Showing posts with label Prairie School. Show all posts

Sunday, November 20, 2016

HELLO WINTER!

On Friday, the temperature in Chicago was hovering around 65°F and I was able to get out and take an urban hike with a long sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts. When I woke up yesterday, on Saturday morning the temperatures had dropped to near-freezing. It was not until 2:00PM when I decided to get outdoors and take a walk. At that time, the temperature had warmed up to 38°F with the promise of reaching a high of one degree warmer before plateauing at that level. With 20mph winds whipping through the city, it felt closer to 28°F (so said my weather app) Still, even with the colder weather, I am still bouncing around, giddy with all the good news emanating from Trump headquarters either in New York City or somewhere in New Jersey this weekend. I had high hopes that Donald Trump would select conservatives to fill important government posts and I have not been disappointed. This guy, Donald Trump, the Presdent-Elect, has exceeded my expectations time and time again. It has simply been difficult to keep my feet firmly on the ground as I digest the daily news.

I embarked on my Saturday afternoon hike wearing three additional layers of clothing, but I stripped down to take some photos by the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool on Fullerton Avenue.

Sure, I know that my hat looks a big goofy...but it does keep my bald head nice and warm....

I am a simple man with simple tastes. I can eat the same meal day after day if I like something. As proof, I remind my regular readers (if I have any...) that I ate every day at McDonald's and/or Burger King for years and years. Those particular restaurants are no longer interesting to me and I have not eaten a meal in either one in approximately two years. For the record, I do not feel particularly deprived. These days, I have found new places to eat, over and over again, albeit a bit more healthily. So, in my world, it is big news when I 'discover' a new place to eat as I did last night. My family went out for an evening walk, and it was my idea to walk the side streets off Michigan Avenue to see what we might find. We found Misoya. The complete full name of this restaurant is: RAMEN MISOYA CHICAGO DOWNTOWN. The name may not be catchy, but their signature meal, ramen... was delicious. This photo of the front door was lifted from their website.

As we approached this restaurant we saw a few people standing outside the small bright orange vestibule, with nearly 15 more people crammed inside the vestibule. For some reason, we decided to wait it out. It was worth it. It is so much fun to discover a new 'favorite' restaurant as we did last night. I ordered the KIN MISO RAMEN with Cha-Shu and added Naruto as a topping. ($13.50)

My dinner last night.... KIN MISO RAMEN w/Cha-She & Naruto

From the the Misoya.net website, I found this...

According to this MISO can remove freckles? I remain skeptical about that one...

These were the conditions in Chicago when I stepped outside for my urban hike. I live in

Chicago, there will be plenty of days in the upcoming months that will make this seem like

a heatwave.

Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Essential - Butter Flavored Grits	500	105	5	10	1,700	5
Ritz - Fudge Covered Crackers	200	29	10	1	200	16
CHERRY VANILLA GRANOLA	500	83	15	10	125	31
	1,200	217	30	21	2,025	52
L U N C H
Homemade - Enchilladas	700	76	16	62	1,680	0
	700	76	16	62	1,680	0
D I N N E R
MISOYA KIN MISO Ramen Bowl	700	107	10	57	1,648	0
Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato	200	27	8	4	65	24
	900	134	18	61	1,713	24
S N A C K S
Gin Gins Chewy Ginger	120	30	0	0	0	30
Dark Chocolate Coconut Chews	650	65	46	7	81	42
	770	95	46	7	81	72

Totals	3,570	522	110	151	5,499	148
Your Daily Goal	4,599	575	153	230	2,300	172
Remaining	1,029	53	43	79	-3,199	24
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 2,669 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today... You'd weigh 203.8 lbs in 5 weeks.

Your Exercise Diary for:

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
ELEVEN MILE URBAN HIKE	160	1,960
FIVE MILE EVENING STROLL	68	953


Daily Total / Goal	228 / 30	2,913 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	1021 / 210	11,935 / 4,130

Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, also known as Lincoln Park Lily Pool, is an example of Prairie School landscape architecture designed by Alfred Caldwell and located at 125 W. Fullerton Parkway (between Stockton and Cannon Drives) in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois. It was designated a Chicago Landmark on November 6, 2002. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark on February 17, 2006

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

COLUMBUS PARK

My travels took me to the west side of Chicago in the afternoon, which allowed time for ten mile hike mostly through Columbus Park.

