Category Archives: Travel

Exploring Chicago’s Art Institute: Part 1

Chicago, Travel, , , ,
Mother and Child

Mother and Child

As mentioned earlier, my mid-year resolution was to properly explore Chicago’s Art Institute. I am slowly making progress. Phase one was the Modern Wing, which I fully explored last week:

  • Special Exhibitions (182-184) – Visited
  • Photography (188) – Visited
  • Film Video and New Media (186) – Visited
  • Architecture and Design (283-286) – Visited
  • Contemporary Art 1945-1960 (289) – Visited
  • Contemporary Art After 1960 (288, 291-299) – Visited
  • European Modern Art 1900 – 1950 (389-399) – Visited
  • Contemporary Sculpture – Visited
The Eventuality of Destiny

The Eventuality of Destiny

From my perspective, the third-floor gallery “European Modern Art 1900 – 1950” was the one that I enjoyed the most. There is a profusion of art there, but just enough space and light to prevent everything overlapping and distracting. This will probably be the gallery that I return to most.

Clown Torture

Clown Torture

Whilst there, I did see a school group (kids about seven or eight years in age) mistake Bruce Nauman’s “Clown Torture” for something they would enjoy. They soon left, with a chastened school guide. Plenty of nightmare material…

Waka onna (young woman) No Mask

Waka onna (young woman) No Mask

This week, I started to work my way through the “non-modern” museum. Visited the lower levels, and started on some of the galleries on the first level:

  • Lower Level
    • Photography (1-4, 10) – Visited
    • Thorne Miniature Rooms (11) – Visited
    • Paperweights (15) – Visited
    • Architecture and Design (24) – Visited
  • First Level
    • Prints and Drawings (124-127)
    • Indian, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan Art (140-143)
    • Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Art (101–109, 130-135) – Visited
    • Indian Art of the Americas (136) – Visited
    • African Art – Visited
    • American Decorative Arts 1920–1970 (162)
    • Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art (150-154)
    • American Art before 1900 (161-179)
    • Chagall’s America Windows (144)
    • Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room
  • Second Level
    • Chicago Architecture (200)
    • European Art before 1900 (201–248)
    • American Folk Art (227)
    • European Decorative Arts (231-234)
    • Arms and Armor (235-237)
    • Renaissance Jewelry (237)
    • Impressionism (225-226, 201, 240-243)
    • American Modern Art 1900-1950 (261-265, 271-273)
    • Special Exhibitions (Regenstein Hall)

 

Another Genuinely Useful Gadget: The Mu

Gadgets, Travel, , , , ,
The Mu

The Mu

I will be heading back to the U.K. for two weeks later this year, and I was getting some of gear together that I intend to take with me. Amidst the various cables and adapters was The Mu. This is another genuinely useful gadget. The U.K. electrical plug is an impressive piece of technology, but has two notable features.

  1. More painful then Lego to step on barefoot.
  2. Cumbersome to pack, with a tendency to scratch or destroy everything else it is packed with.

The Mu makes the U.K. electrical packable with some amazing folding action.

I have the original, but I am looking out for the new version that sports two USB ports, with enough output to properly charge a tablet.

Pocket Tripod: A Genuinely Useful Gadget

Gadgets, Mobile, Travel, , , , ,
Pocket Tripod

At first glance, an ordinary piece of plastic

I will cheerfully admit to owning more than a few gadgets. Most are a clever idea, but poorly realized and of little longterm value. However, every-so-often you come across something that is genuinely useful….

Pocket Tripod

A few twist and turns. Now we have an iPhone stand…

Last year, I supported the “Pocket Tripod” on KickStarter. This was to be a credit-card sized piece of plastic, that twisted and contorted into an iPhone stand. Typically, the travel iPhone stands are frustrating – small, lightweight, but ultimately useless.

Pocket Tripod

Pull it apart for widescreen use.

This particular gadget (the Pocket Tripod) is actually well-machined, and does the job as it should. On those occasions when I need to prop up the iPhone on a desk (to use with a Bluetooth keyboard) or to play music, this does the job. Very easy to carry around, and a particularly ingenious design. I recommend it.

