Showing posts with label Grant Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grant Park. Show all posts

Thursday, November 23, 2017

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

A day to try to stay away from politics.  So, if you can forgive Charles Schulz for 'cultural appropriation' (a recently discovered ill-conceived idea from those over-educated, self-righteous morons on the left) you can enjoy this 'Peanuts' cartoon wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving. (I think I might have failed to keep politics out of my blog today...oops)

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Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
Grits 400 88 6 8 1,240 4
Kirkland - Bacon 320 0 24 24 1,400 0

720 88 30 32 2,640 4
L U N C H
Salmon Avocado Sushi Roll 600 93 14 20 945 17

600 93 14 20 945 17
D I N N E R
Multigrain Crispbread - Crispbread Crackers 675 165 0 30 975 0
Campbell's  Chunky Soup - Hearty Beef Barley 560 96 6 32 3,160 24

1,235 261 6 62 4,135 24
S N A C K S
Dreyer's  Fruit Bars Creamy Coconut 480 80 12 16 160 72
Oreo Cookies 480 75 21 3 420 42

960 155 33 19 580 114
Totals 3,515 597 83 133 8,300 159
Your Daily Goal 4,050 506 135 203 2,300 152
Remaining 535 -91 52 70 -6,000 -7
Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
*You've earned 2,120 extra calories from exercise today
If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 220.5 lbs in 5 weeks.






JOHN ALEXANDER LOGAN (SENATOR FROM ILLINOIS)


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from bio guide.congress.gov
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LOGAN, John Alexander, (1826 - 1886)

Senate Years of Service: 1871-1877; 1879-1886
Party: Republican; Republican


Courtesy U.S. Senate Historical Office
LOGAN, John Alexander, a Representative and a Senator from Illinois; born in Murphysboro, Jackson County, Ill., on February 9, 1826; attended the common schools and studied law; served in the war with Mexico as a lieutenant; returned to Illinois; clerk of the Jackson County Court 1849; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1852, and practiced; member, Illinois house of representatives 1852-1853, 1856-1857; prosecuting attorney for the third judicial district of Illinois 1853-1857; presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1856; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses and served from March 4, 1859, until April 2, 1862, when he resigned and entered the Union Army; chairman, Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business (Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses); during the Civil War was commissioned brigadier general, and then major general of Volunteers, and served until 1865; elected as a Republican to the Fortieth, Forty-first, and Forty-second Congresses and served from March 4, 1867, until his resignation on March 3, 1871, at the end of the Forty-first Congress, having been elected Senator; chairman, Committee on Military Affairs (Forty-first Congress); one of the managers appointed by the House of Representatives in 1868 to conduct the impeachment proceedings against President Andrew Johnson; conceived of the idea of Memorial Day and inaugurated the observance in May 1868; elected to the United States Senate as a Republican and served from March 4, 1871, to March 3, 1877; unsuccessful candidate for reelection; chairman, Committee on Military Affairs (Forty-third and Forty-fourth Congresses); resumed the practice of law in Chicago; again elected to the United States Senate in 1879; reelected in 1885, and served from March 4, 1879, until his death; chairman, Committee on Military Affairs (Forty-seventh and Forty-eighth Congresses); unsuccessful Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1884; died in Washington, D.C., December 26, 1886; lay in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, December 30-31, 1886; interment in a tomb in the National Cemetery, Soldiers' Home, Washington, D.C.



Hey, stupid people in Illinois... Are you aware that this statue of Senator John Logan, Senator from Illinois was a Republican?  Maybe we should tear this statue down? You know, after we get around to tearing down the statues of President Abraham Lincoln.  Or better yet, perhaps we can melt the statues and remold them into the statue of Mayor Marion Barry that the lefties in Washington, DC want to erect?  Perhaps, New Yorkers are already planning to erect (pun intended) a statue of Congressman Anthony Wiener? 






Saturday, September 17, 2016

GRANT PARK

Friday gave me enough time to take a long urban hike which included passing two famous iconic spots in Grant Park, the Christopher Columbus Statue and Buckingham Fountain.  In the days before 'lefties' in America started re-writing history and creating 'research' that proved that our Founding Fathers were nothing but a bunch of 'old white slaveholders' without any other merit, we used to celebrate accomplishment. Christopher Columbus has been a 'victim' of this re-write of history. Instead of celebrating his accomplishments of discovering a new world, whether or not he actually thought he was in India, he is more likely to be considered a criminal by leftist wackos teaching in American Universities these days. Long before lefty lunatics took control of our universities, achievement used to be celebrated. Today I passed by a beautiful statue of Christopher Columbus in Chicago's Grant Park. I predict there will be calls for this statue to be removed in the future. It is inevitable. That is, if we don't make America Great Again. And for that to happen will require more than the election of Mr. Donald Trump, it will require the defeat of leftist thought (an oxymoron if there ever was one)


The other site I passed during my urban hike was Buckingham Fountain. I believe that this is a completely apolitical tourist attraction.  Something that lefties and conservatives alike can enjoy. Who knows? I am sure there must be something about this gorgeous fountain that offends someone. There always is.





