Thursday, June 4, 2009

Around Millennium Park

A sculpture by Alexander Calder one block from the hotel we stayed at for Chicago Spring Fling which was within easy walking distance of Millennium Park.



Heading towards the park, the road dead ended right in front of the Art Institute of Chicago. Lucky us there was free admission after 5pm on the day we arrived.



The Lurie Garden speaks for itself.



A full plant list and tons of background information can be found at the link above if needed.



With a 10 million dollar endowment it is easier to have a focused and directed effort in a garden that is reminiscent of our own sunny utility easements.



What we can do here though is add salvias and baptisias.



A bit more amsonia would be good too.



Actually I think the key is just a whole lot more of everything coupled with dedicated weeding. Maybe one of those lottery tickets will pan out and I could spend the rest of my life weeding peacefully.



The Cloud Gate is another major draw in Millennium Park.



Your intrepid garden blogger and fellow traveler Aparina pose for a reflective portrait.



How cool is that. This sculpture totally draws the viewer in and becomes an interactive experience.



The garden at the Art Institute of Chicago was open on our second pass through this area and we wandered through for a look.



Black iris.



Sculpture placed in a large bed in the New American style of planting design.



And all that is just some of we saw in a couple of hours one afternoon in the big city.

8 comments:

Siria said...

WOW...I would spend a couple of hours in a big city doing that kind of sight seeing any day! Sounds and looks like your trip was fabulous. Your photographs really capture the beauty of the gardens and sculptures. So glad you had a great time!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I didn't get to go into the Art Insititute or its garden. Sigh~~ just so much to see and so little time. Love seeing you and Ani in the bean.

Frances said...

Hi Christopher, you got to see so much in those first couple of hours, you did make good use of your time. We spent a lot of time EATING before heading on to the Lurie. Ending up with no visit to the Art Institute. You are very wise with your time.
Frnaces

lola said...

Fantastic, I'm glad you had a great time & got to see so much. A short time to take in so much beauty.
Your pics are great.

Katie said...

I wish that day could have been 30 hours, then we could have spent more time at each garden!

Victoria Summerley said...

Hi, Christopher, I found your blog through the Spring Fling posts. I'm very jealous - it looks like you all had a fabulous time in Chicago.

Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog said...

Christopher, I love all your posts about Chicago and especially love your last shot in this post of the Lurie. Also, you got to so many places in the CBG that I didn't, so I appreciate seeing those as well. Great shots!

chuck b. said...

This is a completely different Chicago from the one I saw some time back in 1997.