Page 5 of 5
Chicago, Illinois
Introducing for the first time, Pharoah on the microphone
The Crown Fountain (or the fountain with the big giant heads, as it is more often referred to) is the last major, interesting piece of Millennium Park. What seemed to be a really bad idea has turned out to be more fun than it should be- it is hard to describe the joy on a hot summer day of being spat at by mischievous giant fifty foot high heads.
Designed by Barcelona artist Jaume Plensa (he beat Maya Lin and Robert Venturi in the design competition), the $17,000,000 (US) fountain consists of two large glass block towers, separated by an extremely shallow (approximately one inch deep) reflecting pool. The glass block hides L.E.D. screens- each tower repeats the same cycle every five minutes. First water rushes down all four sides, then a face appears (a different face on each tower). The faces just look at each other, occasionally blink or twitch, then they each purse their lips at the same time and spit out a stream of water. After about a minute of spitting they will smile and then fade as the process repeats itself with new faces. Each one is always just different enough to make you stay another five minutes to see one more time the exact same thing you just saw. Fun.
On my sixth visit to Chicago I finally figured out how to do things right. First of all I tried flying in and out of Midway instead of O'Hare. Midway is closer, smaller, easier to navigate and the all elevated, fast Orange Line there beats the hell out of the (mostly) underground, all slow Blue Line. I also found that the sixth time was the charm in finding a hotel. Hotel 71 is on Wacker and Wabash, a half block from Michigan Avenue and on the Chicago River. The riverside views are absolutely incredible, you can see the Tribune and Wrigley buildings on one side and Mies' IBM building and Marina City on the other (directly across the street and river is the doomed Sun Times building, the site for that Trump Chicago building, should it ever get built).
There is probably not a better location in the entire city. All those good restaurants are a few blocks away, you're near Millennium Park, the Loop, the elevated trains, everything you could need or want. The rooms are large with comfortable beds, the price reasonable. The only bad thing is the elevators, over used and slow, but I guess you can't have everything.
This was the first visit that I broke down and went on an architectural tour, something that was both worth the time and trouble. The Chicago Architecture Foundation offers river cruises and walking tours, I chose the Modern Skyscrapers of the Loop, a two hour tour of Mies and SOM and Jahn. The volunteer docent (a local structural engineer) was affable enough, the stories interesting, the itinerary expected. Twelve dollars well spent.
An argument could be made that fate is keeping me from truly enjoying all that Oak Park has to offer. On my first visit it was 107 degrees, it was so hot that every few steps you walked on Forest Avenue you needed a nap. On my second visit I stayed in Oak Park but my late camera started acting up, claiming most of my Forest Avenue pictures, though thankfully sparing all my Milwaukee pictures. This third visit was threatened with the very real possibility of rain. An unusually complex front made it rain only when I took out my camera on Forest Avenue. As soon as I put my camera away it would consistently stop raining. Coincidence, fate or maybe I pissed off a spiteful rain god somewhere, it's kind of hard to be sure.
There was no rain inside Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple (although there were construction guys everywhere just out of view). A great space, same as it ever was. As far as I know, no one is really sure about the Unitarians- who they are and exactly what they worship inside such a temple, although I do hold certain theories regarding the worship of local Forest Avenue rain (or camera or heat) gods.
Let’s end with a last picture from a late summer late afternoon on the Navy Pier, a world (or more accurately at least a solid twenty minute walk) away from anywhere else you want to be.
