch black didn't help. But I had a knitter waiting! Then soon two more showed up. And that was it. Until almost 9am. I was only nervous because the marketing girls stopped in and they had arranged for a camera crew to come at 11, which wasn't ideal considering we were doing something as time consuming as, well, KNITTING. But we looked pretty good by then, and after 10am I had a good crew rocking away, and by 3pm it was a full on knitting party. Not one of the knitters wanted to sit alone, they all sat in a circle in a sort of lounge that we created. And they talked, and knitted, and talked. Knitters can chat. After the big business of the day was done, I sat down among them and picked up a set of needles. "What are you doing, I thought you didn't know how to knit?" one asked. Well, I was going to learn wasn't I? I'm not one to pass up a learning opportunity like this.

One of my favorite respondents sat down next to me and within ten minutes I was knitting away. She was a farmer, and former writer, IT specialist, and death metal lover. We had a blast, just knitting and chatting, and then I got it. She boasted that I was truly knitting, not even the way she taught me, I was doing English or something. Something gets released in the repetitive movement, and the satisfaction of seeing your work multiply. I could sit there all day, as many did.

When we finally wrapped up, I realized that two of the ladies had voluntarily overstayed their shift and worked for - wait for it - TWELVE hours. As long as I did that day. So they walked off with a nice bundle of holiday cash. Many of the knitters had recently been laid off, so there was a lot of commiserating about that. I met so many wonderful, interesting people, but the one thing they all seemed to have in common was a serene yet opinionated take on the world. Must be all the endorphins that supposedly gets released in moving the fingertips.

So after we wrapped up, I met motoboy and his motobuddy out at an art institute bar, and downed two pints of Guinness within forty-five minutes, and even though I was exhausted we went to the other guy's girlfriends work establishment and then I ate everything in sight (I didn't eat all day at the installation, don't ask me why) then I insisted on a taxi home. Felt like production work again - work your ass off, get drunk, taxi home. I'm ready to go back to work.

You can check out some of the knitting here.

Happy holidays to all, keep warm and be nice to your families.

xo

E.

Halloween Season Begins

I am going to put up decorations today! And Friday my buddy Kerry has her opening show at Chicago Art Department. 

Here are the deets, I'll be there and also at the Halloween party!

Night of the Living Artist

A group show Curated by Kerry Flaherty, resident artist of The Chicago Art Department. chicagoartdepartment.org

Friday, October 10, 2008 through October 31, 2008.

Opening reception Oct. 10, 7-10pm, closing reception will also be a Halloween party on Oct. 31, 7 -10pm. “Night of the Living Artist” will be including our resident DJ, DJ Tapedek.

The Chicago Art Department

1837 S. Halsted

Chicago, IL 60608

The artists will be using their prefered media and pick an artist, musician, or author (living or dead) that was an influence and Zobify them. Some of those picks include Preston Blair, Franz Kafka, Oasis, and even Jim Henson. The Chicago Art Department (CAD) cultivates new and emerging Chicago artists. Through education, exhibition, artist residencies, and community building, CAD is dedicated to supporting new voices and ideas. “My hope is this common theme will show how a range of different artists can come together in one show. And also give a chance to those new artists, who may have never been in an exhibit.” says Kerry Flaherty. “Night of the Living Artist will have Fine Art, Illustrations, and even Plush Sculptors presented in a fun atmosphere.”

Gallery info:

CAD is in Pilsen

1837 S. Halsted St. between 18th and 19th Sts.

Bus: 8 Halsted. Fri-Sun noon-5pm.

For more information about the exhibit or for gallery

hours, contact The Chicago Art Department at

312.226.8601. Or go to plushinality.blogspot.com 

Morning Glories

Wordle is fun! And pretty! Here's mine:

Yay! Make your own!

xoxo, A

Plushtastic

Thanks to Kerry for being such a cool ass lady and awesome arist!

E.

Poets Like Eating and Stuff

Some crazy Chicago girls made a website about Poets in Chicago. They're meant to cook and talk about goings on around town. So far they only have one interview up and he had no kitchen but I hear they shot the next episode already. So crazy!

E

Chicago Art Department

Art show this Friday - my friend Kerry and her awesome robots!!

