My photo of a man in the water and woman sunbathing at Wilmette’s Chestnut Beach.

My photo of a man sunbathing at Wilmette’s Chestnut Beach.

My photo of a man reading his Kindle at Wilmette’s Chestnut Beach.

My photo of a woman in the water with a sailboat at Wilmette’s Chestnut Beach.

I didn’t think I needed a “beach day” in October but I guess I did. And so did a number of other people (and dogs). It would be nice for it to actually feel like Fall but I’m not complaining…yet.

My photo of a group of people, including a woman sunbathing, on Wilmette’s Chestnut Beach.

My photo of a group of people on Wilmette’s Chestnut Beach with rocks in foreground.

My photo of a group of people on Wilmette’s Chestnut Beach.

My photo of a man running on Wilmette’s Chestnut Beach.

Enjoying a day at the beach…in October.

People will say David Bowie - Heroes as best 12th album anyone has ever made, but what about Bob Dylan’s *fifteenth* studio album Blood on the Tracks being one of the best albums made period.

"Young Wife Saved from Suicide by a Drug Store Mirror" (Chicago Daily News June 5, 1900)

As Mrs. Sczcech straightened her hat in front of the mirror inside a soda-water parlor at Lincoln & Belmont, she saw newly married 19-yr-old Mrs. Kunow open a vial & pour its contents into her chocolate soda.

"What did you put into it?"

"Morphine. I'm tired living."

(Chicago Daily News June 1900)

Father and Son: A photo collage of Buster Keaton showing his famous stone face and my sad-looking dog, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Happy 130th Birthday to Buster Keaton, born on this day in 1895. In honor of this special occasion, here’s my dog doing his best Buster impression.

a man is making a funny face and saying i don 't care ALT: a man is making a funny face and saying i don 't care

I’ve only heard three of her songs (Bad Blood, Blank Space, Shake It Off) and that’s fine. I really don’t care. I’ve never seen the movie Star Wars and guess what? I’m still alive. Shocking, I know.

Neko Case - The Tigers Have Spoken

Buck Owens - Tiger by the Tail

When the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016, Donald Trump won the presidency less than a week later. Nothing has been the same since. Guys, you know what you have to do.

Goose Is a Jam Band. Geese Is Indie Rock. They Both Have New Albums.

Goose, Geese…is there a band called Gaggle? What about Flock? Skein???

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/s...

Nobody’s mentioned the parking meter lease deal? The 1968 Convention? The opening of Al Capone’s vault?

6109 W Berenice Ave, Chicago, IL 60634 - 5 beds/4.5 baths (MRED as Distributed by MLS Grid) For Sale: 5 beds, 4.5 baths ∙ 2772 sq. ft. ∙ 6109 W Berenice Ave, Chicago, IL 60634 ∙ $869,000 ∙ MLS# 12480409 ∙ Welcome to the highly sought-after Portage Park neigh...

"Look how they massacred my boy" GIF.

www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/6...

Historic image of Solid Rock in Winnetka, IL by architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. Built in 1911 for William F. Tempel, this snow view of the reinforced concrete home shows the original roof terrace. (National Library of Australia)

My photo of Solid Rock in Winnetka, IL by architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. Built in 1911 for William F. Tempel, this is a close-up of a door and WBG’s signature large, geometric patterns of wooden mullions in the windows.

My photo showing the rear of the Griffins’ Solid Rock (1911) in Winnetka, IL. A bit run down as you can see but no reason for a second chance. The one-story concrete bungalow was later altered by architect Barry Byrne in 1918.

Historic image of Solid Rock in Winnetka, IL by architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. Built in 1911 for William F. Tempel, this front view of the reinforced concrete home shows the original roof terrace. (Chris Ware)

Le Corbusier often receives credit for creating the first concrete residences, but what actually came first? Griffin’s Solid Rock in Winnetka. Built in 1911, the massive cubic style design with a rooftop garden was constructed entirely of reinforced concrete. This structure deserved to be preserved.

Thanks for taking the time to read it. Much appreciated!

Yes and no. As I wrote in the first paragraph, Australians know his name but he is forgotten in the place where he lived, worked, and helped create a new architectural style. But that's America for you. Sad but true.

Walter Burley Griffin Demolitions Over the past month I have been thinking about poor Walter Burley Griffin, a remarkable talent in his own right who has been overshadowed by his association with Frank Lloyd Wright, or has been entire...

In just over three years, we have lost three works by architect Walter Burley Griffin, an important member of the Prairie School, birthed right here in the Midwest. These demolitions are a disservice to culture, history, and scholarship.

chicagolandarchitecture.substack.com/p/walter-bur...

I watched the 60 minutes interview w/Governors Cox & Lujan Grisham of Utah & New Mexico who basically said governors do *have* to deliver actual results, while Washington D.C. does not. It’s all performative politics w/much less substance. Durbin & Schumer are out of touch & stuck in the past. Ugh.

People need to turn off the news, stop scrolling FB AI slop, leave their subdivisions & go experience real life. Last month tourists from Utah said to me, "When we got here (Chicago), we didn't know what to expect because of what you see on the news but we've been walking around & we just love it."

“He's Hip, He's Cool, He's 45” sketch from The Kids in The Hall where Bruce McCulloch played a middle-aged man who would do odd things to "keep his cool" despite being 45.

I might be middle-aged but…

That’s very true, which I’ve noticed especially when I’ve walked around “The Gap.”

The most pathetic person I know is a 40-yr-old “man” who has never held a job, sponges off his doctor wife, plays video games all day while a nanny raises his two children. “WTF DO YOU DO ALL DAY!?!” as he sits in a chair while his 70-yr-old plus in-laws clean his fridge and take out the garbage.

My photo of the Edward P. Russell House, built between 1928-29, on Astor Street in Chicago’s Gold Coast. This Holabird and Root designed townhouse is in great contrast with the traditional Romanesque and Revival and Queen Anne styled houses located nearby. The architectural firm worked mostly in the Art Deco Style as seen in one of their most famous buildings, the Chicago Board of Trade. The stone for this home was imported from France and it is trimmed in black granite.

I will always love you Edward P. Russell House, a 1928 Art Deco design by Holabird and Root. 💋

I signed it and thought I’d share in case you also want to show support for the preservation of the Roger Brown Home & Studio. The letter co-written by @blaservations.bsky.social and @susannahribs.bsky.social now has almost 500 signatures. Link here: forms.gle/zEHarFNqgYCZ...

Thanks for the reminder that I paid a visit to the “Mayor Biss Say No To Popeyes” mural about a month ago. Everything is so ridiculous. Please make note that my photo shows the Burger King in the background.

Need to rewatch it not just because of Robert Redford but its connection to Chicagoland.

America is a land of extremes. Don’t live in denial and act like everything is fine because it doesn’t impact you directly but also don’t obsessively consume media and the overall spectacle of politics.

When people say they’re not into politics and just want to “have fun,” your privilege is showing. Nina Simone once said: “An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times.” Look around you, people. Everything is terrible.

Never seen rats or squirrels here. The Gold Coast is overrun with only one thing: tiny dogs.

Yes, but I was very tired when I posted this last night and had no idea it would be such a smash.

J.B. Pritzker’s mansion on Astor Street in Chicago (Google Maps)

Walk up the steps and turn to the left. View of the whole house here:

The annual pumpkin display at the entrance of Governor Pritzker’s personal residence on Astor Street. He is the pumpkin king. Illinois produces the most pumpkins, including canned, than any other state in the U.S., twice as many as the next five states combined.