29 November 2012, Day 177

As winter draws closer, workers install the windbreak along the beach, while the seagulls take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to catch a few rays on the breakwater.

28 November 2012, Day 176, Pt. 2

I returned to the beach this evening to take a picture of the full moon over Lake Michigan, and got an unexpected bonus: Jupiter shining bright and beautiful just above and to the left of the moon. 

As if Jupiter were not enough, there was also a strange configuration of three lights to the right of the moon. They were so bright and seemed so stationary in the sky that i was briefly afraid that it might be Melancholia x 3. I think they must have been three airplanes headed towards O'Hare ... or else they were UFOs.

The sparkling Chicago skyline.

28 November 2012, Day 176, Pt. 1

Daylight: The fall foliage is gone, and the trees seem to shimmer like stark and silvery ghosts.

27 November 2012, Day 175

Full moon at twilight. On the horizon just below the moon in the lower picture, you may be able to make out the outline of a tanker.

26 November 2012, Day 174

The Christkindlmarkt in Daley Plaza always puts me in the holiday spirit. I stopped on my way home today to take a few pictures and eat a Currywurst.  

25 November 2012, Day 173

Self-portrait with abandoned yoga studio

24 November 2012, Day 172

I've looked at this sculpture countless times, but have apparently been too focused on the parts to really see the whole. But thanks to the camera's eye, i've just realized that it looks like a monarch butterfly. I'd like it anyway, but being reminded of one of my favorite creatures only makes me like it more. 

Putting art aside for a moment, i know that in the aftermath of a big Thanksgiving dinner and ensuing leftovers, i should practice a little restraint. But i've been craving pizza for weeks, and there's J.B. Alberto's right across the street. They don't open until 4:00 so until then i'll be watching the clock and dreaming of pepperoni. 

23 November 2012, Day 171

Filled to the gills with turkey, shocked by the sudden and unceremonious arrival of sub-freezing weather, and temperamentally incapable of enjoying the annual blood sport of Black Friday shopping, i chose to spend the day indoors, with a puppy on my lap and a brand-spanking new book just waiting to be read. 

22 November 2012, Day 170

I took better pictures of all the beautiful food we had for Thanksgiving dinner, but this one is my favorite because of those ominous and hungry hands reaching out for the turkey like zombies reaching out for brains. I hope that your Thanksgiving was a great as ours!

21 November 2012, Day 169

It's been a long and not very gratifying day, compounded by too little sleep in the past few nights. For the first time, i was sorely tempted to take the day off from the photo du jour, but then the moon looked down on me through the bare branches like some gloomy German Romantic painting.

20 November 2012, Day 168

I'm putting in a plug for one of my favorite local businesses today. This peaceful little oasis at the corner of Sheridan and Pratt is Royal Coffee, home of what i consider to be the best coffee beans in town. They serve food here too, both American and Ethiopian, but for me it's all about the beans: high quality Ethiopian coffee beans, roasted in small batches, and sold for a few dollars less per pound than the high-end roasters. It's a nice little mom-and-pop business, where the owners are so warm and hospitable that i always feel like a member of the family when i walk through the door.  There are several good cafés on this stretch of Sheridan Road, and i honestly try to spread my caffeine-spending among them, but when it comes to beans, this is the place!

19 November 2012, Day 167

High Finance: The lobby of the Fifth Third Bank building at the corner of Dearborn and Madison, with the Chase Bank building across the street reflected in its window.

18 November 2012, Day 166

Another segment of the Mile of Murals, this one on the west side of the L tracks, on Glenwood between Lunt and Greenleaf. This mural is noteworthy for anyone interested in American politics these days. Not only is it a portrait of our 44th president, but it contains two valuable pieces of information. First, directly across the street from this mural is the Heartland Café, where Barack Obama began his campaign for the United States Senate in 2005. And secondly, for those of you who are so indoctrinated by Fox News that you think President Obama is a socialist, please observe the carefully positioned traffic sign indicating "no left turn." As the more progressive among the electorate have learned to our chagrin, Mr. Obama adhered to this policy throughout his first term and doesn't show much indication of doing otherwise in his second, making the socialist label quite puzzling. Don't get me wrong, i like and support the president, but i also hope to live to see the day when "Left" means something more than "not quite as far to the right as the Right."

17 November 2012, Day 165, Pt. 2

Spooky door (with barely visible mannequin) at the corner of Sheridan and Farwell. This is one of those beautiful but rundown buildings that make me wish i would win the lottery so i could buy and restore it.

