Opening up Chicagoland Anew

Open House Chicago, sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Center, is arguably my favorite annual event in Chicagoland.  It's a great opportunity to see buildings that showcase the great variety of architecture and sites in Chicago and suburbs.  Indeed, it enhances my appreciation for this place where I live.

So I always make a point to tour a few sites each year

But this year, I enhanced my OHC experience by serving as a volunteer.

Before volunteering on that Saturday, October 16, I first headed to Chinatown to see the inside of the Puk Tai Center.  Its history stretches far back in the Chinatown neighborhood, embedded in the larger Armour Square neighborhood on the Near Southwest Side of Chicago.  Currently, it's used as a community center and church sanctuary space for the Chinese Christian Union Church.

While nowhere near the tallest building among this year's OHC sites, there were splendid views of the Chicago skyline from the third floor balcony, not to mention great views of the main Wentworth Avenue business district of Chinatown.

Above is the view looking northeast from the third floor balcony. Below is the view from the balcony looking south along Wentworth Avenue.

Here I am, posing on the balcony. I thank the fellow visitor who took this photo.

Inside the Puk Tai Center

A few minutes after noon, I departed Chinatown, and went to get lunch at Just Turkey in Bronzeville.  As the name suggests, the items on the menu feature turkey.  It's a really interesting concept for a restaurant, and I felt it was worthwhile to stop by again after first going there a month prior.  This time, I got a grilled turkey wrap.

I went from Just Turkey straight to my volunteer site, the Nichols Tower at Homan Square, arriving shortly after 1 PM.  It was a cool and windy day, but it was sunny, so I sat outside the tower at a picnic table and ate my wrap.

I then entered the Nichols Tower and walked around inside to orient myself to the space.  I walked up to the 14th floor, which has great views of the West Side, looking toward Garfield Park to the north, to Lawndale and beyond to the south, downtown Chicago to the east, and the Near West Suburbs to the west.

Here's the view looking east from floor 14.  You can see the downtown skyline, with the Sears Tower in the middle.

Here's the view from floor 14 looking west with the West Side and toward the near west suburbs.

View of the space at the top of the Nichols Tower.

Here's the view looking southwest.  Near the center of the photo is the Hawthorne Works tower in Cicero.

Here I am posing by a window with a  view looking east, again with the newer Sears Tower.  I thank the fellow visitor who got my pose here.

Here's a view of the staircase inside the tower.

By 1:30, I was back at the entrance area on the first floor, and got myself ready to take over for the other volunteers.  For the next 2 1/2 hours, I welcomed visitors and told them what they could see at the building.  I felt rather energized welcoming visitors upon their arrival.  And it was fun to say, "Welcome to the Original Sears Tower."  At one point, I went up to the top again to post myself as available for visitors.

I also took a quick break to see the old Power House across Homan Avenue, which is now the Charles H. Shaw Technology and Learning Center, and houses the DRW College Prep charter school.

Here's a view of the interior of the Shaw Center.

I walked up to the top one final time around 3:50 to get visitors ready to depart upon the closing time at 4 PM.  After finishing wrap-up tasks, I went home.

Late the next morning, on October 17, Mom and I departed Oak Park for the Observatory at the John Hancock Building, arriving around 1 PM.  Because I volunteered at OHC, I got CAC member privileges, which included access to members-only sites like the John Hancock Observatory.  After getting our free tickets, we got in line, and went to the observatory.  Unlike the last time I visited during OHC 2019, there were clear skies this day, with fantastic views.  Certainly it was amazing to see the nearby buildings in downtown Chicago and the Lake Michigan shoreline.  But it was also amazing to look inland from Lake Michigan and soak in the urban area and look for the suburban areas, too.

View looking east toward Navy Pier

View looking south toward the Loop and the lakefront

View looking southwest, with the Sears Tower toward the left

The shadow of the John Hancock Building protruding northward toward Oak Street Beach

View looking north along the lakefront, with Lincoln Park appearing as the greenish area near the center of the photo

Mom and I pose along the west side of the observatory.  I thank the fellow visitor who took this photo.

Looking up at the John Hancock Building from Michigan Avenue at street level

We departed after about 20 minutes at the observatory.  We returned to the Loop, where we parted ways.  

I rode the Loop tracks to Washington/Wells.  I ended up at the food court at the Ogilvie Transporation Center, where I got Panda Express for lunch.  It was conveniently served in a bowl that allowed me to eat and walk at the same time as I walked to the Bank of America building.  The third floor was open for visitors to see the board room spaces.  After briefly looking around there, I went to the top to take in the amazing views.  It reminded me of the topmost floor at 300 N. Riverside Plaza, just north of the Bank of America  Tower, with similar views from an unfinished space.

The Bank of America Tower along the South Branch of the Chicago River

On the 3rd floor of the Bank of America Tower

The open space at the top of the Bank of America Tower

Looking down at Wolf Point, the Y spot where the three branches of the Chicago River meet

View looking west, with the United Center appearing as a whitish top just to the left of the center of the photo

Here I am posing on the east side of the building, with the view of the Loop appearing behind me, including the spire of the First United Methodist Church with the Sky Chapel. The fellow visitor who took this photo recognized me from the Nichols Tower the day prior.

View looking south, including the Sears Tower, the South Branch of the Chicago River, and the railyards extending south from Union Station

Looking up at the Bank of America Tower from Wacker Drive at street level

Next up, I went to the Sears Tower to view the new Catalog food court and the outdoor terrace.

Looking up at the Sears Tower from Adams Street and Wacker Drive at street level

Inside the Catalog food hall

looking up at 333 S. Wacker building from the 4th floor outdoor terrace of the Sears Tower

View of the 4th floor outdoor terrace atop the Catalog

Here I am posing in the terrace.  I thank the fellow visitor who photographed me here.

