Discover Top Posts Tagged with #midwayplaisance

#HydePark looking very #atmospheric today, especially along the #MidwayPlaisance #fog #winter #UChicago (at University of Chicago Press) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7tvr5rAA2D/?igshid=1w5njsvjj5lhc

#hydepark #atmospheric #midwayplaisance #fog #winter #uchicago

Yeah, #spring is here. #Chicago #UChicago #MidwayPlaisance #SouthSide (at Midway Plaisance) https://www.instagram.com/angwe/p/Bv4wQQSFIrl/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=7klh8lbrm7kv

#spring #chicago #uchicago #midwayplaisance #southside

It's odd but very in line with #throwingcautiontothewind ... I roam the streets in search of inspiration and creative expression ... so I #go . . . . #chicago #femaledj #producer #dj #djs #chicagofemaledj #goodmusic #fathomdj #music #art #creativity #tacticalurbanism #urbanism #activate #streetart #wwfd #musicstylist #femaleproducer @abstonconsulting #findingfathomdj http://itsmyurls.com/fathomdj http://fathomdj.com #photography #fathomdjcaptures #canonrebelt6i #midwayplaisance #mynightshunting (at Chicago, Illinois)

Calling ALL Carnival-goers!!! TOMORROW IN #CHICAGO #WCC #CHICARIBBEAN Join the fun and PLAY MAS with us on August 19th at #MidwayPlaisance. Many Beats, One Rhythm! One Love! See you soon! (at Midway Plaisance)

#wcc #chicago #midwayplaisance #chicaribbean

Calling ALL Carnival-goers!!! TOMORROW IN CHICAGO #WCC #CHICARIBBEAN Join the fun and PLAY MAS with us on August 19th at #MidwayPlaisance. Many Beats, One Rhythm! One Love! See you soon! (at Midway Plaisance)

#midwayplaisance #wcc #chicaribbean

Calling ALL Carnival-goers!!! TOMORROW IN CHICAGO #WCC #CHICARIBBEAN Join the fun and PLAY MAS with us on Saturday August 19th at #MidwayPlaisance. Many Beats, One Rhythm! One Love! See you soon! (at Midway Plaisance)

#midwayplaisance #chicaribbean #wcc

I say a prayer of gratitude every time I pass these white birches. #uchicago #midwayplaisance (at The University of Chicago)

#uchicago #midwayplaisance

Week 3 Writing Assignment

Working notes and Research:

I decided to go to the Midway for two reasons: first, it was close and convenient for me, given that I had a friend staying with me this weekend and they were not opposed to a stroll outside. Secondly, I vaguely recalled that the midway is the site of an historic world’s fair hosted in Chicago. I don’t know if that’s true, but I was interested in researching more about it.

When I went, it was getting dark and raining. I was all geared up with my yellow (and broken) flower umbrella, my pink rain boots, and a raincoat. Despite all of this, I was eventually soaked by the end of my walk, which was actually rather fun.

My first location was the statue of Linne on the midway. This statue has an octagonal base, with an octagonal sidewalk around it. Around this sidewalk there are benches. But anyone sitting at the benches cannot see the front of the statue, only the sides. I found out that Linne was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, and physician. He is most well-known as the “father of taxonomy”, for it was he who standardized the system of classification we call binomial nomenclature. The statue says at the base “relocated from Lincoln Park 1976.” Research shows that this Linne statue was actually present in Lincoln Park for the World’s Colombian Exposition in 1893. The statue stood in Lincoln Park, surveying a vast expanse of nature, for many years. Unfortunately, in the 1930’s, lake shore drive was expanded, cutting off much of the greenery surrounding Linne. This led to a relocation (attended by the King of Sweden) in 1976, in which the statue was moved to the midway, where it stands today.

My second location was a particular part of the midway where 3 paths form a triangle, with a large coniferous tree taking up all the space inside of it. Outside of this triangle of sidewalks, there are benches and dead stalks, waiting for spring to return and reanimate them. I couldn’t find much on that particular triangle, but my guess would be that it was created as part of the vision of Frederick Law Olmsted, the architect in charge of returning the midway to a park setting after the Columbian exposition. The World’s Columbian Exposition, a.k.a. the Chicago World’s fair, was hosted by the midway in 1893. This year was chosen because it celebrated the 400th Anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas. The intriguing aspect of the fair was the fact that 200+ buildings were constructed, but all were purposefully made to be temporary. Perhaps the fact that it was temporary led to the high attendance rate- 27 million people in 6 months. The midway specifically hosted the amusements of the fair, while the exhibition halls were held elsewhere. The large and iconic ferris wheel, holding 40 people per car, also stood on the midway, serving as inspiration for many theme parks to come.

The links between these two locations are intriguing. Linne stood and spectated the fair, and now he only sees the occasional university students.

Some thoughts about the Midway

Linne is watching

University students

Who pay him no mind

Remember what he

Saw in his day? People from

Forty-six countries

This silent watcher

Father of Taxonomy

No longer well-known

Then this triangle