28th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning

Internet, MOOC, Online Learning, Travel, , , , , , ,

Conference ID

A week ago I spent three extremely rewarding days at the Distance Teaching and Learning conference in Madison (full disclosure, I am on the planning committee). It has taken a few days to put my notes and thoughts in order, and here they are.

Wednesday

Madison, 2012

Madison, 2012

Early morning saw me boarding the Megabus to Madison. The cost of the trip was shockingly low – just five dollars. I spend more travelling to and from work on the El each day.

I arrived in Madison in time to meet with Dawn Drake and finalize our presentation for one of the Communities of Practice sessions that afternoon (on Management and Administration). I enjoyed discussing the topic with the folks there.

Promotion

I was slightly shocked to discover an inadvertent promotion on page 33 of the conference brochure (I am not Dean of the College of Commerce).

Thursday

Madison Conference 2012

The trending topics of the conference from my perspective were mobile learning and MOOCs. Previous conferences had been abuzz with discussion on Second Life, Google Wave, and Social Media. The focus on mobile and MOOCs seemed to me to be more pragmatic. Mobile communication was ever present during the conference – the effective use of Twitter heightened my enjoyment of the sessions (and muted any dissatisfaction with particular presenters). 

The keynote from James Zull was not the strongest part of the conference. Zull is a far better researcher than large-venue presenter. His premise did make me think, and his presentation style gave me plenty of time to tweet and retweet with others in the room. This was particularly refreshing, with a vigorous discussion and commentary taking place along the back channels.

Norma Scagnoli’s and Seung won Hong’s presentation on “iPads is graduate professional education” was enjoyable. Norma admitted that the use of iPads at the University of Illinois in the Management program was flawed, with students and faculty not knowing initially whether they owned the iPads or had to return them. I hope they are able to repeat the experiment and train students and faculty on effective use, rather than discover what happens organically. I wanted to know whether students were able to use etextbooks on the iPad effectively in a classroom situation (I have observed that students are able to make notes and refer to material more rapidly in printed textbooks).

Ray Schroeder’s “eduMOOC: Open online learning without limits” presentation was packed, and worked as an iceberg presentation – there was much more material below the surface. I will have to return to his site and explore more:

https://sites.google.com/site/edumooc/ 



Ray Schoeders talk about MOOCs was probably the most productive session for me.

Scott Schopieray’s “One Week, One Course (OWOC): A rapid prototyping concept for courses” contained a little smoke and mirrors – the courses were not completed in a week, but the idea is intriguing. The design of the rapid prototyping model was clever, and effectively implemented. I am tempted to see if this is an idea that can be implemented at work.

The “iPad apps for utility and learning” was not a presentation that I should have attended. Unfortunately I was in the front row as the presentation started, and when I realized my mistake it was too late to leave….

I did not see much at the vendor presentations that was new and exciting, but I am taken with the idea of Camtasia Relay. This may be an effective way way to scale classroom recording and adhoc lecture capture. This is something I will look later.

Thursday evening ended with a delicious meal with some of my colleagues from DePaul at Harvest, a little restaurant with a great view of the capitol.

Friday

The Capitol in Madison, and a statue of Hans Cristian Heg

The Capitol in Madison, and a statue of Hans Cristian Heg

Friday morning began with a fun follow-up discussion of Administration and management. I then attended Dean Blackstock’s and James Mudie’s presentation on “Streaming high quality mobile video: A conversation and some code!” Dean and James developed a great solution to automatically serve up the right type of video to mobile users. Not a solution that I need at the moment, but fun and interesting.

I next attended Johanna Dvorak’s and Laura Pedrick’s presentation on “Developing a comprehensive campus-wide online student services initiative.” What they presented was a work in progress, but the policies applied to assemble the stakeholders and determine what needed to be done are ones I will gladly borrow.

