CHICAGO CARLESS

The Life and Times of a Former New Yorker Living in Downtown Chicago

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Monthly Archives

NEW YORK TIMES Quotes Devyn Caldwell (Chicago’s “Looper”) on Crown Fountain Cameras

December 28th, 2006 · 1 Comment

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(Photo: The former Millennium Park Martians go national. Credit: Looper.)

It’s official. I’m no longer the only half of this relationship who’s made it into the New York Times. Today, an article appears in the Times’ National section covering the Crown Fountain security camera debacle from earlier this month (A Tempest When Art Becomes Surveillance). Quoted in the article, mentioned (oh my) three times, and given props for getting the cameras down: my boyfriend, Devyn Caldwell, whom many of you know as Chicago’s tireless downtown photoblogger, Looper.

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Tags: Architecture · Media

When a Car Falls Off Marina City…

December 27th, 2006 · No Comments

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(Photo: That’s the last time we let grandma park the car. Credit: Looper’s flickr photostream.)

…It looks like this. In October 2006, Allstate Insurance filmed a TV commercial in and around Marina City. Based on the famous car-chase scene from the 1980 action film, The Hunter, Allstate recreated the famous fall of an automobile off one of Marina City’s 18-story parking decks and into the Chicago River, below.

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Tags: Marina City

Marina City Board Promises Never to Support Landmark Status

December 21st, 2006 · 5 Comments

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(Photo: Does this look like a landmark to you? If you’re a Marina City condo board member, better keep that answer to yourself. Credit: Looper’s flickr photostream.)

The Marina Towers Condominium Association signed a little-known but publicly available legal agreement in 2003 promising never to seek or support landmark status for Marina City.

Who knew?

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Tags: Architecture · Marina City

Crown Fountain Cameras KAPUT!!!

December 19th, 2006 · 13 Comments

Ah, the power of the blogosphere. As of 11:00 a.m. this morning, the City of Chicago has removed the security cameras (Trib follow-up article) from the top of Millennium Park’s Crown Fountain. And let me just say, WOO-HOO!

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Tags: Architecture · Best Of Chicago Carless · Media

CHICAGO CARLESS in Chicago Tribune on Crown Fountain Cameras

December 19th, 2006 · 8 Comments

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(Photo: The City of Chicago has architecturally defaced Millennium Park’s Crown Fountain in the name of homeland security. What do you think about that? Credit: Looper.)

Our photoblogging walks just keep paying off. Last August, my walk through the new Macy’s on State Street with a camera and resulting blogpost led to the citywide scandal over Macy’s inventing street names on its store signage.

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Tags: Architecture · Media

City of Chicago Defaces Crown Fountain

December 17th, 2006 · 11 Comments

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(Photo: Take me to your leader…and tell him to get this thing off of my head. Credit: Looper.)

There are many good places to put security cameras in Chicago’s architecturally brilliant Millennium Park. Smack on top of Jaume Plensa’s hyper-popular Crown Fountain is not one of those places.

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Tags: Architecture · Media

On How to Hail a Blogger

December 14th, 2006 · No Comments

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(Photo: We bloggers aren’t always this full of hot air, I swear–Chicago’s 2006 Thanksgiving Day Parade from Devyn’s front door. Credit: Looper’s flickr photostream.)

I owe a healthy debt of gratitude to Howard Dean. It was through his 2004 presidential campaign that Internet outreach finally grew up from its netroots origins, maturing into a respected–and highly sought after–aspect of contemporary media relations.

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Tags: Media