Da windy city looks pretty good here!! Your dawn wanderings provide me with lots of views I'd never see otherwise. Who knew the El could be so gorgeous? Another hour and it'd be crawling with grumpy commuters with their laptops and coffees!! Take care and be well.

What a gorgeous capture you have taken here Mark. It is pretty Marvellous. I love the street lamps and the clarity in this shot. The postwork looks awesome in this scene and I just couldnt resist on commenting. :-) Thank you for sharing this lovely capture :-))) Mark I wish you all the best with the surgery and hope all infection will be gone forever. Be well, my friend.

I had NO idea what the EL actually looks like, beacuse all the postings of it by both residents and ninjas have been so flaming ARTY that I could never imagine what it actually IS! So thankyou, Mark, for this wonderful shot which explains this extraordinary transport system, so foreign to the likes of me! I reminds me that what seems so very mundane to one person may be an absolute marvel to another. Here's to a rapid recovery!

enjoy the perspective in this one Mark. Would be interesting if folks would post each of their transit scenes together for each of their cities. The linear shoot of this makes one feel they are heading out on a trip of mystery. Your ear; imagine that has caused balance and hearing problems that hopefully will be healed now. When your ears or feet are jeoparidized one cannot balance life without a tilt. Here's hoping all has been righted! We all worry about you and want you charging ahead!

How very retro Mark. What strikes me subject-matter-wise is that the El appears to have "stabilized" the neighborhood or put another way, caused a time warp...holding the surrounding area in suspended animation. The El looks like it did in the early 1900s...what can you change about all that heavy, riveted structural steel? The buildings on both sides of the street have stayed the same. Who wants to build a modern, shiny glass building facing onto a street with a 100 year old elevated railway? As to your photograph itself...wow, the time of the day reflects the fact that people are not yet awake. Empty street, empty sidewalks, early morning light. Notice the "lamplighter" has yet to make his rounds...oh, no, that's Victorian England I have in mind:-) I like the little fenced garden plots and the uniform awnings...people do care about where they live, even if it is in the ever-present shadow of the El. Wonderful. From your friend who grew up near the streets of Queens (New York) thinking that the El was perfectly normal and that everybody had one:) Speedy recovery to you sir!

Mark first of all let me say how great it is to see a post from you and I'm keeping you in my thoughts and prayers during this challenging time your going through. For sure you can count me among those who are glad you left the comments on as it gives us a chance to keep in touch with you and feel close even when your not able to be here. This photo is especially nice my friend, as the pov you chose does such a splendid job of showing all this lovely area has to offer. Can't imagine a better way to start my day than with a trip to your gallery.

A very moody, interesting shot of the El. Even though a sock factory has landed on your head, it sounds like you are feeling better and on the mend. At least socks are soft ... it could have been a rock factory. Be well, my friend. CC

superbe photo!!

splendid image and POV!!

I'm actually familiar with the El because of an old movie starring Sandra Bullock. The first thing I noticed, and truly love, is the warm streak of color dotting the area diagonally due to the cozy old lamp posts. This is the heart of the image of an otherwise "blue" area. It literally adds warmth and friendliness to a cool and moody place. To find the light in anything is to find the heart. It has so much depth is more ways than one. I love it. If I ever visit Chicago I would hope to see it in this way.

Beautiful Work !

very nice!!

Thank yu MarK for your explanation ...i never had seen. Your photo is very well detailled and i can see the whole thing!! And hope you be well soon...take care!My good wishes to you!

this one is great , i'm partial for urban images! and i hope you fell much better, so i'm sending you a truckload of my best vibs! hugs!!

This is a super capture with wonderful lighting. I love how the lights have given it a marvellous glow at this early hour of the morning. 'They' say the early bird gets the worm and it surely applies to this shot. Well worth the early start. Would love to see a photo of the bandage, but lets hope it is removed soon and that all is healed up nicely. Take care and it is lovely that you popped in to see us.