The last concurrent session of the day was “Using mobile technology in faculty development and training.” This was a Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt session, with George Engel providing most of the information I was interested in. Their handout is on the web, and can be found here:

http://mobilefieldworkshop.wikispaces.com/file/view/Faculty+Training+Using+Mobile+Technology.pdf

What I didn’t see answered was how mobile devices constrain focus. Anecdotally, I have noticed that those that I correspond with on mobile devices frequently cannot process multiple concepts in the same email. This topic is deserving of a conference presentation (and research).

The conference ended with a keynote from Judy Brown. Already I am looking forward to next year.

Pedway Exploring: Part 7

Chicago, Travel, , , , , ,
Merchandise Mart Station

Merchandise Mart Station

Monday was the final official day of exploring The Pedway. Now that I have a good grasp of where the underground/overground passages and pathways go, I will be sure to walk The Pedway as part of my regular travels through Chicago  – and may discover additional features along the way. I believe there are some segments that are private, connecting buildings and businesses that are no longer open to the general public.

Stairs to Wells Street

Stairs to Wells Street

I began this leg of the tour by stopping off on the Brown Line at the Merchandise Mart stop. Here the Pedway options are either a staircase to the Wells Street, or an enclosed walkway across the road to Apparel Mart.

The Loop 97.9

The Loop 97.9

The Loop 97.9

The Loop 97.9

I took the enclosed walkway. Walking through Merchandise Mart you pass a hub of fast food options to the north, but more interestingly there are radio stations along the passageway that runs east-west. The Loop 97.9 has its studio here, and you can peer in through the windows.

Bridge Across North Lower Orleans Street to Apparel Mart

Bridge Across North Lower Orleans Street to Apparel Mart

A bridge spans North Lower Orleans Street to Apparel Mart, where weary travelers can check-in to Holiday Inn, and where The Chicago Sun-Times has its offices (after vacating the spot where the Trump Tower was built.

Bridge Across North Lower Orleans Street to Apparel Mart

Bridge Across North Lower Orleans Street to Apparel Mart

Bridge Across North Lower Orleans Street to Apparel Mart

Bridge Across North Lower Orleans Street to Apparel Mart

The bridge has some pleasant views of the river, but unless you live or work in the area there is little reason to venture far to this segment of The Pedway.

Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Sun-Times

Well, my little project is over. I am going to revisit my steps over the next couple of weeks and check off the segments based on Will Vaughn’s data:

Segment ID Name Length (ft.) Visted
1 Renassance Hotel Concourse 1956
2 Aon Center – Fairmont Hotel Walkway 184
3 Aon Center – Lakeshore Athletic Club Concourse 538
4 Aon Centre Lobbies 433
5 Apparel Center Ground Level Walkway 733
6 Apparel Center Upper Level Walkway 271
7 Bc / Bs – Monroe Garage & Grant Park Concourse 1182
8 Chase Tower Ground Level Concourse 280
9 Chase Tower Lower Level Concourse 935
10 Chicago Title & Trust Center Walkway 270
11 City Hall – 120 North Lasalle Walkway 283
12 City Hall & County – Cultural Center Concourse 2836
13 City Hall & County – Thompson Center Walkway 247
14 City Hall & County Building Hallways 682
15 Daley Plaza – Brunswick Building Concourse 813
16 Fairmont Hotel – Park Millennium Concourse 833
17 Garland Court – R.R.Donnelley Walkway 280
18 Grant Park South Parking Walkway 921
19 Jackson CTA Subway Station Connector 852
20 James R. Thompson Center Ground Level Concourse 928
21 James R. Thompson Center Lower Level Concourse 779
22 Macy’s – 25 E Washington Concourse 630
23 Merchandise Mart Ground Level Concourse 2079
24 Merchandise Mart Upper Level Concourse 1119
25 Metra Millennium Park Station Concourse 1660
26 Metra Van Buren Station Walkway 748
27 Michigan Plaza – Illinois Center Concourse 920
28 Michigan Plaza Walkway 691
29 Millennium & N Grant Park Garage Walkway 1814
30 N Leo Burnett – S Leo Burnett Walkway 385
31 Ogilvie Ground Level Concourse 845
32 Ogilvie Metra Station 1723
33 Ogilvie Upper Level – 2 Riverside Concourse 927
34 One Illinois Center – Columbus Plaza Concourse 855
35 One Illinois Center – Two Illinois Center Walkway 202
36 Prudential Plaza – Aon Centre Concourse 665
37 Renaissance Hotel Walkway 276
38 Smurfit Stone Walkway 90
39 Thompson Center – Concourse At 203 Walkway 203
40 Three Bank One Plaza – 33 N Dearborn Concourse 879
41 Three Illinois Center – Swiss Hotel Concourse 755
42 Two Illinois – Three Illinois Concourse 990
43 Two Illinois Center – Hyatt Regency Walkway 201
44 Two Prudential Plaza Concourses 278

