Number One City Data

As I'm winding down this evening on PBS there is Chicago's Loop: A Chicago Tour on PBS WTTW.

It is fascinating!

There is a point (with a plaque!) on a building at LaSalle and Monroe, which is the zero point where all cartographers and surverys measure by in the city. A zero point: I thought I also heard it called number 1 city data.

I'm going to try to find it on my lunch break tomorrow.

Urbs in Horto

This is the latin motto of the city. It translates to English as City in a Garden.

Hmm...

I Will

After the great Chicago fire, the city adopted the motto "I will." Below is an image of a semi-centennial poster for the fire. I find this apropos to our project and something that Maira might hook her ideas into if she lived in Chicago.

Image is from: http://greatchicagofire.org/view-item/620

Further information on this adoption can be found on the Chicago Public Library site.

From One Cafe to Another

From one cafe to another, both on Milwaukee Avenue. Starbucks off of the Damen stop where I delivered Mr. Waldron's commission to Cafe Sonori in Jefferson Park of the El stop by the same name. There was a little girl on the train in between with her grandparents. With her red hair and long porcelain face, she looked like a doll sitting on her grandma's lap. She very obviously and very verbally bored with the train. She lamented, saying that she wished she could apparate and disapperate like they do in Harry Potter so she wouldn't have to take the train, aka muggle transport.
I giggled inside.
I listened as she implored grandpa to take a seat so she could sit on his lap. I watch as she dug into grandma's bag for miniature candy cane they had picked up along the way as she told both of them about school.
Grandma asked her if they had done everything she wanted to do in a manner that said she was asking, "see how much we love you?"
When the little girl, who by now I had learned was named Alexis sat down in a newly vacant seat, sans grandpa's lap, I surreptitiously took a picture of her and her delicate face.