Today’s Blooms – Pines

It looks like someone has indicated in Florists Review how large displays should look. All located far from each other yet they have the same feel.

The 1st one spotted near downtown.

Number 2 outside an office, gold twigs not birch branch.

Another office, twigs, branches and seed pod.

Outside a government building. Not permanent trees. Maybe they will add ornaments later.

Advertisement

Thursday Doors – Parkway 2

More from the same street. This is only one city block of the five blocks and only one side of the street. I do love that there is such a vast array of styles and I did not photograph all of this block. Th. e granite and brick work on these homes immediately draws me in. Often times I go back and see something I missed originally.

I did collage these pictures in groups that seemed natural to me, simply because there are so many more doors in the wings waiting to come center stage. It’s hard not to create a story in my mind about the building or the people who live here so I really need to delete a bunch from the camera. Living so close to Chicago it seems I have an endless supply of new places to explore. Thanks for allowing me to share these with you.

Thursday Doors – Parkway Drive

These doors are from Chicago’s north side all on one parkway. This street runs along a parkway and is very wide. On one side are homes, then a two lane street for access, then about 15 feet of grassy parkland, then 4 lanes for traffic and repeat on the other side. So the people who live across the street are about a city block away.

This is not a freeway or a higher speed traffic area but the wide street does go right through a many hundreds of acres park. All in just a small area of Chicago. For those who may only have driven through or around it’s probably nothing you would ever see. The diversity of these neighborhoods also shows up in the architecture.

I am sharing just a few of the many homes along just the East side of the boulevard.

What a grand entrance to a single family home.

#thursdaydoors

Thursday Doors – Decorated

Many homes have the yards and windows decorated for Halloween. I found a few city doors that let you know something fun is soon happening, but are nor over the top. A few in the area change after dark and with darkness show their ghostly lights – I’m skipping those.

Happy Halloween 🎃

#thursdaydoors

Today’s Blooms – Look Down

Today’s Blooms are from street art I recently encountered. We have already had some early frost and snow so the outdoor Blooms are pretty much restricted for several months. My thought was to move it inside then I remembered this beautiful space.

Walking down the street I encountered some beautiful street art. I have a lot of those photos from the sides of buildings and 30 feet tall. I took a lot of those photos while living in Alaska which got me started here.

This is my first encounter with it looking down. These are sidewalks painted by various artists. Most are at intersections and are walked on daily. Beauty is truly all around us.

I feel very lucky to have stumbled upon a new way to see flowers and all their beauty in a different form.

#todaysblooms

Thursday Doors – Wizard Of Oz

This is not the wizards door but the site where the author wrote the story. The original home is gone, but in honor of the author the city of Chicago has created a little bit of interest in the area. I threw in a couple of the neighborhood doors also.

This is the current home on the original site.

#thursdaydoors

Today’s Blooms – Peeking Out

Today’s offerings on Blooms spoke to me as I walked about. They all were popping their heads over the fence saying “pick me.” How did they know the camera was aimed at them.😍

Thursday Doors – Real + Fake

The first 2 doors are from mansions on the north side of Chicago. These are from homes built during the “guided age” and did not make it in an earlier post.

The third door is built into the scrim for the play “Fiddler On The Roof” at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago. This door was used to introduce some of the characters and some of the props.

Thursday Doors – Lions

Had a discussion recently about who had better Lions, Chicago or another city. While walking in the Wicker Park area I came across 2 homes with lions guarding the front. One looks like it was an original part of the home, the second seems to be added at a later date.

I have also included a couple of lions from last weeks doors (just the lions) and it looks like the same situation. One is much older than the other. Can’t leave out our lions in front of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Thursday Doors – Old Town

Old Town is an area on the North side of Chicago. It is famous for many reasons but just one is Second City, the comedy club. There are far too many famous people who got their start here to list and it is still doing the same for comedians today.

The area has many beautiful old houses and was originally an area where German immigrants settled. It also became a hip or rather a hippie type area with cute shops and old dark bars. It is still thriving today and has changed some of the old for the new but still a vibrant eating and shopping area.

I did find some lovely old homes and a few doors to share.

This was from a portion of only one block. I really liked the two doors that mirrored the porch covering. Some of the space has been replaced with large new apartment buildings but there is also a lot of charm. Definitely worth a stop on your next visit to Chicago.