View of Wacker Drive and Jackson Boulevard, looking west

View looking east from the terrace, with the Chicago Board of Trade Building, topped by Ceres, appearing near the center of the photo

I finished my OHC sightseeing at 300 S. Riverside Plaza.  The glass lobby provided great views of the South Branch of the Chicago River, as did the patio just outside, right above the river's edge.

View of the Chicago River South Branch from the Jackson Boulevard Bridge

View of the river from the terrace at 300 S. Riverside Plaza

View looking north from the terrace

Close-up of Upper and Lower Wacker Drives from the terrace

Inside 300 S. Riverside Plaza in the part of the building just inside from the terrace

Once again, OHC was a great opportunity to explore Chicago (along with nearby suburbs) in a deeper way.  When I completed the OHC survey, I marked for one of the questions that OHC definitely makes me feel proud and appreciate more greatly this area where I live.  I'm glad that I could enhance my participation in the event by serving as a volunteer, which I enjoyed as much as visiting sites.

There were other OHC offerings available throughout the month of October, before and after the weekend for sightseeing.

I continued the spirit of OHC just days later, on Friday, October 22, with my friends Matthew and Roy, who came to town for the wedding of our mutual college friend Tyler.  We went exploring Chicago in a way that allowed me to show them what I appreciate most about Chicago.

Matthew met me at home in Oak Park.  Then we rode the Blue Line east, and along the way, I pointed out many different landmarks and streets, explaining their significance.  We disembarked at Washington around noon.  From there, without a set plan for the next hour, we just started wandering around, while we waited for the time to meet Roy.

We looked around in the government buildings, including the Daley Center, City Hall, and the Thompson Center.  Matthew then wondered about walking west on Randolph, and so away we went.  We ended up down by Washington Boulevard along the south side of the Boeing Center.  Then, we walked north on Wacker, where I showed him the marker for the Wigwam, site of the 1860 RNC.  That marker was right by Wolf Point, and so we crossed Lake Street and went down to the riverwalk level.

We strolled leisurely eastward along the Main Branch of the Chicago River, all the way to the lakefront area by the Chicago Lock.  It was about 1 PM, and we decided to start heading south to meet with Roy.

We wandered through Millennium Park and then went to the Washington/Wells CTA station to board a train for hte short ride south to the Roosevelt Station, which happened to be a Green Line train.  Upon meeting Roy there, we discussed our lunch plan.  After I made some suggestions, we eventually agreed on Connie's Pizza--and Roy likes stuffed pizza.

So we waited for the next Midway-bound Orange Line train, and rode it to the next stop, Halsted.  As we rode along, I was reminded of how amazing the skyline views are from the Orange Line, especially between Halsted and Roosevelt.  We could actually see Connie's from the train tracks.  Upon reaching Halsted, we detained, and then walked northeast along Archer to Connie's, arriving around 2 PM.

We got seated and soon got in our order of stuffed pizza.  Then, we enjoyed each other's company as we waited for the pizza.  I was glad that we had the chance to share a meal at an iconic Chicago restaurant.

From left to right, Roy, me, and Matthew, as we pose outside Connie's Pizza

Following our meal, I suggested going to Canal Origins Park, since it would be a short train ride, and give us plenty of time to get back to the Field Museum to meet Roy's wife Rogenique.

So we walked back to the Halsted Orange Line Station, and rode it one stop in a southwest direction to Ashland.  From there, we walked a short distance north to the park, which is in the photo directly below.  It has great views of the Chicago skyline from the spot where the South Branch of the Chicago River flows into the Sanitary and Ship Canal, which replaced the Illinois and Michigan Canal.  The people who settled Chicago tapped into the potential of the waterways, which yielded the thriving city whose skyscrapers stand prominently in view from Canal Origins Park.

We returned to the Ashland Orange Line Station and rode it to Roosevelt.  From there, we walked east to the Field Museum to meet Rogenique.  Then, we took a leisurely stroll north along the lakefront, with gorgeous views of Lake Michigan and its blue waters, and also great views of the downtown Chicago skyscrapers.

View of Lake Michigan

We walked to Buckingham Fountain, and then to the 11th Street/Museum Campus train station, where Rogenique and Roy waited for the Metra Electric train south.  Matthew and I went back to the Roosevelt CTA Station, and went down below to board the Red LIne, passing displays about Earth's geologic time, a fitting installation for the CTA station that serves the Field Museum.  Following the short ride to Jackson, we walked through the transfer tunnel to the Blue Line and were soon on our way back west to Oak Park.  After we both shared a light dinner of crock pot pork, Matthew left for his hotel.

While having lived in Chicagoland for so long has helped me appreciate what's special about it, spending the day with my friends reinvigorated and reminded me of the reasons why.  And for similar reasons, volunteering at the Nichols Tower and being part of facilitating visits there also reinvigorated me in why I regard this area so specially.

Indeed, my visit with my friends, and Open House Chicago weekend, were opportunities to connect even more with the area where I live, such as visiting various buildings and seeing their architecture up close.  It's great that OHC had such a wide variety of participating sites, which really showcases in a greater way the amazing variety of what's here.  And throughout my sightseeing, there were so many opportunities to take in great views, from up high and looking up and out, from revisiting places like the John Hancock Observatory and Canal Origins Park, and new places like the Bank of America Tower and the Nichols Tower.

Connecting with these places, and getting a closer experience with them connected me with a significant part of who I am and what kind of place it is where I have lived my life.

Here I am, inside Chicago Union Station, posing on the clock artwork on the floor, including the year of my birth.  I thank the passerby who kindly took this photo.