It's one thing to watch the Sears Tower disappear into the murky whiteness from below. It's quite another to stand atop one of Marina City's twin, 61st-floor open-air roofdecks and try and make out the Chicago Loop from inside an aerial fog bank, itself. Read More
People say the strangest things to me in downtown Chicago. This past weekend was a trifecta. Sunday afternoon I ran into Marina City's own Vincent Falk, aka the colorful, tour-boat-waving Riverace (rhymes with Liberace), standing together with Marina City Online scribe Steve Dahlman mid-span on the State Street Bridge. Read More
'Most notable of the pre-existing non-Trib blogs that have so far been added are CTA Tattler and Mike Doyle, of Chicago Carless, who is heading up Chicagosphere, a look at the Chicago blog scene.'--Chicagoist Read More
Pastry Chef Chris would call to sniff at me later in the day, in between bouts of coughing. My old beau's new beau spent the weekend in the hospital with a high fever. The test results arrived back yesterday afternoon. 'Yep,' Chris said. 'He's got swine flu.' Read More
There are many reasons why I choose to work from home. Among them: avoiding rush hour; avenging 15 years of an hour-long NYC commute; and evading boundary-ignoring clients. But the best reason I can think of is the one I see every time I step out onto my 38th floor Marina City balcony. Take a look at the video and see whether you agree. Yes folks, it's a long way down. Read More
Recently finding out a Facebook friend is a neighbor at Marina City, it was only a matter of time before I came over to check out the view. Oh, envy. Oh, West Tower, why must you mock me so? Watch the video and see what I mean. Read More
For some time now, I've been of the opinion of media-watcher blog, Newspaper Death Watch: that is, journalistic hubris and an outdated refusal to change with the times have rendered the print-news industry immune to learning lessons from the people on the web who know full well how to build a community of visitors. Read More
Take a circular stroll with me around Marina City's 61st-floor, 360-degree deck with panoramic views of downtown Chicago and find out what truly keeps me in the corncobs. Read More
Readers frequently ask me, 'Should I move to Marina City?' Given my experience here, no, in my opinion I really don't think they should. Not unless a.) you think nothing I've ever written about the place is true, or b.) you're a masochist. Read More
Friends rarely believe me when I tell them about the grandmother on a rocking chair who lives in the walls at Marina City. At least, that's who it sounds like inhabits the cast-in-place concrete of my high-rise corncob home every time a stiff wind blows through downtown Chicago. Here's proof. Read More