Back in Finland.

Our rugby tournament in Manchester was a success although we failed to capture a win in the final championship match. Our boys bruised and hungover departed Manchester Monday June 4. Some were going home, many are still in Europe enjoying the time overseas. My teammate Latte (names protected for the not so innocent) and I departed for Helsinki. He is part Finnish and was curious about his home land. For me it's a return to a country that I had the pleasure living for the month of July 2005.

Studying abroad is an experience anyone should do if you can afford to do so, and there are lots of ways to accomplish this. I for one was able to spend a mo th here, with two professors well tuned to its culture and design history, it was a time I really cherished. Landing in Finland everything was strange yet familiar. It has been seven years since I last laid eyes on this city of a million people and not much has changed. Some projects were finished, some new ones have begun, but it's all familiar and wonderful to me.

We have spent our time walking and eating a bit, then walking some more. Sleeping in. A late morning sauna. Drinks with locals till 3AM, and the sun hasn't really set. This has to be the laziest and yet most relaxing vacation to europe I have ever taken. My soul feels recharged here in Finland and often I look at a clock and am shocked at the time, but never feel the need to worry about it. Summer in Finland it seems time just stops, and you need to enjoy every minute of it however you can before winter sinks in once again.

Compared to the rush of London, Helsinki is a welcomed change. The city center feels at once contemporary and old world. Boulevards are packed with shoppers and cafes. Stately buildings from the Russian and Swedish occupations stand guard over the public spaces, a grand reminder of the former guardians of this country. Modern buildings flex Finnish design muscles with sleek crisp lines of steel and glass, providing welcomed juxtaposition to the old Helsinki. This place to me just feels right. Simple and yet complex in layers of texture, form and use.

Tomorrow is my day to photograph this city I look forward to broadening my portfolio of Pictures once again. The last time I was here for example I took over 1500 photos all with a point and shoot camera. Times have changed, my DSLR will add greater depth and color to scenes i could not quite capture before.

Stay tuned for new photos!




Commercial street Helsinki




Delicious stew at the harbor market




3:30 am sky - Helsinki

London!

I have been to London only once in my life. A 72 hour bender with a good buddy of mine causing trouble and drinking our way through the pubs of London. I really didn't see much tourism wise that time. This time around I am in London for more time. My first stint is only a two day trek on my way to Manchester, I return in 10 days for a long weekend here.

London is well London. It's everything the books, stories, lore, movies, tv make it out to be. The history. The royal family. Crooked streets that lead to either something wonderful or mysterious. It's all here. We began our journey jet lagged and at the British Museum. The building itself is amazing. Every bit of grand Victorian era design was thrown into this building. The interior court blends 21st London with its historic past in a way that feels like its been there forever.



This is London in a nutshell. Space is a premium, so modern buildings are wedged between 16th century churches and prewar art deco flats. Styles clash but work together at the same time. The Shard, europe's newest and largest mixed use building, rises 70 stories over the city, constantly reminding everyone that the new London is here to stay. The spectacle of new construction around this city is everywhere. Cranes dot the skyline, more I tank than the modern skyscrapers that exist currently.



And so to see the city the best way I could, I headed to the London Eye my first day. Most Londoners will push it off as a tourist attraction, and I'm sure I would equate it to the Hancock or sears tower in Chicago - if you live in the city you just don't go to those things. I must say however, the Eye is definitely a must experience. Rather than be placed into a swinging open air gondola of traditional ferris wheels, you are placed into a 25 person air conditioned capsule that gently moves with the rotation of the wheel. The views are amazing and is sort of a got to do it activity in London. Me being the nerd I am I was just as enthralled over the Eye structure as I was the views. It's to me a thing of amazing beauty.






Lastly I decided to try to go see Olympic park, home to the 2012 summer Olympics. Sadly I have to report that was a disappointment. 12' high fences with 3' of electrified fencing greeted me as I approached the park from Stratford station. With less than 60 days the park is nearly built but there is a lot of finish work left to do. The flurry of construction was rather interesting to see, albeit from afar.




All in all London's a great city to visit. So cultural, diverse and dense I could spend years discovering every nook and cranny here. To be honest I avoided London for a long time because I felt that it's where all Americans go, but I can see why. This place is amazing!

Off to Manchester today to play in the sixth Bingham Cup.

Dusting off the luggage - Europe Bound Again!