For those who want to explore, here are some resources that I picked up along the way:

Pedway Exploring: Part 5

Chicago, Travel, , , , , ,
Pedway

Pedway

I decided today to skip my “do-it-yourself” regime and go with an expert – I arrived at work early (and left late) so I could extend my lunch hour and go on Margaret Hicks’ Chicago Elevated Pedway Tour.

The day began auspiciously enough, just as the group was starting to assemble (on the corner of Lake and Dearborn) Janet Davis (host of ABC7’s 190 North) passed and said hello to Margaret (hope she does not mind me saying, but she looks a lot younger/healthier in real life than on TV). I knew then that we were off to a good start (Margaret is featured in 190 North on July 15th talking about the naughty Red Light District tour).

Elevated Pedway

Elevated Pedway

The tour lasted two hours, and took us along a stretch that I had already explored (Pedway Exploring: Part 3), but in reverse. However, I learnt a bunch of new things, was inspired to explore some new places, and was refreshed and rejuvenated at the end of the tour. The two hours just zipped by…

Lake and North LaSalle

Lake and North LaSalle

As I said, we started on the corner of Lake and Dearborn, talking the elevated stretch (past one of the best Korean food joints in the area) and bridge ways that curve round to the James R. Thompson Center. Along this stretch I discovered that the Pedway is not owned/controlled by the City of Chicago, but by the businesses and buildings along the way that choose to participate in the system. This explains the charmingly haphazard way it has developed, and that the Pedway is not a connected whole. The businesses and buildings along the route decide how to provide signage (largely hidden) and how often to keep the things clean (Macy’s, shame on you). This also explains why different parts of the Pedway have completely different hours of access (and might be closed at the weekend).

Stand Here

Stand Here

And Speak Here

And Speak Here

Margaret introduced us to a cool new trick at the Thompson Center. There is a small white circle to stand on in the middle of the basement concourse, and if you talk whilst facing the “James R. Thompson” sign the sound envelopes you in a spooky echo and feedback that has to be experienced (and is damn hard to describe). This is something I am going to share with everyone I take there.

City Hall

City Hall

Chicago "Y" Symbol

Chicago “Y” Symbol

We carried on through to City Hall where we discovered the Y-shaped historical symbol of Chicago. As Margaret explained, once you are away of this sign you see it everywhere throughout the City. Very cool. You can get married and/or divorced in the Pedway below.

Ornate "Push" Elevator Button

Ornate “Push” Elevator Button

Also raking high on the cool scale were the ornate “push” buttons for the elevators. Very tasteful.

Block 37

Block 37

Block 37 - 30% Occupancy (or less)

Block 37 – 30% Occupancy (or less)

We continued on through Block 37 (great air conditioning, dismal retail occupancy) and then on past Macy’s.

Pedway Adjacent to Macy's

Pedway Adjacent to Macy’s

Macy’s (formerly Marshall Fields) is probably the dirtiest part of the Pedway. Plastic bags full of identified matter are strewn along the way. Given that Macy’s is a premier shopping location, it is kind of sad that things are so unkempt here.

InFields

InFields (I now get the joke)

Here I learnt that the name “InFields” (the sports bar) is a not-so-subtle pun (In Marshall Fields).