After hiking 25 miles on Monday, a ten mile hike just felt like a 'walk in the park.' (which is precisely what it was)

I tried to hike every road and path that I could find in the park. The nine hole golf course was off limits. I had walked nearly seven miles before I accidentally 'discovered' the manmade waterfalls.

from wikipedia...

Columbus Park is a 135-acre (55 ha) park on the far West Side of Chicago, Illinois in the Austin neighborhood. It is considered the finest work by landscape architect Jens Jensen and was consequently named a National Historic Landmark in 2003.

The concept of Columbus Park was first pitched in 1912 by the West Park Commission as a way to develop recreational facilities for densely populated neighborhoods. At the time, the West Side of Chicago had a population of nearly 900,000, but only two small playgrounds. The commission had acquired the property a year earlier from the Catholic church for $560,000; the church had recently abandoned plans to build a seminary on the site. It was the first large park conceived by the commission since 1869. Jens Jensen was a Danish immigrant who joined the commission in the 1880s as a laborer and rose to the rank of chief landscape artist and general superintendent of the system by 1905. Columbus Park was Jensen's first large park, and he began designing it in 1915.

The 135-acre (55 ha) park reflected Jensen's Prairie School approach to landscape design. This method emphasized the natural beauty of the area and was inspired by the horizontality of the prairie landscape. Jensen preferred to use native plants in his designs, a technique that was rare at the time. Jensen's stonework, inspired by natural rock outcroppings in the Midwest, is exemplified by his waterfalls, council ring, and stone paths. Buildings in the part constructed prior to 1920 also reflect Jensen's Prairie approach.

Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Roundy's - Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal	600	120	10	20	1,300	20
	600	120	10	20	1,300	20
L U N C H
Barbacoa- Beef	400	5	17	58	1,285	0
Chef Salad	200	4	3	7	182	0
Pulp-free Coconut Water, 16 ounces	100	28	0	0	120	22
Apple - Apple Gala, Med (2)	160	44	0	0	0	34
Dark Chocolate Almonds	200	16	13	3	0	11
	1,060	97	33	68	1,587	67
D I N N E R
Spaghetti - Spaghetti Noodles	400	78	2	14	2	1
Eggplant Parmigian	600	51	38	16	1,359	21
	1,000	129	40	30	1,361	22
S N A C K S
Oreo Cookies	320	50	14	2	280	28
	320	50	14	2	280	28

Totals	2,980	396	97	120	4,528	137
Your Daily Goal	3,779	472	126	189	2,300	141
Remaining	799	76	29	69	-2,228	4
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,849 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today... You'd weigh 201.3 lbs in 5 weeks

Your Exercise Diary for:

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
10 MILE HIKE	139	1,856


Daily Total / Goal	139 / 30	1,856 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	455 / 210	7,372 / 4,130

I used the 10 second timer to take the photos at on of the Columbus Park waterfalls. My camera caught me moving to the spot where I was to stand for the picture. That photo looked like this...

When the I magnified myself in the photo, it looked like this...

That photo reminded me of a very famous photo of 'BIGFOOT'...

and finally, I put the two photos together...

BIGFOOT & Marc Jacobs (separated at birth?)

a final note...

On the last two days, I visited two 'landmarks' On Monday, I visited CHESS RECORDS at 2120 South Michigan Avenue which is a Chicago Landmark (apparently it is not significant enough to be on the list of National Historic Landmarks. On Tuesday, I visited COLUMBUS PARK which is a National Historic Landmark... This made me wonder.... Just how many historic landmarks are there?

from www.nps.gov (National Park Service)

National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Today, just over 2,500 historic places bear this national distinction. Working with citizens throughout the nation, the National Historic Landmarks Program draws upon the expertise of National Park Service staff who guide the nomination process for new Landmarks and provide assistance to existing Landmarks.

After learning that the United States had 2500+ National Historic Landmarks, I wondered how many were in Chicago...

from wikipedia...

There are more than 350 places listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places in Chicago, Illinois, including 83 historic districts that may include numerous historic buildings, structures, objects and sites.