Every year one of the highlights of my summer is the Chicago Air and Water Show. For a few days the sky is filled with the thunderous roar of jet engines and the high-pitched whine of acrobatic prop planes. And for that weekend, seemingly everyone in the city becomes a bit of an aviation geek.
Last week I went through my photos and pulled out my favorite non-aviation photos from 2013, but now it’s time for my favorite aviation photos of 2013. This year was a great aviation-photography year. I experienced the unveiling of the new American Airlines livery (and talked about it with one of the key people behind it), EAA Airventure in Oskosh, WI, planespotting with some consummate avgeeks, American Airlines’ new Embraer E175, and O’Hare Airport’s Run on the Runway. Continue reading
2013 was the year I got serious about my photography. I’ve always enjoyed taking photos, but between responsibilities at work and taking planespotting a bit more seriously, I’ve been taking a lot more photos. Looking back on the photos I’ve taken this year, here are my favorite non-aviation-related photos of 2013. I’ll have a second post that’s pure avgeek goodness before the new year.
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With a few extra vacation days to burn at the end of the year, I’ve found myself with a bit of time on my hands. So I’ve taken to going for a walk in the afternoon and taking photos. For the past couple of days my route has taken me from Millennium Park, up Michigan Avenue and the Magnificent Mile to Water Tower Place. Visitors always tell me they’re surprised that anyone leaves the house during Chicago winters, but there’s plenty to see and do. Continue reading
About 40,000 runners took to the streets of Chicago yesterday for the Chicago Marathon, a 26.2 mile trek through Chicago’s near north, west, and south side neighborhoods. I headed down to the race to cheer on my friends who were running and take some pictures. It was a beautiful day fro a race. Continue reading
Yesterday I participated in the annual O’Hare Airport Run on the Runway to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, a great organization that supports wounded veterans returning from war. Along with thousands of other people I took to runway 10C-28C for the first (and probably only) chance to run on a runway not yet open to air traffic. O’Hare will commission 10C-28C on October 17, but they wanted us to try out the pavement first. Continue reading
There’s no better way to spend a beautiful Saturday than staring off into the distance trying to spot the small dot on the horizon that in a few short minutes turns in to a 200-ton behemoth roaring overhead at 140 knots. This Saturday Bruce from NonRevAdventure and I headed out to O’Hare International Airport to do some planespotting and we weren’t disappointed. In addition to the unending parade of regional jets O’Hare sees, we were treated to a strong lineup , including some surprises like an AeroLogic 777F and American’s AstroJet retro livery. Continue reading
When a friend suggested that we go on a tour at Koval Distillery it didn’t take much for me to say yes. I love whiskey, so getting a chance to see how it’s made sounded like a good way to spend an afternoon (and $10). Koval is Chicago’s first (legal) distillery to open post-Prohibition. While the craft brewers began cutting through red tape about 15 years ago, craft distillation continued to be a bridge too far until 2008 when Robert and Sonat Birnecker opened Koval. Continue reading
Good wine and spirits are hard to find in Edgewater, so I was excited to see a sign go up for a new boutique wine shop on north Broadway in the early spring. Scott Crestodina’s store, Independent Spirits, opened in late July after a full remodeling of the space at 5947-49 N. Broadway. Last weekend I had a chance to pop into the shop for a bit, do some exploring, and chat with Scott a bit about what Independent Spirits is all about and where they’re headed. Continue reading