Category: Travel

Springfield and Chicago Explorations, Part 2

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Day two of our adventures centered on downtown Chicago. I wanted to show Cathie as many of the most popular sites, so we started at Cloud Gate (aka The Bean) in Millennium Park. The great thing about Cloud Gate is that no matter what angle you look at, you get great reflections of the skyline, and of course, you will end up in the photo too. Also, you have to go underneath, the curves of the stainless steel underneath give some great “Rohrshach” reflections. I did some time lapses of the crowds, but having photographed it many times already, I didn’t take many photos.

I had thought about also heading over to either the Crown Fountain, or across the serpentine bridge to Maggie Daley Park, but the day was already getting very hot, and I had some interiors in mind too if we needed to cool off. So, we went across Michigan Ave. to the Cultural Center (the original main branch of the Chicago Public Library, and has been featured in many films, including “The Untouchables” with Kevin Costner and Robert DeNiro). The main attraction there is Preston Bradley Hall, which is topped by the world’s largest Tiffany glass dome.

From there, we went to the James Thompson Center. It was designed by Helmut Jahn, and has a great atrium (very post-modern). We had lunch, I did a time-lapse there too. We then walked along the River Walk from Dearborn all the way to Lake Shore Drive (stopping for refreshments along the way). We then had dinner at the Billy Goat Tavern (world famous, courtesy of the original Saturday Night Live cast- Cheezborger! Cheezborger!)

After dinner, we went to the John Hancock Building. The observation deck gives a 360 degree view of the city: 360 Chicago. They allow tripods on one night, Monday night, so we took advantage of this. We got there around 6:30, caught the sunset from the west side of the building, then got some night skyline photos. All in all, a great day, and there was more fun to come over the next two days! More to come!

Springfield and Chicago Explorations, Part 1

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It’s not often I get to be a tourist on my home turf, but that’s exactly what I had the opportunity to do earlier this month, when my friend Cathie Crow of CLCrow Photography visited the area. I had been out to South Carolina a few times since April 2014, and Cathie got to show me around. Now it was my turn!

The adventures began in Springfield, on Sunday, July 10. Cathie is a huge fan of Abraham Lincoln’s, and as she has said on many occasions, Springfield is her Disneyland. I drove down early Sunday morning and picked up Cathie at her hotel, and from there, we had breakfast at a relatively famous place in Springfield- Charlie Parker’s Diner (featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives). From there, we drove into downtown Springfield and began our tour of the Lincoln sites- Abraham Lincoln’s home, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the old State Capitol Building, and the train station that now houses several props, costumes, and the Presidential Office set from Steven Spielberg’s movie “Lincoln.”  All are worth the visit, you get a genuine look at what life and politics were like in the pre- and Civil War eras. Those of you who know me well know that the Civil War era is the period of American history I am particularly drawn to.

The final stop, somber given its nature, was Abraham Lincoln’s tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery (and yes, Cathie and I rubbed Abe’s nose, another “must”). Down the hill, behind the tomb, is the temporary vault where Lincoln’s remains were kept until the tomb was completed. Also in Oak Ridge Cemetery, we visited the Illinois World War II Memorial, the Illinois Korean War Memorial, and the Illinois Vietnam War Memorial.

The visit finished with a stop at the Dublin Pub, where I tried in vain to convince Cathie to try another Springfield institution, the horseshoe. I had one, it’s a tradition! From there, the three hour drive up to the Chicago area, where the adventures would continue!

Washington, DC- April 2016

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For my first recreational trip this year, I went to Washington DC to hopefully photograph the cherry blossoms at peak bloom. Of course, when it comes to Mother Nature, she always has her own ideas, and my trip was about 10 days too late. Still, I stuck to my plan, and met up with a friend who drove up from South Carolina. We spent Friday, April 1 through Sunday April 3 in the area. We packed a lot into those three days, a theme I would continue with my Arizona trip later in April.

The first day, we started with the intention of touring Ford’s Theater. However, we were confronted by a huge crowd of school tours (it was still Spring Break time). So, instead, we checked out St. Patrick’s Cathedral right down the street, a great gothic exterior, and a gorgeous interior. From there, we went to the National Mall, and spent some time at both the World War 2 Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. We had to get to the other end of the Mall so that we could take a tour of the US Capitol Building, which was great, except for the rotunda being covered by scaffolding and tarp. We finished up at Union Station, which is right by the Capitol Building.

Saturday was spent at the Udvar-Hazy Annex to the National Air & Space Museum, which is where the Space Shuttle Discovery is now housed, as well as a lot of other aircraft and spacecraft that can’t fit in the main Air & Space Museum. From there, we drove up to the Baltimore area for dinner with some friends, and then we went back down to the Mall to photograph the Memorials at night. That turned out to be its own adventure, as a vicious storm hit just as we got to the Lincoln Memorial. Luckily, we had shelter inside, and waited out the rain and wind.

Sunday, we drove to the US Marine Corps War Memorial (aka The Iwo Jima Memorial), as I wanted to pay tribute to a friend and Marine who had passed away from cancer on the Friday we arrived. The temperature had dropped into the 30s that day, with winds gusting 20-30 mph, and naturally, I hadn’t packed cold weather gear. We also went to the National Archives that day, after the Marine Corps Memorial, and then we finished the day at the National Zoo. We saw some lions (no tigers, though, they were camera shy), and the pandas, among many others.