Cherry Blossom Trees Abstract

There are cherry blossom trees in Jackson Park around the Columbian Basin just south of the Museum of Science and Industry. They have been there for several years now, but I have not always gone to see them, and the conditions here in Chicago have not always been great for the best blooms. Timing a visit is also a factor.

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Either my timing was bad, or the blossoming was not great, as the trees did not look all that impressive on this visit. I have never gone to Japan, Washington DC, or anywhere else where people have cherry blossom tree viewing events. Chicago is not known for that so I do not have experience in this. I have seen some amazing pictures of blooms on the web, but amazing this was not.

The trees are not planted very densely. There were no pink flowers either. As the scene was not very impressive I decided to go with a monochrome look and opened the lens aperture all the way for a more abstract look. Manually focusing on a small flower moving in the wind with a rangefinder was proving difficult for my aging eyes so these images are not all that great either. But I made the trip over there so I was not leaving without a few shots. These three are the ones I like the most. None of them are very satisfactory. I will have to try again next year.

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Please let me know what tips you may have on getting the most out of the annual blossoms.

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COVID Chronicles - The Non-Essentials

During this pandemic we have come to learn what is deemed essential and what is deemed nonessential. We need grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, banks, and some other businesses to stay open. We do not need retail stores like the ones in this post as we fight this disease. I am not saying anything about these stores or brands, but, rather, I am making an observation.

I am also stretching to come up with ideas to shoot. This post is a result of a photo walk I took a few mornings ago. I drove up to the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago to take my walk. People think of Michigan Avenue, the “Magnificent Mile,” as Chicago’s premiere destination for shopping and high-end shops. While there are some high-end shops on the Mag Mile, it is a side street at the north end of the Mile that offers the most of that experience. Oak Street is Chicago’s Rodeo Drive. Many of the luxury boutique brands have shops on this block of Oak Street between Rush Street and Michigan Avenue.

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Nothing special about any of the images in this post. I was just looking to do something on a day off. But there is a little story to tie in here.

My mother used to work at a small boutique a few storefronts down from this Prada store. It was not a name brand boutique, but sold some not-so-cheap formal wear for women. The shop did not survive too long after 9/11.

When I was still in school sometimes I would have to pick up my mother from work. That was the deal made so that I could use the car. I did not mind because I could do some people watching here. There were plenty of exotic sports cars to look at. And girls. We’ll leave it at that.

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Some stores have opted to leave their window displays open to view while others have boarded up. I do not blame them for their fear of theft. Who knows how long we will be staying away from businesses like these.

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This storefront spoke to me because of the symmetry and asymmetry present in the scene.

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Peek-a-boo Jimmy Choo

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Christian Louboutin, Tom Ford, Dolce & Gabbana are all some pretty big names. This is the old Esquire Theatre building. It was first opened in 1938. I remember seeing a handful of movies there, but by the time I was watching movies there it was one of the “cheaper” movie-going experiences, as people were becoming more drawn to the newer mega theaters offered by AMC and others.

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This Louis Vuitton store is actually on Michigan Avenue. My photo walk did spill out on to the Mile for a block or so. I wonder how many of these high-end boutiques might close because of the pandemic.

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I was #alonealone at the time

There were other ads that told people that COVID-19 is not age- or race-discriminant. So why was I not staying home if I can? For the most part I do on my days off. But I must feel the sun so I chose the morning to take this walk. Even though there was no one around I wore a mask, and kept my time outside to less than an hour. In the afternoons here in Chicago, especially on nice sunny days, there are parks full of people not practicing social distancing or wearing face masks. It saddens me that some people are not taking this seriously. So I hope we can get through this sooner rather than later, although our behavior will make it the latter I am sure.

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The “Viagra Triangle”

This small triangular shaped park, and its surrounding restaurants and lounges is humorously dubbed the “Viagra Triangle.” I will leave it up to you to interpret that. This iss also where many exotic luxury and sports cars and girls can be seen.

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I leave you with this image. Seeing these signs was indeed hopeful. It means that there are people out there who are optimistic, which is a great thing. They balance out people like me who are less optimistic. Thank you for coming along with my on my little photo walk. Stay safe and healthy.

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