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This is one of those shots that undeniably screams CHICAGO. The view while standing under the “L” almost anywhere in the Loop has become among the most ubiquitous of images, given that we are the only world city that has heavy rail trains running overhead through the center of the business district. To outsiders, it is truly a unique thing to see, and the roar of the train above, to experience. Living in the heart of the Loop, I am literally surrounded by the “L”, and must pass under it to go more than a few blocks in any direction. It is part of my neighborhood, and while a lot of people complain about the noise, I hardly ever notice it. And as ubiquitous as this view (or similar ones) has become I will never tire of taking pictures of it, and you can be sure that if I think they are any good, I will post them here.
This shot of Wells Street from Washington, was taken on a cloudy day, so there isn’t much going on with light and shadow, but the vanishing point is pretty damn cool.
Nice photo, D. Being from New York, I know we have an idea there that the 19th-century elevated is a defunct thing, long gone the way of dinosaurs, the dodo bird, and Betamax. There’s always the idea in Gotham that the way things are done there is the way they’re done everywhere, and the best way to do things, at that.
Many New Yorkers who first visit Chicago (nine years ago myself included) are shocked to learn that the ‘L’ that rings the Loop and runs out into the neighborhoods is the same vintage as the “els” that laced Manhattan and Brooklyn until New York City tore them down in the early 20th century and replaced most of the with subways (sorry, Second Avenue).
For a New Yorker, the wonder of the Loop ‘L’ is feeling like you’re in some alternate Manhattan where the storied old els never got demolished, and seeing–and hearing–what it’s like for a more than 110-year-old rail system to coexist with a modern downtown.
A cool trick, of endless wonder to New Yorkers, only available in Chicago.
Comment by Mike Doyle — 18 January, 2007 @ 10:21 am