Standing on the western steps of Exelon Plaza only two weeks ago (before the cold snap that led to the current warm snap) I sat my camera on the steps, aimed it directly across the plaza, and by playing with the zoom, came up with these three shots. (This was the same night I took the shots for last weeks post on the fountain.) The last shot is nice because of the headlights of the car exiting the Inland Steel Building’s Parking Garage. But the first one forces you to think for a minute, and ask, “What the hell is that?” It is this kind of shot that I love to take. My greatest joy is seeing the world differently than most other people.
I titled this post Stairway from Heaven… because the plaza is, in so many ways, a small slice of urban heaven for me. I can stand in the center and look up at the incredible city surrounding me, while allowing the white noise of the fountain to lure me into a place of peacefulness. This plaza (in spite of its corporate name) is one of the best urban plazas to be found anywhere. To me it is a supreme example that modernism, when thoughtfully applied, can be absolutely sublime.

Here is another shot of the plaza with the fountain, taken from the bottom steps.