picture courtesy of popmatters.com

Last week I attended the Grant Park Conservancy Symposium on Chicago’s future.  The symposium talked about where Chicago was headed and what it’s future goals are, that kind of thing. There were speakers from all different disciplines: Jeanne Gang for architecture and Chris Jones the Trib theater critic. It was a [...]

Normally today would be my “A Million Times” post where I talk about buildings we’ve walked by a million times and never noticed.

But in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I asked my Twitter and Facebook friends to give me the things about Chicago that they’re thankful for. There are a lot of answers, Chicago is obviously [...]

I’m an improviser as well as a tour guide. I’ve been improvising and doing sketch in this city for almost twelve years; long enough to kiss a bunch of improv boys, get dissed by a bunch of improv boys, then marry one of those improv boys.

I’ve performed all over: Second City, The Annoyance, I.O…any bar [...]

I wouldn’t necessarily say the Trump International Hotel & Tower is one you’ve walked past a million times without noticing it, but have you really looked at it?

I have/had mixed feelings on the Tower. From far away I think it’s fantastic, a great balance between the Hancock and Willis (I know I know) Tower. It [...]

Some of these might be pretty basic, but some I didn’t know at all:

Chicago has an estimated 2,896,016 residents and all of “Chicagoland” has nearly 10 million people in three states.

I forget sometimes just how big Chicago really is. I have to remind myself that we live in a major metropolitan city. I know part [...]

It started in May, two thousand ought five.
Chicago was poised, awake and alive.

An announcement by Carley, of Fordham fame,
The Pinnacle and Fordham were part of his game.

The idea was The Spire, a monster of gems,
Making our river the American Thames.

Like plumes of smoke, spiraling up it would reach,
on DuSable’s old land, right by the beach.

Calatrava’s [...]

Today’s building is the Smurfit Stone building at 150 N. Michigan Ave., requested by Kate. Remember, if you have a building you’re curious about, email me at margaret@chicagoelevated.com or leave a comment!

photo by eastsider72

So the first thing I wanted to check with Smurfit Stone was, what exactly is it that Smurfit Stone does? Here [...]

Today’s post is a little less about Chicago and absolutely about Chicago.

On Saturday night I held a fundraiser for Chicago Elevated. I need a business license and business cards and stack cards and marketing materials. My husband and I are on the tightest of budgets and we could eventually afford these things, except I want [...]

If I had to pick a time in history to go back to and live, it would be 1893 – the year of the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. (Either that or during the reign of King Henry VIII, don’t ask.)

Certainly the beauty of the Exposition and the excitement in the air, all make for an [...]