Deets:

PLUSHINALITY
Diverse characters lurk inside us all…for Kerry Flaherty, they’re soft and stuffed. In her first solo show, Kerry combines personality traits with color, texture, and patterns to express herself through soft sculpture art.

You’ll see Robutz, Yuns, and a series of characters inspired by the German children’s book Struwwelpeter (Shock-headed Peter). Enjoy the soft surroundings along with sounds from our resident DJ, Tapedeck.

Friday January 11th, 2008:  7-10pm 
Closing party on Friday February 1st, 2008:  7-10pm

   


E.

this Friday at 7PM Add to Calendar

You Have a Date With Laundry?

And it wasn't even mine! Yes I wanted to see JenG so bad I took a train and a bus and popped in on her doing laundry in her new hood. I was handy in that I lent some change, noticed an unbalanced load, and helped fold sheets. We were tempted to try this little polish bar across the street but muscled on through, getting her laundry home and eventually landing at one of the many cool bars in her new part of town. Having some disdain for dinner we drank pint after pint of quality beers (read: heavy and high in alcohol content). We had been joking about how many strangers Jen seems to meet when out in the city, and I told her for tonight at least, she was surrounded by friends so would not be doing that again. Well I was wrong on three counts. She invited some very local guys to take the stretch of bar next to us in order to block traffic so she could watch the baseball game. And shortly after that she inexplicably took a lunchtime (happy hour time?) poll and brought over some married dude from Indiana to talk about...something I'm not sure. Just then I got that full drunken sick feeling so we jetted to get some air. Only to go to the next bar where the feeling creeped up on her. We left full beers on the bar. Oh the sacrilege!

Saturday I had my breakfast in bed whilst reading the latest installment of the Outlander series (Voyager is one of the best so far) but fell back asleep somehow until 4.30. Go figure. I was already in bed! I did have a bit of a cold and was all tore up from big girls yoga and of course all the beers and no dinner. I managed to make it to SH's house for our planned R. Kelly Trapped in the Closet screening. Watching the first 12 chapters again was both delight and torture - people kept asking very reasonable questions but it's unfair to give it away, because R. Kelly lets it unravel at the perfect pace. Except for chapters 13-24 or whatever, snoozer in comparison. A lot sillier for silly's sake without any of the same momentum of the original series. Oh well. I shouldn't really be supporting his work since he peed on a 13 year old or whatever. Hello sicko googler!

So Sunday I was in good enough form to go to Pilsen for the open studio weekend. Don't be fooled by the posters that advertise open studios from 11-5. Artists don't get up that early. We waited things out in a coffeeshop for about an hour. Actually the first space we went into on 18th street still had remnants of last night's party - plenty of beer cans, cigarette ashes, and even two lonely souls crouched on the floor coming down from something. Other studios proved much more friendly, offering coffee and snacks. One of the guilty pleasures is in the fact that you're actually walking around people's homes. There were some college reminiscent spaces (dirty windowsills, sloppy layers of paint) and some really sweet pads too. Our friend K has renewed her interest in maybe renting down there. We'd come visit. There were only two drunks that tried to accost us on the road and one of them was merely trying to get us to laugh (worked well on T). Said T & I finished up the afternoon at Resi's Beirstube eating sausages (not the white ones!) with sauerkraut and fried potatoes. Oh and a few dark beers for my poor throat. I confessed to T that I didn't have an in-case-of-emergency for my wisdom teeth extractions and that I felt weird about it because I'm so independent but that I was actually a little frightened to go and she nearly got upset that I didn't know I could call on her to pick me up. I got a bit teary eyed, took a big gulp of my beer, and thanked her. T the oral surgeon has your cell phone number now. No regrets!

Had a pleasant conversation with the family on the Sunday call most likely because I was a bit buzzed and not afraid to shout, repeat myself, and shrug off underhanded comments and guilt trips. Watched Pan's Labyrinth which was much more violent and less fantasyland than I had imagined (although very good, if you can stand subtitles on something so full of visuals) and went to bed too late for a Sunday.

So Saturday in bed all day was completely justified. I got rid of my cold see?

E.

