Growing Up in Chicago

05/22/2026

The bridge lifts have begun! That means boating season in Chicago is officially here. ⛵🌉

05/12/2026

An ice-cold moment from the Chicago Bears 🥶🏈

04/19/2026

Speedboat race in front of Marina City during the Lakefront Festival. (1975)

02/26/2026

Very first automobile race in the United States was held in Chicago on Thanksgiving Day. (1895)

02/23/2026

Kroch’s & Brentano’s Bookstore in Oak Park, IL. (1978)

01/14/2026

Soldier Field, Chicago (1986). By 1986, Soldier Field had already lived several lives, and that layered history is what always stands out to me. Originally built as a civic monument, it had long since become synonymous with Chicago sports and large public gatherings. The stadium still carried a raw, open feel before later renovations changed its character. Crowds came for football, concerts, and major events, filling the lakefront with energy. I’ve always felt Soldier Field reflected Chicago’s no-frills approach to entertainment—loud, proud, and direct. This image captures the stadium before modernization altered its classic identity.

01/06/2026

This Histoic McDonald’s is now only a Memory…💔🍟 The McDonald’s Museum in Des Plaines, Illinois was a replica of the McDonald’s restaurant that opened there in April 1955. It was built in 1985 to celebrate the company’s early history and featured period design elements and memorabilia. The museum stood near the site of the original restaurant, which had been demolished in 1984, and offered visitors a look at the classic red-and-white tile exterior, golden arches, vintage equipment, and displays reflecting how the restaurant looked during that era. Over time, repeated flooding at the location forced the museum to close to regular public access in 2008, and visitation declined as the building sat unused for years. Facing ongoing maintenance challenges and the impracticality of reopening, McDonald’s demolished the museum in 2018, clearing the site. Today, the property remains completely empty, and currently awaits redevelopment.

01/05/2026

Patrons enjoy the view from South Pond Nature sanctuary on a cool winter evening in Chicago. Located in Chicagos Lincoln Park neighborhood (and park), South Pond and its surrounding Nature Boardwalk are a prairie style self-sustaining ecosystem that has become a home for native plants, birds, fish, turtles, mammals, and other wildlife. The nearby Lincoln Park Zoo helps also helps keep this area pristine through various tasks including annual surveying of biodiversity and the removal of invasive species.

01/04/2026

❄️☃️🎄 //📍Chicago

12/30/2025

12/28/2025

Sums of up IL💀😭