Chicago is a special city. I grew up close by in NW Indiana. As a kid, Chicago was the big city I always got excited to visit. Now as an adult, I still get excited when going home to visit family. Especially if I get some time to explore and create some images. A couple weekends ago I went back home to celebrate my mom’s birthday and attend a BBQ competition my brother was in. He cooked up amazing ribs and got 1st place. The rest of the week I spent in the city. One highlight was that on Mondays the John Hancock Building Observatory (now called 360 Chicago) allows photographers to bring up and use tripods. Great way to shoot pictures of the city from 94 floors up. I’m excited to get back home again soon. Here are the images from up top the observatory. More images from the trip in a new Chicago Gallery.

I recently moved to a new area of DC, and I’ve found an unusual building becoming a destination during morning dog walks: Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, also known as RFK Stadium. Opened in 1961 as one of the first major stadiums designed for multiple sports, its glory days have faded and it now sits deteriorating. Only 2 miles from the Capitol Building and sitting along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, the sight of the aging stadium is unexpected. As summer begins in the District, I love seeing the visual contrast of building decay and nature.

Every year in DC the famous Cherry Blossom trees that surround the Tidal Basin on the National Mall draws thousands of people that want to take in the beauty. This year the peak bloom kept getting pushed back due to DC’s late winter. Finally this past week the blossoms all opened. It allows for some colorful images. 

Winter keeps wanting to show itself in DC. I am looking forward to the warmer months to come. This past weekend we got a couple of nice days and it got me out to take some pictures. My plan to photograph car tails at sunset from the back of the Lincoln memorial was halted as I discovered renovation work has started and had it blocked off. Decided then to move to the other end of the Mall to the Capital building. It was well past sunset by the time I got there. I still had fun shooting some pictures using the building lights.

Winter took a break from being cold this weekend. I spent a sunset exploring the Jefferson Memorial. A very informative Park Ranger pointed out the stones used in the building are not from a single location but from different areas of the county. This is to symbolize the geographic extremes of America.