Time flies in a blink of an eye when you have fun, but we won’t go back to the cold yet. Not before we discovered the Keys, starting with the one closest to Miami, Key Biscayne. With Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in the south end, a lovely beach and calm seas thanks to an offshore reef that keeps waves low and rip currents weak, and a beautifully restored lighthouse open to the public, Key Biscayne looks and feels like vacation – the ideal unwinding spot. If ever we go back to Miami, this is where we will stay.
There’s no escape for first timers in Miami: a millionaire’s row sightseeing cruise is a must. Boats sail around Star, Palm and Hibiscus Islands, offering great views of the city and port, glimpses of some of the most luxurious mansions imaginable and serious name-dropping: Gloria Estefan, Julio Iglesias, Elisabeth Taylor, Will Smith, Shaquille O’Neal… hard to remember them all.
In reality, not everyone resides or has ever owned property on the island, but who can blame the tour guides for wanting to give tourists a blown up version of the story? One look at these mega-mansions and I was ready to believe every word.
Take, for example, Phillip Frost: the pharmaceutical billionaire, who owns one of the largest properties on Star Island, was matter-of-factly credited by our guide with the invention of Viagra. On another note, we also learned that the palm trees lining the grounds of his property at the waterfront were imported from South Africa at a cost of $10.000 each (there were more than 30 of them). A quick post-tour search showed one of these facts was false – guess which one.
Oh well, not all is lost, however, because … yes, Don Johnson also stayed here during the Miami Vice years. Now, what about Crockett’s Theme by Jan Hammer, in my opinion, one of the best soundtracks for a TV series, ever?
A World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland, a Refuge, a wonderful way to spend a day – but it was early afternoon when we arrived. The park was deceptively quiet as if taking a nap. But look closely and you might even spot an alligator disguised among leaves.
Because we all need a break from the harsh New York winter in January. And because, where better to escape the cold than tropical Miami with an average high of 76°F/25°C and mostly dry days? We flew there, then drove all the way down to Key West – but first things first: South Beach and the Art Deco district. A feast for the eyes of an art deco lover (and those of a fancy car/loud Latino dance music/young crowd/strong drinks aficionado). South Beach is Miami’s glamorous party district, it seems. A bit overwhelming at first, but easy to get used to, if one stayed long enough.
The elevated Loop, part of the iconic Chicago ”L” circuit, looping around a rectangle in downtown Chicago. It runs right in front of many windows of shops, gyms, offices – thankfully, no private apartments. Sometimes so close, it might as well run through them.
From the moment we arrived here, we felt that Chicago is what Manhattan would have been, had it not been an island: orderly, clean, with enough space for development; where pedestrians need not fight for the last millimetre of pavement space; and with its ”L” trains still running. Still in the Loop, almost time to leave but not before catching glimpses into two more lobbies: this is the City of Chicago City Hall and, further down, the One North LaSalle Building, with its lavish art deco cathedral for a lobby.
Airplane views of Chicago from The Signature Room at the 95th, a cocktail bar located, well, on the 95th floor of the 360 Chicago tower, better known as the John Hancock Center. The cocktails must be good but who would remember after experiencing these dizzying views?
As if to prepare us for the experience, an explosion of light at the lobby: Lucent, an installation by Wolfgang Buttress, representing the 3,106 brightest stars visible with the naked eye from the Earth’s Northern hemisphere.
And, finally, a smooth landing back to Earth, walking past the iconic Wrigley Building on N Michigan Avenue.
From the waterfront and Grant Park, on our way to meet a legend – both cultural and architectural.
Meet Maxwell Street Station, aka the 7th District Station, aka UIC Police HQ, aka Hill Street Station. The red brick building that was part of Chicago’s history long before it became the signature image of the Hill Street Blues television series (which, by the way, was not filmed in Chicago but in Los Angeles – on location and in studio).
I’m reading on the UIC Police website: ”The building, designed in 1888 by the firm of Edbrooke and Burnham, is a well-preserved example of an early Chicago neighborhood police station. It was built of red pressed brick and Joliet limestone, with walls three feet thick at the base — a true fortress.”
”The station was built during a period of tremendous growth after the Chicago Fire of 1871, as the city’s population exploded from 298,000 to almost 1.1 million. As late as 1850, the entire police force of Chicago consisted of just nine men. But the growing population, along with social and economic changes, created the need for more law enforcement.”
”In 1906, the Chicago Tribune called the district “Bloody Maxwell” and “the Wickedest Police District in the World.” The police station was considered a fortress in a precinct that had grown to 200,000 residents and boasted more saloons per capita than any place in town. Over the years, the legendary station played host to some of the nation’s most notorious criminals, including Sam Giancana and Al Capone.”
Listen to the theme song which took Mike Post two hours to write:
And now, try to get the tune out of your head – see if you can!
There is a walkway next to Adler Planetarium, called the Skyline Walk. It turns around the nearby Aquarium and continues as Lakefront Trail towards Grant Park. And it offers the best skyline views of Chicago from the ground, with the low clouds adding an extra layer of mystery and drama to the already impressive scene.
The Greek word Agora (/ˈæɡərə/; Ancient Greek: ἀγοράagorá) means ‘open place of assembly’ and, early in the history of Greece, designated the area in the city where free-born citizens could gather to hear civic announcements, muster for military campaigns or discuss politics. Later the Agora defined the open-air, often tented, marketplace of a city (as it still does in Greek) where merchants had their shops and where craftsmen made and sold their wares. The original Agora of Athens was located below the Acropolis near the building which today is known as The Thesion and open-air markets are still held in that same location in the modern day. [source]
Agora is an installation of 106 iron torsos designed by Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz and permanently installed at the south end of Grant Park in Chicago.
Nothing like a Chicagoan [almost] smiling face looking down from their 50 feet twin LED towers and Louis Comfort Tiffany’s 1.6 million pieces of iridescent glass exquisite mosaic on Macy’s vaulted ceiling, to cool you down and prepare you for a good night’s sleep.
Crown Fountain is a black granite reflecting pool between two glass brick towers projecting images of Chicago citizens. It was designed by Jaume Plensa and is part of the Millennium Park’s public artworks since 2004.
The sparkling Tiffany Dome was installed on the vaulted ceiling of Marshall Field’s – now Macy’s on State Street, in 1907. It is the largest Tiffany mosaic in existence and contains more than 1.6 million pieces of favrile iridescent glass, patented in 1894 by Louis Comfort Tiffany. [source]
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