17 November 2012, Day 165, Pt. 1

Dear sky, thank you for looking like an ocean today.

16 November 2012, Day 164, Pt. 2

At 11PM, the track replacement work on the L began. It's loud, it's driving the dog a little crazy, and there probably won't be much rest tonight, but what a light-show!

16 November 2012, Day 164, Pt. 1

On Van Buren Street between State and Dearborn 

South side of the street: Patti Smith in the window of the Harold Washington Library

North side of the street: Naked terra cotta babies riding dolphins above the door of the Fisher Building

15 November 2012, Day 163

I'm having a hard time saying goodbye to the fall colors and am glad that a few trees are still hanging onto their leaves. They can't last much longer, so i thought i'd get one last picture.

14 November 2012, Day 162

I love the terra cotta details at the top of this building at the corner of Greenview and Morse.

13 November 2012, Day 161

It's that brief moment in the year when roses coexist with snow.

12 November 2012, Day 160

The weather turned suddenly cold, and right on schedule i got sick. So instead of being out in the world snapping pictures, i spent most of the day lying in bed coughing; but at least i had good company to help me watch Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

11 November 2012, Day 159

Today the Glenwood Sunday Market had its first indoor market of the season, thanks to the good folks at the Glenwood Bar. It's a nice cozy setting, and there are always lots of good things to buy even as the season for most fresh produce reaches its end.

10 November 2012, Day 158

 Sometimes i feel like i live in the midst of a recently discovered archeological site, what with all the ruins and miraculous murals. This painting, under the Red Line tracks at Pratt and Glenwood, entitled "Tribute to the Fishes of Lake Michigan," is by Amanda Paulson.

9 November 2012, Day 157

I'm going a little touristy today, taking a picture of something that everyone takes a picture of when they visit Chicago. This is just a small section of "The Four Seasons," a magical, beautiful mosaic by Marc Chagall at Dearborn and Monroe. The clock in the background is pretty sweet too.

8 November 2012, Day 156

If you haven't noticed by now, i love construction sites. And i'm convinced that they love me back. Is that guy on the cherry-picker waving at me? How cool is that? 

This apartment building is being constructed on Morse Avenue, just east of the L station. Next to it is the former Morse Theatre, which opened in 1912. It's a gorgeous building and is currently home to the Mayne Stage, a wonderful, intimate venue where i saw Leon Russell perform last week.

7 November 2012, Day 155

The corner of Wells and Hubbard, as seen from the northbound Brown Line train. 

The photo du jour is proving a bit challenging this week as i adjust to the end of daylight savings time and the resultant 4:30 PM sunsets. By the time i get home, it's completely dark out and not very photogenic with my humble little camera. But there's always the view from the train, and i especially enjoy this stretch of track where the Brown Line makes a luxuriously wide turn. And being utterly predictable, i always say to myself, "One of these days, i need to get off the train and get a pizza from Lou Malnati's"(the red awning on the left). But i never do. 

6 November 2012, Day 154

The left-over picket sign from the teachers' strike caught my eye in the upstairs window of the Morse "El" Pharmacy earlier today. I'm glad that i paused long enough in my travels to catch all these nice angles. I had hoped to get some more inspiring image on this election day. I've done my duty and cast my vote, but it's cold and rainy outside, so instead of going out to watch the election returns in a large public gathering, i think i'm going to stay home and watch them on my television. 

5 November 2012, Day 153, Pt. 2

The intersection of State and Madison, the dividing line between North/South and East/West addresses. Wherever you want to go in Chicago, this is a good place to start. I'd be embarrassed to admit how many times i've stopped in the middle of crossing the street here just to take a picture of this beautiful cityscape.

5 November 2012, Day 153, Pt. 1

Graffiti on the Red Line this morning. It's always reassuring to know that you are loved by Goo.

4 November 2012, Day 152

November Roses

Logically, i know that they are living on borrowed time, yet i can't help but get a thrill every time i see a rose in bloom on a chilly November morning. I briefly hope against hope that instead of winter, this year we will have an unending rose season.

So here's to all you fellow late-bloomers. Long may you flourish!

3 November 2012, Day 151

Daylight savings time ends tonight, so i'm not expecting to see quite as many sunrises in the coming months. I'm glad that the sun managed to find a small opening below the clouds as it rose over the lake this morning. 

2 November 2012, Day 150

On days like today, when the weather turns cold, a thick canopy of clouds hovers over the lake, even though the rest of the sky is bright and clear.

1 November 2012, Day 149

I love the architectural details above the second floor of this building in Edgewater, but mostly i just like the name "Happy Grocery."