Last week I was hoping to shoot the Bean early in the morning while things are still quiet because of Covid. Well, guess I should have looked at Millennium Park’s restrictions because I was not getting in, at least not at the time I arrived. I had also hoped to shoot Vista from the Field Museum, a more commercial shot but as I got there it got pretty cloudy and the haze from 97-degree heat and crazy humidity did not create great conditions. So, what to do???
I wandered along the lakefront for a bit, definitely been missing that, and then headed over to the South Loop to check out the street art and just see what I could see. I can’t seem to escape seeing new Urban Quilt shots so that’s where the morning led…mostly.
I haven’t been in the South Loop in quite awhile and there’s this newer building with a great diamond-shaped etching. For the UQ series, I like the contrast in this newer geometric design against some of the areas older buildings.

Then up close…

Heading north through the South Loop….to include the balconies or not?



As I got to the south end of the Loop I decided to checkout Sol LeWitt’s sculpture Lines In Four Directions. The light bouncing off the neighboring building created this great dabbled pattern.

The sculpture is tucked behind the Dirksen Federal Building so it’s not the most accessible thing. I decided to walk down this parking ramp, the only way to get close to this, and despite walking about 3 feet in front of the guard stationed in his little stand and spending at least 5 minutes here I ended up having two guards vehemently yelling at me…yikes! I suppose I expected that. After a few profuse apologies, they seemed okay and let me go along my way. Always worth grabbing a couple of shots even if you know it’s only a matter of time before you get booted.


I aimlessly wandered north until I reached the river and grabbed a few more UQ shots along the way. Some more successful than others.


This one I thought would be my favorite of the day. Alas, it was not. Might need to go back and recompose. There’s something about the historic City Hall against the space-agey looking Thompson Center. Always love a good contrast of old meets new! But this is just not hitting the mark, at least not in the way I envision it.



This next one is one of my favorites of the day. And not one I had very high expectations of. The best things are often unexpected, right?

Who doesn’t love a good fire escape and dappled light?!

We’ll end with my favorite shot of the day and the final shot I made while out. Kinda surprised I haven’t seen this combination of buildings until now. Just another reminder that there’s always something new to see even in spaces you frequently explore.