Chicago, Illinois!

From Minneapolis we headed straigt to Chicago to meet mom and dad (donna and george) for my 35th birthday! It was a grand time. We ate at Charlie Trotters which was incredibly yummy, went on an architectural boat tour and walked through the sculpture garden at Millennium Park, which is an even greater example (than Minneapolis) of a city investing in public art. The video streaming water towers draw people from all over the city, especially kids, as do the nearby Kidney Bean and Frank Gehry's outdoor auditorium. I am not fond of Gehry's other work - Experience Music Project in Seattle and the Disney Performing Arts Center in LA - but i like this organic metal shape for an outdoor venue. It actually works really well and is the centerpiece of Millennium Park.

Mayor Daley seems to be doing a lot of things right - between investements in public art and ecological building he is putting Chicago on the map as a truly great city. It is giving Portland a run for its money. No more resting on the laurels of years past and Portland really needs to beef up its public art investments. I hope Mayor Bloomberg puts his money where his mouth is with all of his talk about greening New York City. but enough political banter....the pictures speak for themselves (i hope).