The Companions by Chipka
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Description
I'm a Star Trek fan, and I will always be a Star Trek fan, especially since the franchise got a well-deserved shot in the arm, a sexier "classic" cast, and well...Lieutenant Uhura got a bigger role AND a first name! How sweet is that?! Anyway, I bring up the whole Star Trek angle, because of a classic episode title. The episode in Question is--for you Trekkers out there--For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky. I love that title, and in a sense, it captures an odd element of life in a big American city.
At Chicago's core, there is very little sky, and the earth, in many ways, is hollow. Most of downtown Chicago is built on top of what remains of the old city. There are tunnels and vast, open spaces that lie in shrouds of mold like forgotten tombs. On top of all of this are buildings. Tall ones. They crowd together, as if for protection, or like strange, angular life forms engaged in the slowest, most lethargic rituals of territorial combat. Older buildings stand in the shadows of larger, prefabricated (and mostly anonymous) shrines of steel and glass. These taller shrines are dedicated to every manner of human enterprise, but--rather tellingly--not to Humans themselves. It is the smaller, older buildings that draw the eye, however. They bear details. They carry heavy, iron fire escapes that give you glimpses of the past as your gaze travels upward. They also bear testament to Chicago's long-standing pyrophobia. Fire escapes and meticulously measure firebreaks (we call them alleys) stand between city blocks. Sprinkler systems lie in plain sight, often labeled with brass plaques. Most intriguingly, however, are the old buildings themselves. They carry brick facades, external fire escapes, and on occasion, ghost ads from an earlier, forgotten age: adds for carpet cleaners and locksmiths, cobblers, and furriers. Such people no longer find work in this city, and telephone numbers no longer begin with such prefixes as "Mohawk" and "Waterfall" or "Hudson". But if your eyes are good enough, or if your timing is sufficiently fortunate, you may see such an ad. If not, you'll at least see small stone buildings, standing in defiance against their older, more sterile kin, allowing slivers of sky to pick out the details of their fire escapes.
***
I took this picture while wandering with Corey and Andrea, following the opening of the Art Institute's "Modern Wing." In may ways, it is a companion piece to "A Glance in Five Directions", posted earlier in my gallery.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and hopefully everyone is having a great weekend.
Comments (17)
elfin14doaks
The really tall building in Chicago scare me. We already know it's had a fire, but it also lies relatively close to a fault. What would happen to those huge buildings should the ground shake violently? Whenever we are even driving through, I wonder. This is a great photo and it really gives you a sense as to how tall they are.
wrpspeed
this is a fabulous picture and pov. i am a star trek fan (it was forbidden when I was a kid in the 60's so I had to wait for the reruns) i think it really was inspiring in how they had revived it this year.
SIGMAWORLD
Excellent shot and camera angle!
tamburro
Amazing shot, excellent light!!! Hugs.
beachzz
This is the side of your city I want to see and the way you describe the buildings, old and new, is, as always, phenomenal. You give them such depth, almost life, and I know exactly what you mean. I remember a book I read to my son when he was very little. There was a house, and slowly these huge buildings overshadowed it. One day a girl walked by and she stopped in front of the house. She realized it was her grandmother's house, where she had spent many happy hours. Somehow, she moved this little house back to the country, where it lived happily ever after among trees and birds and little kids. A fairy tale for sure, but, well, that's what I think of when I see this foto, and read your words. These buildings have stories to tell, if only they could.
auntietk
I just did something I should have done a long time ago. I looked up the population figures for Chicago and Seattle. I'm thinking, "big city, big city, pretty similar, except for hills." Auntie sees statistics and swears in more than one language in amazement Did you know Chicago has more than FOUR TIMES the population of Seattle?? I am a small town girl ... there's no doubt about it!! jaw on floor Great image, btw, and that was a GREAT episode. :D
myrrhluz
That's my favorite title of the original series. It sets up such images in the brain. Just like the last three lines of 'Dover Beach', which captivated me with images long before I had any idea what the poem was about. Your words are wonderful in describing Chicago's architecture like living and breathing beings. Great POV and detail in the image!
mbz2662
Love this. The description, the photo, the title! All of it. BTW, you'd fit it well with my family, who are Star Trek fans!
bimm3d
gorgeous!!!
KatesFriend
A fascinating tale about a grand city. It is intriguing to see the external fire escape going up so far into the sky. These things are common in Toronto of coarse but never so high. Like a stairway to heaven, though it was intended as a safe route to mother Earth. It has been hypothesized that the origin of the great Chicago Fire was actually due to a comet fragment. Actually several fragments are believed to have fell into the atmosphere over the mid-west US. One of which then exploded over top of Chicago causing a fire storm. A small scale Tunguska event but more than enough to destroy the city. There were other monster fires in the areas around Chicago that night, but the shear scale of the Chicago fire meant that the other went largely unreported.
romanceworks
Marvelous photo and description. All my Greek relatives live in Chicago and I remember as a child traveling from Calif to see them. Some lived in these tall buildings, and others in brownstones. I remember not being able to see the sky, and all the brick. It all seemed so hard and cold, and the contrast inside, of all the loving family who always bombarded me with kisses and food. It was quite wonderful. CC
durleybeachbum
"I'll just have a quick look at the pics from the ebots before I go to the pool", I thought. HA! I've been at least 10 minutes looking at this and reading your words, and the comments. It is all fascinating, but the most interesting detail is that 'they' have put the beautifully detailed lintels above all the windows on the righthand building, up as far as we can see and presumably to the top. Marvellous!
Xantipa
Good work..congrats..
MrsRatbag
I love the old buildings too, they have so many wonderful details inside and out. This POV is wonderful, they almost seem to be conversing...great work, Chip!
elfin12u
Sweet! Not sure exactly which spellbinds me more, your writing or you pictures. With the photos, you have the unique knack of taking a shot of things most of us would overlook, and or take for granted, and make us see why you thought it was special. Your writing transports everyone who reads the words, on a journey outside their normal life, painting visions inside our heads of what we read. Pretty awesome stuff, I'm glad to have come to know you. There's still some summer left, we need to get down there yet!
mtc
Superb perspective and POV.
Madbat
Great angle in the shot and interesting commentary. I remember that episode (vaguely), and I'd hate living in the bottom of a concrete well....yeugh! I kinda prefer Edmonton (despite the climate) because of the presence of the river valley park system, it adds much needed space and a sense of natural environment.