SATURDAY WEIGHT
This morning I weighed 220.7 lbs
I did gain one pound this week.
Considering how poorly I ate, way too much unhealthy chocolate... I was pleased.
220.7 lbs.
Still down 88.3 pounds from where I started nearly two years ago.



Your Food Diary For:



BREAKFAST Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
Roundys - Creamy Wheat - Enriched Farina 480 100 0 16 340 4
Quaker - Chewy Granola                      450 95 10 5 400 35
Honey 240 68 0 0 0 64

1,170 263 10 21 740 103
L U N C H
Homemade Stuffed Shells 410 57 11 20 545 12

410 57 11 20 545 12
D I N N E R
Homemade Stuffed Shells 820 114 22 40 1,090 24

820 114 22 40 1,090 24
S N A C K S
Oreos 480 75 21 3 420 42

480 75 21 3 420 42
Totals 2,880 509 64 84 2,795 181
Your Daily Goal 5,079 635 169 254 2,300 190
Remaining 2,199 126 105 170 -495 9
Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
*You've earned 3,149 extra calories from exercise today

       Your Exercise Diary for:


Cardiovascular Minutes Calories Burned
Walking 18 MILES
255 3,265

   
Daily Total / Goal 255 / 30 3,265 / 590  
Weekly Total / Goal 697 / 210 9,114 / 4,130             
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BUCKINGHAM FOUNTAIN
from wikipedia...





Buckingham Fountain is a Chicago landmark in the center of Grant Park. Dedicated in 1927, it is one of the largest fountains in the world. Built in a rococo wedding cake style and inspired by the Latona Fountain at the Palace of Versailles, it is meant to allegorically represent Lake Michigan. It operates from April to October, with regular water shows and evening color-light shows. During the winter, the fountain is decorated with festival lights.

The fountain is considered Chicago's front door, since it resides in Grant Park, the city's front yard near the intersection of Columbus Drive and Congress Parkway. The fountain itself represents Lake Michigan, with four sets of sea horses (two per set) symbolizing the four states—Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana—that border the lake. The fountain was designed by beaux arts architect Edward H. Bennett. The statues were created by the French sculptor Marcel F. Loyau. The design of the fountain was inspired by the Bassin de Latome and modeled after Latona Fountain at Versailles.

The fountain was donated to the city by Kate Buckingham in memory of her brother, Clarence Buckingham, and was constructed at a cost of $750,000.

Many tourists and Chicagoans visit the fountain each year. The fountain operates daily 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. from mid-April through mid-October. Water shows occur every hour on-the-hour and last 20 minutes. During shows, the center jet shoots up vertically to 150 feet (46 m), and after dusk shows are choreographed with lights and music. The last show begins at 10:00 p.m. nightly.[1]
The fountain is constructed of Georgia pink marble and contains 1,500,000 U.S. gallons (5,700,000 l) of water. During a display, more than 14,000 U.S. gallons per minute (0.88 m3/s) are pushed through its 193 jets. The bottom pool of the fountain is 280 ft (85 m) in diameter, the lower basin is 103 ft (31 m), the middle basin is 60 ft (18 m) and the upper basin is 24 ft (7.3 m). The lip of the upper basin is 25 ft (7.6 m) above the water in the lower basin.

The fountain's pumps are controlled by a Honeywell computer which was previously located in Atlanta, Georgia until the 1994 renovation when it was moved to the pump house of the fountain. The fountain's security system is monitored from Arlington Heights (a Chicago suburb).

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
from wikipedia...



Christopher Columbus is a bronze statue in Grant Park, in Chicago. It was created by the Milanese born sculptor Carlo Brioschi, and installed in 1933. It is set on an exedra and pedestal designed with the help of architect Clarence H. Johnson.

In 1933, Chicago celebrated its 100th anniversary with the Century of Progress World's Fair. In conjunction with the fair, Chicago's Italian-American community raised funds and donated the statue of the Genoese navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus. It was placed at the south end of Grant Park, near the site of the fair, and is located east of S. Columbus Drive and north of E. Roosevelt Road.


