stephanieNY

I saw this "article" this morning online and it reminded me that I have something to say about these pavilions in Chicago. Chicago is celebrating the centennial of Daniel Burnham's plan for the city. In a grand celebratory gesture, they commissioned two architects to design pavilions in Millenium Park that were meant to "emphasize the importance of boldly imagining a better future for all...and to echo the audacity of the 1909 Burnham Plan." Zaha Hadid totally dropped the ball on her pavilion and it wasn't completed for the big opening, nor when we were there last week. This is what it was supposed to look like...and that is what we saw: Hahahah.

Ben van Berkel of UNStudio designed the other pavilion which was complete, but I had mixed feelings about it. Pluses: Structurally it was really cool...two thick horizontal planes, the top one supported by chunks peeled out and pulled down to the bottom. The openings in the top revealed really cool vignettes of the city beyond.

Negatives: It was really dirty. If I designed a stark white outdoor piece, I'd require daily hose-downs. Zaha's unfinished piece under a tent plopped feet from it didn't help things. Ultimately, I think you need to see it in its perfect and idyllic state, lit up at night with the glowing city and sky beyond and with cool blurry people moving around, like this...and not like that:

All-in-all though, Millenium Park is brilliant. Chicago should keep doing what it's doing there. Last week, we watched the symphony rehearse in Gehry's Jay Pritzker Pavilion, took some pictures at the bean, saw some crazy Chinese public art installations, and swung by the Crown Fountain, all in one park. Brilliant, Chicago.

For two twenty-three hour time spans this past week, Adam and I kicked back, watched movies, read books, played cards, and drank some beers as we traversed the Northeast and the Midwest via rail. Although the time might be a concern for some, it was so easy to show up at South Station in Boston, walk onto the train, pick out some good seats, and sit tight until Chicago. Flying shmying...the train is awesome. There was something really comforting and real about not leaving the ground. The scenery was a pleasant surprise, and I got a peak at some small cities that I'd probably otherwise never see...Buffalo, Cleveland, and Toledo.

The train felt a little something like this:

a send-off from the platform

the dining car

card games in the lounge car