Well it's been ages since I have written here.  Life has been moving at breakneck speed and at last I have a chance to take 15 days and do what I love to do - TRAVEL!

I am off to Europe beginning Sunday May 28 - where I return Monday June 11.  This trip will include two stops in London, a trip to Manchester England to participate in a rugby tournament and a then a four day tour of Helsinki Finland - where I return seven years from the last visit.  Stay tuned for updates on my adventures!

Daydreams

So I sit at work and at home and even at rugby practice continuing to think about will I or will I not get to be the lucky person to live a Month at the Museum. During all that daydreaming, I keep thinking up all of the fantastical things I might discover in the depths of the 117 year old, 400,000 square foot building. Here are just some items I thought up:

1. Al Capone's REAL safe

2. The drain to Lake Michigan (don't touch!)

3. a giant model of the Columbian Exposition

4. old science exhibits that clearly are not science anymore ("the wonders of radon!", "smoking and it's benefits for your health!", "asbestos scuba tanks!", "The Earth is Flat, Get Used to It", "We are the Center of the Universe")

5. Oprah's robotic chamber

6. Cash Reserves for the City of Chicago

7. the second Hadron Collider (why build one hadron collider when we can build 2!)

8. All of the original art works housed in the Pavillion during the Columbian Exposition, only to find out the items returned to their museums were elaborate fakes

9. Documents detailing that the Manhattan Project was really just a bar mixology experiment gone awry.

So those are some of the silly things I have been thinking of, I guess I wont know what really is in that place until I get access to it all!

Phone Interviews are the week of August 25, fingers crossed!

With you,

C

A month at the Museum (of Science and Industry...)

Way back when, during the planning of the Great Columbian Exposition, when Charles Atwood began to design the Palace of Fine Arts - a 400,000 square foot facility to house a collection of the world's finest pieces of art to showcase at the Fair - he probably didn't know that his building would be the only legacy left of the Columbia Exposition. Today his building sits solidly at 57th Street, teeming with activity inside and out, but it's not art lovers that come pay homage to the building that flanked the north side of the Columbian Exposition.

Today, this building is the Museum of Science and Industry. 400,000 square feet of interactive displays to help children and adults alike to understand the science of the world. It is a museum that at first glance might seem like a tourist trap, but having been a visitor to this museum ever since a little kid I can say it's truly a place to let a kid's (and an adult's) imagination soar.

Combining science principles with industry related topics (the principle of flight and lift is taught through an exhibit of airplanes for instance), MSI exposes children and adults to science in a more approachable manner. Now, the museum staff have now come up with an interesting contest. For 30 days, one lucky person will be able to live in the museum. They will be able to share this experience with the world, and I want to be that person.

I have a deep personal connection with the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI). This building led me on a path to be the person I am today. Rambling through a U-boat as a kid, I was more interested in knowing how the thing worked than why it was even there. But as an adult, seeing that U-boat again i was curious about it's history, sure I knew how the device functioned but I wanted to know how a German boat ended up in an underground vault on the south side of Chicago.

And there in lies the amazing aspect of the Museum of Science and Industry. It is a museum that allows it's visitors to experience the same exhibit in totally different ways. It is a museum that can change you. Sure you might go to see the U-boat, but in the meantime you learn about some WWII History and how a submarine works.

The Museum is what you make of it, and I hope to spend 30 days to really discover it's character and mine in a whole new way. I never would of thought that an exciting adventure would be just steps from my own house... who am I kidding this is chicago, every day is an adventure!

Now the plug.

Visit my facebook fan page (and click "LIKE" if you would please!)

Watch my Submission Video

I will post more about the competition when I hear more.

With you,

CDS

A return.

So it has been nearly a year since I have posted. I have returned to writing! 2009-2010 has been a wild ride. Yes we lost the Olympic bid, but as my last post describes we have much to focus on. The economy still sucks and my traveling has all but a few bright spots (Denver mainly...) which I will touch on in the next couple of posts.

Anyways, happy summer to you all, Chicago is bustling with activity. Save for the algae in the beaches this weekend, it's time to get out and enjoy all that Chicago has to offer in the summer. Hit up your favorite outdoor cafe (Moody's is always my go-to beer garden spot, namely because it's a block from my house, or as I call it "stumbling distance"), cool off in a good museum or enjoy a summer street festival while you are out!