The bronze, beaux arts statue shows Columbus standing and gesturing into the distance with one hand. In his other hand, he holds a scrolled map at his side. On the sides of the statue's art deco pedestal are carved depictions of: one of Columbus' ships, the Santa Maria; astronomer and mathematician, Paolo Toscanelli, who plotted the course to the "New World;" the explorer, Amerigo Vespucci; and the seal of the City of Genoa. In the four corners of the pedestal are busts allegorically representing, Faith, Courage, Freedom, and Strength. Brioschhi's son made a point of saying that, despite appearances, the figure representing Strength was not a portrait of Benito Mussolini.

Monday, June 27, 2016

CHICAGO CUBS

As a transplanted New Yorker, I somehow still consider myself a New York Yankees fan. Although at the present time, I can only name one player on that team - and I do not admire him as he has managed to sully the game with his steroid use - Alex Rodriguez.  Since I have lived in Chicago since 1993, I suppose I should have some affinity for the local teams. The thing is, I don't think I really ever 'recovered' from the last baseball strike which was 22 years ago when the entire post-season was completely wiped out. I have mostly lost interest in Major League baseball. Each year that the Yankees were in the playoffs, I would get a bit interested and start watching some games. When they were eliminated, so too, was my interest.



Lately, a quick check of the Major League baseball standings show the hapless Chicago Cubs atop their division with the best record in baseball. This 'incomprehensible' fact is in direct contrast to their 'recent' (100+ year) history as reported by wikipedia:

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In 1906, the Cubs won a Major League record 116 games, and posted a modern-era record winning percentage of .763, before losing the World Series to the Chicago White Sox by four games to two. The Cubs won back-to-back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908, becoming the first Major League team to play in three consecutive Fall Classics, and the first to win it twice. The team has appeared in a total of ten World Series, most recently in 1945. The Cubs have not won the World Series in 107 years, and they have not won the National League pennant in 70 years, both of which are record "droughts" in Major League BaseballSince the start of divisional play in 1969, the Cubs have appeared in the postseason seven times. This included four trips to the League Championship Series—in 1984,19892003, and 2015.
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#
NL Central
W
L
PCT
GB
HOME
AWAY
L10
1
48
26
.649
-
25-11
23-15
4-6
2
39
35
.527
9.0
15-21
24-14
4-6
3
37
39
.487
12.0
22-18
15-21
4-6
4
34
41
.453
14.5
21-18
13-23
4-6
5
29
47
.382
20.0
18-22
11-25
3-7
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As of the morning of June 27th, the Chicago Cubs have the best record in all of baseball.

What does this prove?

It proves that nothing lasts forever - not even failure. Things change. A person can have no history of eating well, no history of personal fitness, no history of good health - but one can change. It does not matter if a person has been neglectful for 1 year, 10 years, 20 years or 30 years. All it takes is the willingness and the courage to make that first huge step. It requires the willingness and courage to make a small change today. And then again tomorrow. I did this a decade ago. And then I fell back into all the bad habits that I tried to escape. Eighteen months ago, I vowed to try again. I have been on a much more steady course during this period. Clichés are clichés because they contain truth. 

If I can do it, so can you.

If the Chicago Cubs can become successful after a century of failure, so can anyone!

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Sunday started as a somewhat 'typical' day for me... I had two 99 minute sessions on the elliptical machine. What made the day a bit atypical was that my entire family took a late afternoon/early evening 10 mile urban hike together.
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Since yesterday's urban hike was NOT taken alone... I was able to take a few interesting photos that were NOT selfies. You see, it's not that I am a complete narcissist, it's just that there is no one else around for most of my hikes!

Mom and Daughter enjoying the view from a spiral staircase on Roosevelt Road.

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Major General John A Logan

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Sure, Homer Simpson's message is mildly amusing... but it is a completely unhelpful message!

Monday, September 14, 2015

NORTHERLY ISLAND

Yesterday morning, I retrieved my bicycle and biked to my local YMCA.  I completed my two hour workout and biked home.   My fitbit had recorded approximately 15000 steps.  The weather in Chicago yesterday was absolutlely stunning.  Cool temperatures and deep blue skies. My daughter and I set out to take another urban hike.   This time, we walked an additional 25000 steps which translates to a 12.5 mile hike.   We headed down Michigan Avenue and we visited parts of the lakefront that we have rarely seen, other than a quick drive-by.  The high point of our hike was the re-discovery of Northerly Island, although we made some memorable stops on the way.

The view of the Chicago skyline looking north from Northerly Island


One of those stops on the way to Northerly Island was at Buckingham Fountain.  This information comes from the Chicago Park District Website

The Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain, one of the largest in the world, is located at Columbus Drive (301 East) and Congress Parkway (500 South) in Grant Park and runs from 8 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily, typically from early April through mid-October, depending on weather. Display times are subject to change during special events in Grant Park.