The Heritage Center Underground Shoppes

The Heritage Center Underground Shoppes

The Heritage Center Underground Shoppes

The Heritage Center Underground Shoppes

Next came the Underground Shoppes, of which there is only one – a Subway (appropriately enough). This is one part of the Pedway that was actually designed. It looks cool, has a swimming pool (LA Fitness), but no stores…

Beneath The Chicago Cultural Center

Beneath The Chicago Cultural Center

The underground part of the tour ended beneath the Cultural Center (no busking from Bill Opelka today).

Healy and Millet Stained Glass Dome

Healy and Millet Stained Glass Dome

Preston Bradley Hall And Tiffany Dome

Preston Bradley Hall And Tiffany Dome

Staircase

Staircase

And the tour continued walking about the Cultural Center. As Margaret explained, it was impossible to include this location midway through the tour – people would just want to explore and linger here. She made the sensible choice to show us some highlights and then bid us a fond adieu. I had a great time, learnt lots, and look forward to some more explorations….

You can find out more about Margaret’s tours here (and sign up). Recommended.

Pedway Exploring: Part 4

Chicago, Travel, , ,
Riverside

Riverside Plaza

Today’s exploration of the Pedway was a bit of a bust – I headed west across the river to Union Station and Ogilvie Station. I found plenty of walkways, passageways, and paths but this did not have the “Pedway feel” to it (or much in the way of Pedway signage.

Bridge to Riverside Plaza

Bridge to Riverside Plaza

The highlight was probably taking the pedestrian bridge to Riverside.

Union Station

Union Station

However, I did get to walk through Union Station and mentally reenact a scene from The Untouchables.

The French Market

The French Market

I also got to chill out at the French market. One of the best places in Chicago to grab a quick lunch.

The Low-Tech Map

The Low-Tech Map

Along the way I found some more resources to help me navigate. At present, a crumpled printout of the 2008 Pedway map in my wallet is the primary means of navigation, but I did notice that the Pedway is marked on Google Maps….

Google Maps

Google Maps

The Pedway can be difficult to read on Google Maps, and not all the paths are marked, but this comes in very useful (particularly when looking for a hidden entrance). Google Maps also works in offline mode on Android tablets, which I plan to utilize from here on.

It also appears that there is a half-decent map of the Pedways that can be purchased at Walgreens – the site Chicago In Maps has a PNG map taken from Downtown Chicago Plus (published by Great Pacific Maps) which I intend to see if I can find. Here are some of the other websites that have been helpful along the way:

 

Pedway Exploring: Part 3

Chicago, Travel, , , ,
Pedway Entrance

Pedway Entrance on East Washington

Today’s exploration of the Pedway began at 25 East Washington. A monolithic sign on the street indicates that the Pedway, retails shops, ATS Institute of Technology and more can be found be simply walking through the doors….

To The ATS Institute

To The ATS Institute

A staircase and escalators immediately inside the building take you down to some decidedly unglamorous stores, offices, and mysterious rooms behind closed blinds. The Pedway heads north at this point through the basement floor of Macy’s (Barbara’s Bookstore, food courts, and InField Bar) and then joins the east-west stretch of the Pedway that parallels Randolph Street.

Pedway Map

Yeh – A Pedway Map!

Although I could not find a more recent map of the Pedway than the 2008 edition on the City of Chicago’s website, more up-to-date editions certainly exist – there is one on the walls here (which helpfully even points out where you are.

The Glamorous Pedway

The Glamorous Pedway

I walked east at this point. The Pedway tunnel here is low and wide. Not particular pretty to look at, and bare of all adornment. I am surprised that the City of Chicago does not attempt to charge for advertising along the walls. Parts of London’s Underground are similarly down at heel, but they are festooned with movie posters and adverts.

Red Line

Red Line

The Pedway erupts into life a little further along where the Red Line (El) intersects at the Washington Station.

