A Day on the Riverwalk

Mom and dad came to Chicago and on the way picked up Stephanie and Jessica. We spent one entire day on the riverwalk. It was so much fun. This is my new favorite part of the city!

 One of the places I really wanted to show my dad was the VIetnam Vetrans Memorial. It’s not huge, but it’s pretty and meaningful.

 Jess, Dad and I went into the Bridgehouse Museum at the DuSable/Michigan Avenue bridge. It was kind of cool. I never knew the bridgehouses were 5 stories tall. And at the top there is a 360 degree view. It was cool to see how the bridges open and close and learn more about the river.

 For lunch we ate at O’Briens. The service was terrible, but the salad I had was actually really great. Good views, except for Trump’s name looming overhead, but pricey, which is expected of the riverwalk.

 We walked around for a while and then sat to rest and have dessert at Tiny Cafe, next to Tiny Tap. Steph and I had coffee drinks and everyone else had ice cream!
 Earlier in the day Dallas was teasing Stephanie and asked if she was going to the prom because she was wearing a long dress. When we saw these huge hibiscus, she decided to take some “prom photos”!

 Walking further west on the riverwalk, we came across a big fountain/splashpad. Makai had a blast! We had to pull him out of there when it was time to go! Next time I need to pack a change of clothes!


Finally to the large deer! I’d only seen this from a boat on the water, so I was excited to see it up close! Makai tried to reach both its head and it’s butt by sitting on my dad’s shoulders!

What a fun day on the Chicago River! I love to see a mix of residents and tourists. People strolling and exercising. On the river, recreational kayaks, tour boats, water taxis, barges, private boats, boat rentals. So vibrant and fun and energetic! The riverwalk is such a great addition to the city!

Reid Murdoch Rooftop

This is the view of the Reid Murdoch Building from my office. I was recently looking at it with some of my coworkers. The things is… I’ve been on the roof of that building and that white building construction on the roof was never there. We think it went up within the last 3 years. I vaguely remember construction and I’ve worked at Roundarch for almost 3 years. We can’t figure out what it is. .. if it’s space you can rent, or is just for people who work in the building or what. There are definitely some hefty grills up there and a lot of outdoor seating.

A View From the Chicago River


Wendella


IBM Building & Trump Tower Construction


Trump Tower Construction


Trump Tower Construction


Marina City


IBM Building


Marina City


Reid, Murdoch & Co. Building


Merchandise Mart


Sun Times Building


Wendella


Richard & Dad


Water Taxi


Water Taxi


Metra Train


Sears Tower


Sears Tower


Leo Burnett Building & RR Donnelly Building


IBM Building, Trump Tower, Wrigley Building


IBM Building, Trump Tower, Wrigley Building


Navy Pier


Wrigley Building


Michigan Avenue Bridge

On Sunday we were going to go to the beach, but the weather wasn’t cooperating. We ended up going on a Wendella boat tour. The tour we chose was the hour-long Chicago River Architecture Tour It went on both the north and the south branches of the river, then just to the lake, and back to the dock at Michigan Avenue. Some facts on the tour I knew but there were tons I didn’t know. And it was cool to see everything from a different point of view. I spoke to Amanda a short while ago and she said Jess is still talking about riding the train and not about the long boat ride we went on!

Ried, Murdoch & Co. Building Clock Tower

clock_tower_outside.jpg

clock_inside.jpg

bridges.jpg

clock_close.jpg

bricks.jpg

hole_window.jpg

windows_people.jpg

stairs.jpg

building.jpg

A couple weeks ago I was up in the Reid, Murdoch & Co. Building to view the Sox Victory Parade & Rally. What I didn’t show much of was the actual building and clock tower I was in. That, in itself, was pretty impressive and a real treat to experience, since normally people aren’t allowed up there. It seemed like something that would be in Open House New York.. if we had that sort of thing here.. but we don’t. Too bad for us.

After digging around a bit I found out that the building was constructed in 1914 and was designed by George C. Nimmons, who followed Daniel H. Burnham‘s Plan of Chicago. In the plan, developers were asked to consider the Chicago River front as a locale for new businesses because of the river’s aesthetic and commercial potential.

The building was originally built as a food processing company and warehouse. In this old photo, you can see that below the clock there used to be signs that said “Finer Foods.” The clock tower was originally a water tower that supplied the sprinkler system in the building. (Check out these photos of the building before the clock was in place.)

In 1915, the Eastland ocean-liner capsized and killed 812 people right across the river from the Ried Murdoch building, which was then used as a makeshift hospital and rescue center. (Check out these gnarly crash photos). Since the Ried Murdoch building was also temporary used as a morgue, some people say that it’s haunted and that “shortly after the accident pedestrians reported hearing cries of horror near the banks of the river.”

One more interesting historical tidbit: In 1926 LaSalle Street was widened and part of the west side of the building was taken off.

In 1955, the city of Chicago bought the Reid Murdoch building to use as municipal traffic court, to house the State Attorney’s Office, and for several other city departments. It was still used as traffic court til 1998 when Friedman Properties was selected to redevelop the building. On November 15, 1976, the city of Chicago gave the Reid Murdoch building landmark status. Today the building is almost all offices. On the first floor overlooking the river, is a restaurant that used to be Bob Chinn’s and is now Fulton’s on the River.