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The largest collection of Chicago images ever posted on UP


GRDadof3

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Here is just a sampling of the recent developments going on in and around downtown Chicago:

The Chicago Transit Authority is renovating many of its subway and L train stations. This one is on the Red Line in the Gold Coast/River North area (on Chicago Ave I believe), along with a new TOD rising next door:

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In the same block near Rush Street, old architecture is being quickly surrounded by more high-rise residential projects:

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More beautiful buildings along Chicago Ave:

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Quite possibly the smallest building undergoing renovation in the Gold Coast area, with the Red Line rumbling overhead every 12 minutes:

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The streets are crammed with cars, even with ample public transportation:

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Blues Brothers:

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Beautiful historic residences pigeon-holed into the fabric, creating a perfect visual experience for the pedestrian:

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Multi-million dollar brown and grey-stone mansions only steps from Lake Michigan beaches and the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Avenue)

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Rush Street near Cedar and Division, which used to be the only place to go "out on the town" in downtown Chicago just 15 years ago, now just another entertainment district in a wide array of choices:

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More Rush and State Street area, with a beautiful triangle park in the center. Downtown Chicago could actually use a few more of these greenspaces, as development has almost choked out much of it in this area. Notice Hancock Tower peaking out just to the upper left (we are looking South from this vantage point)

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More gazillion dollar buildings undergoing renovation along Lake Shore Drive in Streeterville, with unobstructed views of Lake Michigan:

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A seemingly endless line of Gold Coast condo towers makes up much of the view along Lake Shore Drive heading North. This area has been used in countless movies and television shows.

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This little section of street called East Lake Shore Drive used to be the main Lake Shore Drive, until the Lake Shore Drive "highway" bypassed this area. It's now home to multi-millionaires and the famous Drake Hotel. You may recognize it from many movies, especially those featuring presidents, scandals and crime-dramas:

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Birds Eye view looking South

More to come, including River North, the new Lakeshore East development updates, and the rapidly growing South Loop area.

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Nice work Dadoff. Rush and State Triangle AKA Viagra Triangle. Tells you a bit about the crowd that populates this area: older, wealthy "gentlemen" and the younger "ladies" that seek them out.

Oh yeah, and I go there now & then too, so it does not hold true for all patrons of this area of town...:)

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Nice work Dadoff. Rush and State Triangle AKA Viagra Triangle. Tells you a bit about the crowd that populates this area: older, wealthy "gentlemen" and the younger "ladies" that seek them out.

Oh yeah, and I go there now & then too, so it does not hold true for all patrons of this area of town...:)

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OK, circling back West for a moment into the River North area. Here is the redesigned "50's" McDonald's which I believe sits where the very first McDonald's sat, if I'm not mistaken:

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To the left is the Hard Rock Cafe and Rainforest Cafe (yawn).

Lots of new condo developments near the old Cabrini Green projects. To the left is the old Montgomery Wards warehouse, which now houses somewhere around 1000 residents in renovated loft condos (including boat slips along the North Chicago River):

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More developments near Wards:

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More..

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And this goes on for blocks and blocks. Heading now South to the new and improved South Loop district, home to Mayor Daley.

Backside of the new Museum Towers:

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...surrounded by hundreds of mid-rise developments:

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...and new brownstones:

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Can't forget your urban big box, including Whole Foods (with ugly pedestrian intransparency):

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Next up, more of the Chicago River water-taxi ride:

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OK, circling back West for a moment into the River North area. Here is the redesigned "50's" McDonald's which I believe sits where the very first McDonald's sat, if I'm not mistaken:

2460012777_8852dac21d_b.jpg

Actually, the first is in Des Plaines, a suburb and has been turned into a museum. This one rocks though :P

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OK, here they come, from all over the city:

Lakeshore East, with Spire site in the foreground:

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Under the Red Line:

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More River North:

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Red or Brown Line, can't remember now:

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More River North:

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Yet more River North:

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River North:

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River North with old man Hancock looking on:

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River North with the old Montgomery Wards HQ turned condos to the right:

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Chicago River, South Branch, looking at Madison and Sear Tower to the left. BOEING's new HQ's in the tower to the right:

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Waterview Towers with the Shangi-La Hotel going up on the right:

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On N. Lasalle, across from the new 300 N. Lasalle Tower looking North:

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Museum View Towers in the South Loop:

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River North:

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More South Loop:

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Within the Lakeshore East development, looking across the new park:

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A poorly done stitch job looking up the River toward Trump Tower:

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"Aqua" tower in Lakeshore East:

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Spire site drilling:

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Insert Spire here (and above the line of view):

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Reinvigorating the riverwalk:

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The Spire's new park on the opposite side of Lakeshore Drive, with Navy Pier and Lake Michigan in the background:

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Still digging, may be more to come...... :)

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Here is just a sampling of the recent developments going on in and around downtown Chicago:

The Chicago Transit Authority is renovating many of its subway and L train stations. This one is on the Red Line in the Gold Coast/River North area (on Chicago Ave I believe), along with a new TOD rising next door:

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Quite possibly the smallest building undergoing renovation in the Gold Coast area, with the Red Line rumbling overhead every 12 minutes:

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WOW - Great pics Jeff! Thanks for positing these, as many of the projects you included I only see from a distance while riding the train! One note. The EL project above is the Brown Line renovation project that has now been going on for a couple of years. SLOW progress. This was formally called the Ravenswood branch of the EL system. This is the Chicago Ave station serviced by Brown trains to Kimball and Purple trains to Evanston. The CTA is renovating 18 stations along the Brown line lengthening platforms (allowing for more cars) and making the stations ADA compliant, among other things. One nice thing is that they are reusing the 100 year old canopies at most stations.

The little building you see undergoing renovation in the second pic is the station house at Chicago Ave and Wells St. While they have removed some of the old stations houses, they are renovating some too. It's hard to believe that this is the first renovation/expansion of the Brown line in 100 years!

BTW, great south Loop pics too! It you would have seen that area 8 years ago it would have been much different. The residential development in the area has skyrocketed!!! It's like a whole new city.

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WOW - Great pics Jeff! Thanks for positing these, as many of the projects you included I only see from a distance while riding the train! One note. The EL project above is the Brown Line renovation project that has now been going on for a couple of years. SLOW progress. This was formally called the Ravenswood branch of the EL system. This is the Chicago Ave station serviced by Brown trains to Kimball and Purple trains to Evanston. The CTA is renovating 18 stations along the Brown line lengthening platforms (allowing for more cars) and making the stations ADA compliant, among other things. One nice thing is that they are reusing the 100 year old canopies at most stations.

The little building you see undergoing renovation in the second pic is the station house at Chicago Ave and Wells St. While they have removed some of the old stations houses, they are renovating some too. It's hard to believe that this is the first renovation/expansion of the Brown line in 100 years!

BTW, great south Loop pics too! It you would have seen that area 8 years ago it would have been much different. The residential development in the area has skyrocketed!!! It's like a whole new city.

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Awesome pictures GRDad! I think the Aqua tower is awesome except for what you term, "wedding cake architecture." Is that a parking garage that it is sitting on top of? This building would be great if it were not for that.
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A few more...

Elmhurst has a great little downtown, and must have some kind of form-based planning codes as all the new developments and parking decks are lined with ground-floor retail or at least good transparency.

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All but this one:

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The Metra train station area in Elmhurst:

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The Metra inbound train pulling out:

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But even Chicago has some pretty bad walls: :shok:

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Or buildings that have that "Dubai-Island" type feel to them, removed from all other pedestrian activity:

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But there's a lot of this:

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Or if you like the more "renovated brownfield" feel:

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One of my favs on the Chicago River:

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My new secret photo shooting spot:

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Well I'm not the only one using it:

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Trump-a-licious:

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Love the new semi-transparent glass that is all the rage now:

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I'll post more from my last trip as a I have a chance to go through the 350 photos I took.

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Great set of photos!

You really captured some of the coolness and charm of Chicago.

But the L stations in River North (Chicago stop, etc.) are all Brown Line. The Red Line is a subway until a bit south of the Armitage L station about 1-1/2 miles north.

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