Block 37

Block 37

Things get a little more upscale as the Pedway continues east into the Block 37 shopping complex. The Pedway passes through various fast food options and restaurants here (Au Bon Pain, Simply Thalia, etc.). The larger building houses CBS and Morningstar.  Air conditioning here works incredibly well in the heat of summer.The Pedway passes through another El station here, this time Washington on the Blue Line, before arriving at the Richard J. Daley Center. This was where I felt less confident taking pictures – security guards and police have a significant presence, and I was worried about being targeted as trouble of some sort. The pathways here are more confusing – identical, under lit, and looking like straight out of the movie Brazil. This is probably the busiest part of the Pedway, with City officials, lawyers, City workers, and hapless citizens scurrying around.

Detour to LaSalle

Detour to LaSalle

A rather dingy corridor continues east to 120 North LaSalle Street, which I took and then doubled back and north to the James R. Thompson Center via City Hall.

Thompson Center

James R. Thompson Center

Being a fan of the Blues Brothers I paused at the Thompson Center. There is a particularly sweet plaque dedicated to Chief Building Engineer Stephen T. Hynes on the ground floor (with a note indicating that today was “Hynes Day”) and a somewhat anonymous sculpture on the first floor balcony.

Aboveground Pedway

Aboveground Pedway

Aboveground Pedway

Aboveground Pedway

The food court on the lowest floor is best avoided, but there is a path north to a series of buildings running east-west along Lake Street. This was somewhere I had wanted to explore for quite some time. The enclosed bridges and outside seating areas can be seen from the train as I travel to and from work. Up close, probably not so exciting, but worth a visit.

The Manager

The Manager

Doubling back to the Thompson Center, I took another path west to the Chicago and Trust Center where I snapped a pic of the 2006 sculpture “Manager” by Kerry Stewart. The Guardian has good things to say about her.

No Idea What This Does

No Idea What This Does

I hurried back to work pretty much along the same route I had come earlier. Somewhat ominously there is strange device just off the Thompson Center that seems to monitor air quality. Or something.

Exit to Three First National Plaza

Exit to Three First National Plaza

I exited at Three First National Plaza, where I was buffeted by the heat and the humidity.

Pedway Exploring: Part 2

Chicago, Travel, , ,
Chicago Cultural Center

Chicago Cultural Center

Today’s exploration of the Pedway involved a little bit of retracing my steps, but rather than return to the depressing North Grant Park Garage I started at Chicago’s Cultural Center. I had to resist the temptation to dawdle in the galleries, as I walked towards the north of the building where a largely hidden elevator descends to the Pedway that runs east-west along Randolph street.

Beneath The Chicago Cultural Center

Beneath The Chicago Cultural Center

The décor here is pretty much anonymous, but gets very busy as you approach Millennium Station to the east.

Millennium Station

Millennium Station

The floor has a train track motif, which induces a desire to hurry up and get out of the way. So I did. A plethora of fast food vendors ply their trade behind glass walls to the south of the concourse.

Goat/Numerically Inspired Sculptures

Goat/Numerically Inspired Sculptures

I choose north, and exited to above ground at Prudential Plaza (passing goat/numerically inspired sculptures) and crossed Lake Street to re-enter the Pedway at the Boulevard Towers complex.

205 N. Michigan Avenue

205 N. Michigan Avenue

Food was hastily consumed at Mezza, and then I continued north and east below the Illinois Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel, then ascended to street level. The aim here was to explore the disconnected length of Pedway that connects the area where the BlueCross Blue Shield Tower sits and Grant Park.

Pedway

Pedway

Here it gets a little trippy – the entrance is in a spacious skyscraper lobby, with an elevator down to the Pedway. Beneath everything seems normal until you cross Randolph Street through a glass and steel tunnel supported by luminescent yellow girders. The south exit onto Grant Park is pretty close to the BP Pedestrian Bridge that snakes its way across South Columbus Drive and into Millennium Park.

Art Institute

Art Institute

It was as hot as Hell outside, but the walk through the park and across the Nichols Bridgeway to the Art Institute was pleasant. The occasional oasis of air-conditioned buildings keeping me from melting into a sweaty mess.