Date: July 1, 2011
Trip: 109
Landmarks Visited: 1
Landmarks To-Date: 307
Landmarks Remaining: 46
I started off my 4th of July weekend by heading down to Hyde Park on Friday after work. Hyde Park is a neighborhood with a lot of mature trees, and you could definitely see some damage to them from the storm that we had earlier in the week.
I often say that one of the (few) things I miss about living in Chicago is thunderstorms--but this week's storm definitely helped make up for that. It started with high winds from the lake. From my apartment I could see some of the biggest waves I've ever seen on Lake Michigan. A newly planted evergreen tree on my balcony did not fare well. Then the wind abruptly stopped and there was some spectacular lightening. I repeatedly saw bolts that seemed to touch down to the surface of Lake Michigan. Next came heavy rain and hail. Garfield Park Conservatory on the west side seemed to get the worst of the hail damage. I read that in some parts of the building 90% of the glass panels were shattered by the storm.
Back to landmarks--I went to Hyde Park to see the Powhatan Apartments. This art deco high rise overlooks a park and Lake Michigan. The most notable feature of the building is the tile work on the facade using Native American motifs. Interestingly, the tiles on the lowest floors are black, with more colorful and more abstract designs on the upper floors. The building is named for a Native American chief.
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