Bonus material: me telling A who I saw on Sunday while walking to the Beirstube:

A: the thingie just didn't work
A: it was all slow
A: i got frustrated
e: i hate it
e: when the thingie doens't work
e: speaking of
e: i forgot to tell you
e: who i saw the back of yesterday!
A: WHO?
e: T & i were walking down western
e: and i totally forgot where i was!
e: i see the back of J
e: so i hit T and nod
e: and she's like is that him
e: so this is the weird part
e: he was walking away from his house
e: and then turned down the alley
e: like he was going to walk through the dunkin donuts drive thru
e: and then i realized he had like juice and water in his hand
e: so we think what happened was
e: he was walking home
e: saw us!
e: turned around
e: and went down the alley
e: HAHAHAHAHAHA
A: oooooh
e: pussy
e: his house is such a dump too
e: there's a giant piece of baord
e: board
e: nailed to the front of it
e: i know its a tear down
e: but jesus
e: what an eyesore
e: and people are living in it ya know?
A: oops sorry phone call
A: brb
A: am catching up w you!
A: WHOA you made J run awau
A: Y
A: hahahhaah
A: awesome
e: i know i am wicked scary
e: i dunno even how he recognized me
e: cos i was wearing a hat
e: stealth disguise
e: T's like yeah well
e: one brown haired gir
e: one redhead
e: he knows i live around the corner
e: he probably saw us
e: but i wish i could have seen him turn around!
A: wow
A: amazing
A: boys are such wimps
e: oh yeah
e: it is kinda amazing though
e: how you can recognize someone from the back
e: someone that you'd only known like 3 weeks
e: suppose we do a lot of scoping in that time
e: too bad he was bad in bed
e: cos he was really fit 

Sunday Constitutional

Wherein I dream I have or will have someday enough money to own a charming little house on the North-west side of Chicago...

The first I encountered (well, once I decided to make a house tour) was this church-like facade to the front an otherwise normal bungalow.

Quirky! And I wonder why my room has baby Jesus in Mary's arms molded into the chandelier. Peeps was mad inspired by religion, I'd guess. Also, all of the houses that have stained glass feature these little gold squares in them. Class.

Only a few doors down, this house pretends to be an itty bitty part of its very own castle, which I also admired.

Would be handy for reading at all hours I would guess. Or for playing Rapunzel as a kid.

This is one of my all time faves - big, with stained glass windows throughout, abutting the park. They have a sweet backyard too.

The large room to the left there looks perfect for a small formal dance party, a billiards table, or simply an all season sunroom. Perfect.

A block south I walked away from the park when this big ole piece of arts n crafts loveliness caught my eye. Absolutely stunning from every angle.

This house just reminded me of a plump little suburban lady with a little bob haircut. She made pie for you.

 

Although this one is a little more 50's than 20's, and closer to a busy street, I could not help but admire its architectural daring - three layers people. So cute.

Also kinda reminds me of ranch homes in Cleveland (like the one I grew up in) so I got a little warm and fuzzy.

Just a classic little brown house, so tidy and upright.

To the right is a pretty unremarkable house, except for the chutzpah that allowed someone to stick a giant rooster weather vane on top. Verra midwestern and cool against an early evening sky.

And even though this is an apartment building, its still one of my faves and I can see it any time I'm walking to the park.

And finally, one of my most favorite of all. I think I'll go there now!

Sorry no scandal, but I was walking off a pretty horrible hangover* when I took these.

E.

*Ok a little scandal. On Saturday, meeting JenG where she worked the afternoon bouncer shift (yes, I said bouncer) I managed to put down no less than 5-6 pints of cider before I went to see Blonde Redhead at the Metro, wherein I had more beer and finished the night in my nabe eating duck confit egg rolls, more beer and a Jameson/ginger to end the night. Fell asleep on the couch watching bad TV until the cat came to dislodge the painting above my head at 6am. Threw cat to ground. Its about as scandalous as it gets around here lately.

p.s. just realized JenG & I were both having lazy wandering hungover Sundays. Plus, she says my hair was shiny and bouncy! I love that.

A Chicago Treasure

Graceland Cemetery, as seen my E. & MB one brisk autumn day a few weeks ago.

The corinthian columns of William Kimball, piano manufacturer. Wonder if Kimball St. was named in his honor? Below, close-up of the guardian angel within the monument.

 

Louis Henri Sullivan, famous architect, who designed and built a few of the monuments in Graceland, died penniless and went without a marker for years. Admirers collected funds and erected this for him, using his own six pointed design.