Famous Landmarks (Chicago)

The following are some of the Millennium Park's prominent tourists destinations: (1) the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa, (2) Anish Kapoor's hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture (popularly known as The Bean), and (3) the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States.

Millennium Park (Chicago)

Millennium Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the west, Columbus Drive to the East, Randolph Street to the North and Monroe Drive to the south.

"Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, spent his youth in Indiana, and made Illinois his home. The State of Illinois captured this special relationship with Lincoln with its slogan “Land of Lincoln”.
"Illinois communities have a significant connection to the Lincoln story since he lived in and traversed the state from 1830 until his departure on February 11, 1861. His most endearing relationship was with the town of Springfield where he departed with these words: “To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe every thing. Here I have lived for a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man.”

All summer long, Millennium Park is full of free concerts, events and activities!

Tomato in the salad bowl (Chicago)

It was a boring day. So, I grabbed my digital camera and got out of the house to take some pictures. It took me by surprise when I saw the tomatoes in the garden of my land lady. They are tall now. They grow very fast! Thanks to the nurturing love of our mother earth. Probably in two weeks time, these tomatoes will be generous enough to give abundant tasty fruits to be served on the table.

I am the tomato in the salad bowl
Fresh from the garden with the company of other veggies
We have distinct colors and shapes
I am red, shiny, thin-skinned and oval-shaped
Others are green, purple, yellow and long.

I am the tomato in the salad bowl
Our tastes differ
I am sour and sometimes sweet
While others are crunchy and watery
That's what makes us inviting and tasty.

I am the tomato in the salad bowl
Similar and different
Our uniqueness makes us beautiful
With a drop of Salad dressing we have unity
Our colors, shapes and tastes differ yet we are one.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad Recipe
Courtesy of Rachael Ray

1/2 English or seedless cucumber, diced
2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced
Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, a couple of splashes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
Salt and pepper

Journey on Ellen DeGeneres Show

Arnel Pineda from The Zoo, a local cover band, was recently "discovered" by Journey after months of music videos appearing on youtube.

Ellen DeGeneres featured Arnel Pineda of Journey in her show last March 21, 2008 and explained how Arnel became the lead singer of Journey. She wanted them to sing in her show.

Listen to the video, he sounds a lot like Steve Perry, the former lead singer of Journey.

Today May 28, 2008, the Journey band with Arnel as their lead singer did their debut TV appearance on Ellen's show. Here is the video I uploaded a while ago for those who missed it.

Contemporary Garden in Millennium Park (Chicago)

A garden can sometimes be our own special haven of relaxation that will renew our spirit – or it can just give us a great place to hang out and wind down at the end of the hard day.

It was a relaxing afternoon. I took some time to stroll around the garden in Millennium Park. Few people walked around the area to take pictures of different varieties of perennial plants.

All flowering plants are now in full bloom. Hundreds of tulips have risen from the earth. Spring is certainly here!

Sight Seeing Along Michigan Avenue (Chicago)

In the early part of the Spring season, you can see the beautiful plants and flowers on the islands of the busy Michigan Avenue.

Here are photos I have taken of the place:

A whimsical plants in the shape of peacock safeguarding mother-in-law's tongue plants!

The WGN Radio Station always welcome spectators to watch the programs originating from their Showcase Studio, visible from the sidewalk outside Tribune Tower, 435 N. Michigan Avenue.

I took this picture while I was standing at the bridge of Chicago River along Michigan Avenue. The river is 156 miles (251 km) long and flows through downtown Chicago. This river is also noted for the local custom of dyeing it green on St. Patrick's Day.

On the right side of this photo is the on-going construction of Trump's International Hotel and Casino building.

Waiting for the Train at Irving Park (Chicago)

It was a lovely afternoon when I decided to go to downtown and attend the Eucharistic Celebration at Holy Name Cathedral. It was a sunny day and yet windy. The weather was cool. It was really inviting to take a walk and get some fresh air at Millinium Park of downtown Chicago.

I was waiting patiently for the train coming from O'Hare International Airport when I decided to take some pictures of big commercial trucks and cars passing through the Express Highway.

In the photos below you can see both ends of the blue line train station at Irving Park.

This side of the railway is going to East side (Downtown) of Chicago.

The opposite direction of this railway is going to West side (O' Hare International Airport) of Chicago. The airport is about 17 miles from downtown Chicago. Btw, O'Hare Airport is named after Lt. Commander Edward "Butch" O'Hare, a World War II flying ace who was awarded the Medal of Honor.