The Babuk Report

Category: Community Organization

  • Great Chicago Places and Spaces 2009, Part 2

    Sunday, May 17, 2009

    Great Chicago Places and Spaces took place yesterday.  While the overall program was shortened (one day rather than two, 100 presentations instead of more than 200) it was very well attended.  All three of my presentations sold out.  It was beautiful weather, albeit a bit windy at times.

    Secret Streets of Chicago’s Loop was able to get up close to the ghost sign on court place in back of the Cadillac Palace Theatre that advertised the lounge inside the former Bismarck Hotel.  Speaking of ghosts, no one reported capturing any mysterious orbs on photograhs they took on Couch Place, in back of the Ford Theatre.  We even had a good look at what was Pickwick Place, now addressed as 22 E. Jackson Boulevard.

     

    Delivering a lecture as part of an Architectural Walking Tour
    Delivering a lecture as part of an Architectural Walking Tour

    The Great Train Stations of Clinton Street was back after a year’s hiatus; fortunately, Johnny Depp’s filming of “Public Enemies” was not. That production reaked havoc on last year’s Union Station presentation, as the entire station – Great Hall, Concourse and platforms – was closed at the last minute for filming.  This year, everything was open.  Amtrak, the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chicago Transit Authority were all very helpful, it all came off well. We even had a presentation from Mason Pritchett of Casimir Kujawa Architect, Mason being part of the design team that won an Honorable Mention in the Chicago Architectural Club’s design competition to integrate high speed rail into Union Station.  Caz – who was one of my interns years ago – couldn’t make the presentation and Mason was an excellent stand in.  A college chum in town from California for a conference in Chicago who took this tour noted that an intern of an intern of mine made the presentation.

    This presentation of Just a Bit of Chicago’s Transit Archaeology was a walking tour adaptation of a trolly bus presentation I made last year.  There are many bits’n’pieces of transit archaeology all over Chicago.  The trolley ride between the sites was a bit much of dead air, so a walking tour od a portion of that presenattion was tried this year.

    I trust that Great Chicago Places and Spaces will continue on next year.  Am hoping that some of the really classic tour presentations, like “Inside a Bridgehouse” or the rendition of “Rooftop Real Estate” that saw the entire group taken up to the roof of the Sears Tower may be back.

  • Great Chicago Places and Spaces 2009

    Friday, May 8, 2009

    The City of Chicago Mayor’s Office of Special Events has just announced the presentations being offered for Great Chicago Places and Spaces this year.  I am honoured to have been asked to make three separate walking tour presentations for this event, which will occur on Saturday, May 16.

    Chicago's Loop, looking over the Northwestern Station Yards
    Chicago's Loop, looking over the Northwestern Station Yards

    In Secret Streets of Chicago’s Loop; streets like Monroe, LaSalle and Jackson are quintessentially part of Chicago’s Loop, just as are streets like Garland, Couch, Marble and Arcade. Let’s find these streets and learn about the significant events that happened there.  This presentation will take place at 945AM and registration is available at the Chicago Architecture Foundation on the day of the tour.

     

    Coaling Tower, C&NW RR 40th Street Yards (GCPS 2006)
    Coaling Tower, C&NW RR 40th Street Yards (GCPS 2006)

    Great Train Stations of Clinton Street occurs at 12 noon.  The train stations of Clinton Street – the Old Post Office, Union Station, Northwestern Station (Olgivie Transportation Center) and the CTA Clinton / Lake Green Line  and the CTA Clinton / Blue Line Stations have always played an important role in Chicago’s Development.  See the stations of the past and present, and let’s glimpse at what the future holds in store.

    The presentation of Just a Bit of Chicago’s Transit Archaeology takes place at 2PM.  What is this lost wall, this crooked building, this odd thing in the river, this old sign?  Remnants of a lost civilization?  No: Chicago is loaded with all sorts of Archaeology of past transit systems.  let’s look at this one part that ran up to the Loop. On my suggestion, some of this tour was previewed by Geoffrey Baer in a telecast of “Ask Geoffrey” during an episode of Chicago Tonighton WTTW-TV last January.

    The two afternoon presentations “Great Train Stations of Clinton Street” and “Just a Bit of Chicago’s Transit Archaeology” require advance registration, which will be available online at www.greatchicagoplaces.us starting Tuesday, April 21. In previous years, both of these presentations sold out early.

    Great Chicago Places and Spaces offers a cornucopia of other terrific presentations, most of which are not offered other times of the year.  Some presentations are aimed specifically at children and families.  More information is available at www.greatchicagoplaces.us

  • The Calgary Flames in Chicago

    Friday, May 1, 2009

     

    The Canadian Club of Chicago planned a Calgary Flames Pep Rally during the Calgary Flames / Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Playoff Series.  With nary a day’s notice, the Canadian Club sent out hundreds of e-mail invitations and contacted media.  We fielded calls from the Chicago Tribune and local TV news outlets.  This became a story on three different radio stations in Calgary and a front-page headline story in the Calgary Herald.

    The thought was that we would march around around the United Center seven times at dawn and blow horns at it, kind of like the biblical story of Joshua marching around Jericho for seven days.  Then we’d go have breakfast at the Billy Goat.  Leading the charge was going to be my trusty little red and white Mini Clubman Estate, proudly flying a Calgary Flames flag from its window.  At daybreak, navigating undauntedly through the streets of Chicago’s west side, it arrived at the United Center for its appointed rounds.  On the fifth lap, a taxi cab was seen pulling up on Wood Street, east of the UC, and dropped off a well dressed fellow, it was before 6AM. Perhaps my trusty little red Mini with a Calgary Flames flag may have been a bit noticeable in that neighbourhood, that time of morning, in front of all the security surveillance cameras, but this fellow waved me down and introduced himself as Ken King, President and CEO of the Calgary Flames.

    Another fan appeared from Calgary in a similarly flagged vehicle, as did a vehicle with Consular plates and two Consular staff.

    While Mr. King noted that the smaller the turnout, the better the news story this would be, there were four television news helicopters flying overhead, fighting for the same airspace over the United Center to get an anticipated crowd shot.  We waved.

    In order to get access to the Canadian Club’s e-mail list, I had to cut a deal with their Marketing Committee, who is a Trade Attache for the delegation du Quebec in Chicago.  I could hear him loudly grinning over the phone as he commented how great my Mini would look flying a Canadiens flag at a Montreal / Chicago rally.  Paybacks can be nasty in this town.