The "El" you say. Incidentally, El is the Spanish word for the adjective term, the. But I digress. This foto is the very epitome of lighting effects, repetition and perspective at their best! And I love the reddish aura hue around the street lights. And, sorry about your medical condition, Mark, hope you heal incredibly fast. And with your ear situation, shades of Vincent van Gogh.

Van Gogh? You didn't cut your own ear off, did you? Get back to better soon, we miss you around here! This is a wonderful colour study of the early tween-time...well done!

Get well soon. Lovely shot!!

What a great shot of the El! I had to laugh at Andrea. Of course the pictures some of us have posted don't tell you a thing about what you're seeing. :P I suppose we should have been calling it the elevated train this whole time, in order to at least give a little bit of information. Since I never got above ground level on our walks, I never saw this view. It's stunning! I'll just have to come back ... that's all there is to it! I see stuff like this and realized there's SO much I missed. Take good care, dear one, and heal quickly. My thoughts are with you ...

Now you have given me a reason to look forward to August! I'm am trying to think of another reason to look forward to August. It is slightly closer to the possible coolness of October, though one must keep in mind that sometimes Summer lingers through December. How much money? ;-) I love this image! The lights, awnings, El and little rectangular gardeny areas receding into the distance, the orange glow surrounding each light, and the circular and square tables, and whatever those shiny loops are, under the first awning. Wonderful emptiness and light of the early morning! The golden glow on the street and the sides of the El, give excellent atmosphere and look wonderful against the blue and gray of the buildings and awnings. I'm so glad you got a shot at 6am in the morning. I rarely function (well the heart and a few other vital bits function) at 6am. I see one car, I think two people, and 4 birds, so you were not quite alone. Great capture. Get well, with great rapidity!

You know, I ride that frikkin' thing so much that I never actually stopped to photograph it! I think you were standing near one of the stops I frequent...looks a wee bit like Jeweler's Row...or somewhere "authentic" to the El experience. The color is amazing! Chicago does wonderful color at sunrise and sunset and on a clear day, but I'm always surprised to actually see it, since Chicago also does gray rather well! This is a marvelous shot, and I love the fact that there are so few people and pigeons in it! Super!

Glad to see you posting and that you are on the mend. This is a fantastic shot. You really captured the spirit of this place.

Marvelous shot Mark. Take care!!!

Fantastic ChiCAAAAAgo shot Mark and I'm sorry I haven't had the chance to comment on your gallery either. I love this, it's so cool and stark and yet strangely tranquil in that way that the city can only be late at night or at dawn before everyone wakes up. I also love the way you've captured the ancient look and feel of this section of the downtown elevated. If it wasn't for the iPad ad in the foreground this pix could be 50+ years old. As a person who's worn more than my fair share of bandages over the years I have to admit that some of them have been rather stunning in a Does-This-Thing-Come-With-A-Building-Permit kind of way. Like the metal rings and pinions Midevil torture device thingy that was surgically implanted in my upper right arm after my motorcycle accident in 1998..and then had to be surgically removed and replaced with something else equally strange looking. And the eloborately wrapped bandagey/casty thing around my broken foot in 2002..and the...and the...and the... Glad you're better my friend, and, as usual, this is a great picture!

E' STUPENDA!!!! Mi piace Chicago alle 6 del mattino! :)

These early morning shots are spectacular. It's still dark enough under the El that the street lights are on, early enough that the streets are deserted .. except for three pigeons under that second awning, and maybe one in front of the lighted ad. Is that a pigeon too? This image started a song echoing around in my head .. Kris Kristoferson's "Sunday Morning Coming Down". Do you know that one? Sort of captures the mood you have set here. Wonderful wonderful capture .. the light is awesome in this one. Heal Mark, Heal! And get that sock factory off your head, LOL!

Atmosphere ! Atmosphere ! I love this one... You know that I am attracted by railwaystation !!!

except for the ad in the foreground, it's a vintage scene and that is why I love it. orange dots of light make a wonderful perspective. it's an amazing shot, Mark!

Mark, that is an awesome and an excellent capture !!!!!!!!! All the best for you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hugs Karin :)