Sunday, October 26, 2014

That toddlin' town...


At the end of September, I went to Chicago to attend the wedding of good friends.  The wedding was on the roof top garden of The Public Hotel located on the Gold Coast just a few blocks north of all that shopping along Michigan Avenue.  The wedding was in the evening and it gave me a perfect opportunity to capture a sunset shot across the Chicago skyline.  What a fantastic view!


The hotel is the home of the infamous Pump Room, a gathering point for the rich and famous of the 40's, 50's, and 60's.  The hotel restaurant has retained the name but, the decor has changed dramatically.  I had dinner here a year ago when I was in Chicago and I can assure you that the food was excellent and the service fantastic.  I snapped the above photo in the late afternoon before the dinner crowd had arrived.  On the lower level of the hotel there are two walls of photographs, floor to ceiling, of the many celebrities that dined at the Pump Room during it's hey-day back when the hotel was called The Ambassador East.


The above photo shows the bar of the Pump Room.  I love that minimalist look.

Everything about this hotel is elegant and modern.  Staying there made the weekend even more special than it already was.

There is a Wikipedia history of the Pump Room that lists some of the many famous people who frequented the place.  Just click the link.


9 comments:

Lowell said...

Alalalala. The Pump Room. You're a lucky person! And that first photo is absolutely perfect! Wow!

I lived in Chicago in 1954-55 and later in the 60s and I never got to the Pump Room. :)

Anonymous said...

Great looking place, and a spectacular looking cityscape too!

Thérèse said...

What a view! Everyone went to Chicago it seems except for me.
:-)

Mersad said...

The sunset bathed cityscape is breathtaking.

Mersad
Mersad Donko Photography

Kate said...

The sun on the buildings in the top photo is wonderful. I LOVE Chicago.. . .I lived there for six years during my wild oats days. Incidentally, was my photo on the wall?

Judy said...

Love that skyline shot of the city.

Anonymous said...

Chicago town ... Seems to be finding itself again and has become a destination for us folk who spend too much of our income on food, wine and travel .. and love every minute of it

Lois said...

Beautiful picture of the skyline at sunset and that hotel looks great! I love the pics of Pump Room too. I have been to Chicago several times with my daughter and we have always stayed at the Palmer House which also has an interesting history with its Empire Room.

Jack said...

Sharon, your sunset skyline photo is a dazzler. And those light globes are terrific, too.