The View Through the Trees

Chicago can be so pretty in every season.  There is always something stopping me in my tracks to pull out the camera (or wish I had it with me).  I admit, vibrant, leaf filled, blossoming trees of spring are my favorite (followed closely but summer) but then the bare trees can really hold their own and set such a pretty scene.  And can I just say - there is green grass in December in Chicago!  Seriously! 

The weather has been pretty much perfect for strolling this December.  One can enjoy the holiday festivities without being freezing.  It is all light winter jackets and sans-snow boots.  Love it.

Happy Wednesday!

Fall in the City - {Subtly} Decorated

There are a lot of single family homes in my neighborhood and a lot of kids and a lot of halloween decorations.  I kind of think that it is an ordinance that a certain number of houses must have the webbing stuff on their fences.  ;)  Oh and the fences... there are also a lot of black iron fences in my neighborhood, which is fairly common of the northside neighborhoods in general.

Back to the decorations... it is the simple and understated but still festive decorations that I are catching my eye this year.  I like the definition of Subtly that says "with cleverness rather than brute force" - that is my preference for holidays in general (too much forced fun results in a lose of the charm for me).  A pair of pumpkins or pretty mauve mums are quite simple yet pretty.

 

 

Hope you have an awesome weekend doing your favorite fall fun activities! 

Fall in the City - Neighborhood

It is quite dreary again today... so a few more shots of beautiful fall days to brighten today.

 

The first couple of shots are from one morning commute last week.  The morning glories are going crazy in my neighborhood right now.  I wonder how much longer they will be around... regardless, they are quite cheerful in the morning.  Also, I definitely hestitate in taking that shot of the bus stop, wasn't sure I wanted to be the crazy lady on the bus ;)  One person scattered from the scene when they saw my big camera come out - you can see their lunch bag was abandoned on the bench in their rush to avoid being in the photograph.

The last shots are from a Sunday evening walk in a northside park... having dogs in the city is fun.  It makes you find time for walks and with all that walking it is inevitable that you might find yourself heading to different parks for a change of scenery. I love exploring the various neighborhood parks in Chicago and noting the differences in atmosphere...

Fall in the City

Fall is so pretty with its ever-changing scene.  The change of colors is quite gradual this fall in Chicago with an evolving but predominant mix of green, yellow and orange.  October has been kind to us, even if today is dreary, most days have been sunny and lovely... which is ideal for being out and enjoying the show.

The top photo was taking in Grant Park but the rest of these are from an afternoon spent in Lincoln Park.  It is eye-catching out there.  In addition to the colors, the light has been ever-changing too.  Shadows are more pronounced, the variation of cool to warm tones is defined, and of course the number of daylight hours are drastically dropping compared to a couple of months ago.  The light is definitely setting the scene for more snuggling. 

61st Street Farmers Market

The 61st Street Farmers Market was on my must go list for this year.  I tried to go once earlier this year back in June but the area schedule I had printed had the wrong start time and thus I was reminded to always check the actual primary source for times before packing up the family to head to the other end of the city.  So we recently headed back down Lake Shore Drive to the south side to check out this cute neighborhood market.

It is a really nice, smaller market.  Lots of variety for vendors and friendly people lacking in pretention.  It is also roomy with the vendors spaced well... which I definitely prefer over feeling cramped and crowded (I get enough of that taking the CTA to work during the week!).

 

We grabbed breakfast at this market - I had the breakfast tacos and they were sooooo good.  Also, it seems that having crepe stand at the farmers market is a basically policy as almost every market has one.  If you are traveling from the north side to visit this market I suggest making a morning of it and after the market head over to Jackson Park for a walk- it is quite pretty.