What to do if we don't win the Olympics?

the wait is slow and agonizing. Two weeks until the vote in Copenhagen by the IOC, a vote that decides the fate of one lucky city to host the world for two weeks in 2016. Speculation of who will and who won't show up to the vote, what the final presentation will look like, and any last minute alignments of votes is in the news at this point. However we don't hear the flip side, what if Chicago doesn't win? What do we talk about then? What do we look forward to? I have a few suggestions:

1. We focus on Chicago's transit system. Let's gather together and fight for one transit agency. This is a lesson from the Western cities we can learn from. A unified transit authority that governs suburban transit and city transit will make for a more cost effective, government efficient system. Think about the day your CTA card pays for your Metra ticket, and vice versa. Think about how we as city governments can work with one authority on all modes of transit from regional rail to rapid transit to local bus service. Sounds dreamy doesn't it? The CTA, Metra and Pace have a LOT of work to do to upgrade and expand their systems and fighting over money with the RTA doesn't help matters. Let's combine them and have divisions, Regional Rail, Rapid Transit and Bus Operations. Let's have them talk to one another, coordinate schedules and construction and go after a unified vision at once. We will be adding a High Speed rail network to our system in the next 20 years and someone needs to manage this, adding another authority on top will only make matters worse.

But Craig, what about jobs? Don't you just want to do this to get rid of jobs and those poor people at the RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace will fear for their livelihood?

Yes, well, guess what, the amount of work that needs to be done will still be there. I would suspect consolidating services might see a SLIGHT reduction in staffing, but a reduction might be needed. Each division has different modes of transit which require their own operations staff and materials. That will never go away. BUT say getting rid of some of administration that ties up funding at the top, funding that can be used to a better good, would help the system run more effectively.

Beyond a unified RTA, i envision this new agency thinking boldly for the future. implementing a streetcar or Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system into the city would be great. Even working with smaller cities like Evanston, Oak Park, Berwyn, etc for their own localized transit systems will help bolster RTA ridership and revenues. How can we leverage the regional rail system to overlay a rapid transit system on that? Providing smaller efficient rail cars and a more frequent service (London is working on a system like this right now) Could fill that gap and provide more incentive for riders if they know that a train will be there and although it wont be as quick as the commuter service, it can get them to their destinations (infill stations would be possible at this level of service as the distance requirements between stations decrease with a smaller, agile train car).

We need to build the STAR line, the circle line, the Gold Line, expand the South Shore Line, and overhaul the L system. We need to build express services to our major airports. Replacing the current steel structure with a 21st century engineering solution would be ideal. Updating the Loop so that all the stations are code compliant and ADA accessible and are no longer bird nests for the city's pigeon population would be great too.

And of course there is the High Speed Rail Network currently running through the legislative people. Updating and expanding Union Station will be needed for this as well as all of the necessary signaling and CREATE projects that are listed out there.

WHEW! that's a lot of work. Can it be done? Sure. We just need the will of the people to talk to their representatives and push for a better system. Until then, we won't get it. There is plenty of money coming down the pipeline and the Chicago Region might lose out if we don't have a unified voice for it and have a compelling argument as to why we deserve it.

Part of the big push for the Olympics is jobs. Seven years of non stop construction, prep, even hiring all of those dancers and children to wow the audience at the opening ceremonies. Plenty of jobs for everyone. But if we don't get it, rebuilding, expanding and improving our infrastructure could be a great way to create jobs, which could in turn lead to more jobs in other sectors.

Beyond transit, the City of Chicago has released and adopted the Central Area Action Plan, a multi-billion dollar vision to improve the quality of the downtown area. Everything from pushing Lake Shore drive further into Lake Michigan to ease the Curve at Oakton St Beach and creating much needed space and parkland in that area to capping the Eisenhower in the west loop to create a series of parks and link that portion to the rest of downtown are on the table. Again more jobs and more money of course but they have identified funding sources locally, statewide and federally. In the suburbs i am sure there are plenty of projects to be had, in Evanston alone I can think of a laundry list of "wouldn't that be nice."

My point is, if we don't get the Olympics, let's focus on the things that haven't gotten the attention of our leaders in the last year. Let's use that energy to improve our city and make it the best it can be so that if we ever go after the Olympics in the future there will never be a question of whether or not our transit system can handle the crush of visitors or if our parks aren't good enough or if we are forcing poorer citizens out of their homes. We need a vision to hold on to and move forward, why not the best city in the world as our vision? We all know it can be that, or else we wouldn't be living here.

With you,
CDS