Made the most of a walkabout through the city yesterday, on a warm and sunny Saturday in September. First, I took the Historic Downtown Loop walking tour offered by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. It’s been a few years since I’d taken a CAF tour. It was enjoyable to take this one again and reacquaint myself with some familiar old buildings. If you haven’t taken their downtown walking tours, I highly recommend them as a unique way to gain insight into Chicago’s rich (architectural) history. It’s also a good reminder to always look up and take a moment to walk through the front door to see the wonders inside some of the most unassuming edifices in the loop.

After lunch at my favorite sandwich shop downtown (Cafecito) we stopped in Central camera and then walked over the river to the Poetry Foundation to see their recently opened new building. It’s a unique corner structure, with one side screened by a faux wall. The exterior of the building is a mixture of stone, metal, glass, mirror, and strategically located trees.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t open on a Saturday afternoon (!!) so we had to content ourselves with walking around the outside and peering through the screen and into the window. The entryway looked interestingly laid out, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get in to see it. They have a very unique way of keeping people out, as you can see in the photo above; an entire section of the entry way raises up to act like a barrier.

Afterward, we hopped on the el, got off at Argyle and walked over to Hopleaf. The entire summer had gotten away before I’d spent one afternoon sipping beer in their back patio and this seemed the perfect afternoon to set that right.