While in operation, the Fountain produces a major water display for 20 minutes every hour.   During the major display, a center jet shoots water to a height of 150 feet into the air. Major displays begin daily at 9:00 a.m. and continue thereafter, every hour on the hour. Beginning at dusk, a spectacular light and music display accompanies the major display, beginning every hour on the hour for 20 minutes. Each evening, the final major display begins at 10:35 p.m.
As we were simply enjoying viewing the fountain we decided to try to estimate how many steps it would take to circle the perimeter of the fountain.  My daughter guessed very close to the right answer which turned out to be 425.   While we were circumnavigating the fountain, the center jet shot a water stream high into the air.   The surprise was to be able to see a rainbow.

Rainbow forms from the mist of the spray from Buckingham Fountain
From Buckingham Fountain we walked towards the Adler Planetarium which is nestled on Northerly Island.   During this part of the trip we passed some interesting giant flowers unceremoniously guarding an unused field.

We also rediscovered a small park near Soldier Field.  I had remembered being at this park with my entire family one time before... Although that visit could have been nearly 10 years ago.   During this visit we nearly had the park to ourselves.  There are many hidden gems in Chicago and the SOLDIER FIELD CHILDEN'S GARDEN is certainly one of them.






The part of our urban hike which took us the furthest from home was our trip to Northerly Island.  Until this morning when I read the history of Northerly Island (below) it has always 'bothered' me that Northerly Island was not an island.  What I learned this morning - it actually WAS an island in the past. This is simply to the most serene place to be in all of Chicago.  Much of the island recently repurposed and opened to the public just within the past few weeks.  There is even a small public beach on the island as well a concession stand.   When we found the concession stand it was like finding an oasis in the desert.  We were hungry and thirsty.





from the Chicago Park District website
Northerly Island is a 91 acre peninsula that juts into Lake Michigan at the heart of the Museum Campus. It is located just south of the Adler Planetarium and east of Soldier Field. The majority of this space is dedicated to nature! The nature area at Northerly Island features beautiful strolling paths, casual play areas and a spectacular view of the Chicago skyline. It is also home to some of the best fishing in Chicago.
During the winter and early spring (November - April), the Northerly Island fieldhouse is open on Saturdays and Sundays, from 10 am to 4 pm. The rest of the year, the fieldhouse is open daily, from 9am to 5pm. When the fieldhouse is open, staff is available to answer questions about the island and provide information on a discovery tour.
The FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island is located at the northern end of the island.  The 2013 season brought a variety of improvements and expansions to this popular lakefront facility, including an upgraded stage, expanded state-of-the-art sound and lights, new seating and more grassy space throughout the venue. The newly redeveloped lawn now allows for flexible capacity up to 30,000 patrons while still offering sweeping panoramic views of Chicago’s lakefront.  Since its opening night featuring Earth, Wind and Fire in 2007, FirstMerit Bank Pavilion has brought a wealth of talent to the beautiful park-like setting of Northerly Island. 

History

Chicago's famous architect and planner Daniel H. Burnham imagined Northerly Island as one of the northernmost points in a series of manmade islands stretching between Grant and Jackson Parks. His vision for this park included lagoons, harbors, beaches, recreation areas, a scenic drive and grand stretches of green space that would provide breathtaking views of the lake and City skyline. Northerly Island and Burnham Park were selected as the site of Chicago's second World's Fair entitled A Century of Progress, 1933-34, and by the early 1930s, Northerly Island had been increased to its present size. In 1938, the Chicago Park District removed the bridge leading to Northerly Island and built a causeway connecting the island to Burnham Park. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Northerly Island featured paths and walkways, scattered trees and grass, a parking lot and the 12th Street Beach. In 1947, a small airport known as Meigs Field opened under the Exposition Authority Act. Operations at Meigs expanded with the building of an air control tower in 1952. The 50-year lease granted by the park district for Meigs Field expired on September 30, 1996. The City, Park District, and numerous civic organizations agreed that the airport should revert to parkland. Today, Daniel Burnham’s vision is now a reality. With wild prairie grasses taking root, beautiful strolling paths, casual play areas, and a spectacular view of the City skyline, we invite you to come out and enjoy the emerging world of Northerly Island.
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 Sunday MENU
breakfast   oatmeal, bacon, apple, mango, ginger                         940 calories
lunch         apple, rice cakes, spinach salad, clam chowder
                  asparagus, oyster crackers, mint chocolate                1338 calories
dinner        salad bar, melon salad                                                1050 calories
SNACK     NORTHERLY ISLAND HAMBURGER                   450 calories
     
total calories consumed 3779 calories

calories burned
elliptical machine 125 minutes, 4:3 interval,  level 20              1712 calories


CALORIES BURNED 1712 CALORIES
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Saturday net calories 2067 calories
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fitbit day 11
40050 steps
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Checking out the dinosaur at the Field Museum