Chicago Vibe Alive

Posts Tagged ‘Urban Photography’

It has been too long. Promise I will be back posting with some great shots. Some quick ones here of a night time tour. I have been wanting a shot of the Philly Church for some time so I am glad I get a good one. MW

Sky Ride

On Friday I decided I was obligated to pay my respects to someone we all owe a lot – Michael Jackson. His house is so close to Chicago that there really isn’t an excuse for not getting on I-90 E and going back to where it all started.

Traffic was decent and I made it by 12:oo p.m. Ever since he died I have been thinking about Cilvaringz song, “Forever Michael.” Cilva is a Moroccan Muslim rapper who was highly influenced by the King Of Pop as a child. Now being on Michael Jackson’s side hardcore in rap lyrics is something I don’t come across often. But, Cilvaringz thought he owed so much to his idol that he wrote an entire song basically telling people, “show some respect.”

And it goes on…The day I visited MJ’s childhood home there was a group of people from Grand Rapids Michigan who had driven all morning just to show their support. The crowd was mixed, not a large news presence but at least 50 people were present the whole time I was there.

After visiting the site and getting the pictures I wanted I decided to take a quick tour of the city when you stray off Broadway. I found some interesting abandoned buildings including, a theater, church and post office. The picture below are from the theater.   In the end I hope they turn the site into a memorial of some sort to bring commerce to Gary. I know the Mayor has been lobbying this idea since day one  - which is a little unsettling. Enjoy Gary…. MW

Michael Jackson's childhood home

I heard Hank Williams III was going on tour I was very excited and patiently waited for the full schedule to be released. I kept waiting for Chicago to appear or anything east of the Mississippi and north of St. Louis. Then I noticed that he was playing in LA at the Roxy. Well, where else to see a show – real quick…It was sold out, packed to the brim, big crazy guys who like country and heavy metal, beers spilling, YET, very considerate and welcoming. Every time a younger kid, or someone under 200 lbs. would wander into the pit and get knocked down the most bad ass of the bunch was there to lift him up.

If you never been to the Roxy, the stage is about 2 feet off the ground and sound is great. No matter where you are you have an amazing view. Hank put on a great show and played a couple tunes I definitly wanted to hear. The best part….the crowd. LA got down.

But…..the whole day before the show Mary and I drove all around LA. Slow rollin the Saab to get some great shots of the streets and off the path spots. My digital wasn’t charged so I took out a Nikon F100 and shot some color film. First roll was with a Fuji brand that was excellent – suggested to me by Central Camera Chicago (great shop). Ran through that in about 30 minutes and had to stop at a random store that was like a mix between a Sears and a mini mart. I asked if they had film and they did – some Kodax film came out super grainy and almost unusable due to it being later it the day. When developed it actually put nice effect on the motel sign shots, making them feel as old as they look.

This was the first place we stopped. That guy in the photo wasn’t there. Mary bought this candle to make people shut up.

Inside the store…

old LA…love these signs

The next three shots will be from the garment district….

Love the theme

Great old motel signs and believe me these motels were hopping.

outro….