Chicago Layover, 1973
All Photographs Copyright © 2009 by Robert E PenceReturn to Chicago Index In 1973 I took my first long train trip, to San Francisco on Amtrak. The trip involved
a several-hour layover in Chicago to change trains, and I took advantage of the
time to explore a little bit with my camera. I even took a boat tour down the river
and out onto the lake. Here are the photos. See how grimy Union Station was? On July 26, 1980 a fire, thought to have been
caused by discarded smoking materials in a trash cart, started on a basement
loading dock. One Conrail employee in a fifth-floor office died from smoke inhalation.
After the fire, the Great Hall was thoroughly cleaned, and in 1991 as part of an
overall rehab of the station, it received more attention. The automobile was the
then-current offering of the Travelers' Aid Society's seemingly perptual car-raffle fund-raiser.
Out into the beatiful sunny day!
Sears Tower still was under construction.
From the boat:
Back on land, the Art Museum
Illinois Central electrics before the Metra Electric bilevel gallery cars.
I was suprised that because of the height of the building, to keep the sunburstin just the right place, I had to keep moving as I composed the shot, focused,
and set the exposure (full-manual Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex 35mm SLR circa 1962)
