Some of the best museums in Chicago

Chicago is home to a very large number of museums and cultural institutions that are both big and small in size. What they all have in common however is that they would make up for a great afternoon when you have the free time for that. If you are wondering what to do next weekend, if the weather is bad, or with the few spare hours after work because you have finally succumbed to the temptation and hired a professional cleaning company to take care of your chores, then you should definitely consider dropping by some of the following places in the city of Chicago.

Art Institute of Chicago

You will find it in the mid of the beautiful Grant Park. The Art Institute of Chicago was founded in 1879, which makes it not only one of the largest art museums in the country, but the oldest too. It is a research museum, which means that there is a lot of scientific work going on in it too. This activity however is not something that would interest you at first. Most visitors are keener on the magnificent collection that is stored in the 11 encyclopedic departments here. There are well over 300 000 pieces of art in the museum. Naturally, no one is able neither to display nor to see at once this wealth, which is why the administration of the museum goes at a great length to make sure that their visitors are in a position to take the most out of their stays in the halls of the Art Institute. Well over 30 separate exhibits are held annually here in order to highlight different aspects of the collection, so you should make sure to check out what is on before going. Some of the most precious pieces of art that are housed here include:

• Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884
• Pablo Picasso’s The Old Guitarist
• Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks
• Grant Wood’s American Gothic
• El Greco’s Saint Martin and the Beggar
• Édouard Manet’s Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers
• Kazimir Malevich’s Painterly Realism of a Football Player—Color Masses in the 4th Dimension

Chicago History Museum

If you are not a big fan of art, but history is a subject that has always fascinated you, then this is precisely the place in Chicago for you. The Chicago History Museum was founded after the Great Chicago Fire, when the building of the Chicago History Society was burnt to the ground. Today’s building is nearly a hundred percent fireproof, a decision that cost quite a lot but in the end it was made with the sole purpose to avoid the sore experience from the past. The main focus of the collection is of course the history of the city, but also there is a very extensive collection dedicated to the American Civil War, and the life and work of Abraham Lincoln. Chicago: Crossroads of America is one of the most precious exhibits here. The Making History Award is awarded annually to important organizations and residents of the city, and they are usually the highlight of the year’s programme.

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

This is definitely the place to bring your kids. Every kid loves nature, after all. Even though it is probably the oldest museum in Chicago, founded in 1851, the present day building located at the intersection of Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park was actually opened in 1999. It is named after the eponymous Peggy Notebaert, wife of then Qwest Communications chairman and chief executive officer Richard Notebaert. There are several long term exhibitions that are housed here, but many seasonal events are being held too. The staff has put much effort into arranging areas such as the Butterfly Haven, City Science house, Water Lab and Wilderness Walk habitat exhibit, which are all worth your while. In addition to the green home demonstrations, where your kids will learn about healthy environmentally responsible living, and the live butterfly house, which is among the most beautiful things that you can see, in the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum you will have the chance to learn all about the flora and fauna of the state of Illinois.

David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art

This is one of the smaller, yet very nice institutions that we encourage you to check out. This museum holds considerably less pieces than the Art Institute for example – the most recent statistics place them at the number 15 000 in the permanent collection. One of the major pros of the Smart Museum of Art is the fact that admission here is free for everyone. It was founded by the Smart Family Foundation in 1967 – a period of great cultural upheaval and development in Chicago, as you might know. The collection is divided into several sections – Modern Art (including works by Paul Delvaux, Arthur Dove, Childe Hassam, Walt Kuhn, Norman Lewis, Matta, Joan Mitchell, Jean Metzinger, Diego Rivera and many more), Asian Art, European Art and Contemporary Art. At the current moment the Smart Museum is run entirely by the University of Chicago.

Museum of Science and Industry

Stirring away from history and art, Chicago has a number of other pretty nice museums dedicated to different subjects to offer to you. Once of those is the MSI – Museum of Science and Industry. The 2000 exhibits stored in 75 halls are all really interesting. The Coal Mine, a recreation of a real-life coal mine, Take Flight, featuring a Boeing 727, and the Transportation Zone are all highlights and should be your starting point for exploration of the MSI, but they are also just the tip of the iceberg. If you are willing to enrich your knowledge about science, industry and how technology influences the modern-day way of life of every single one of us, then you should definitely make the time to drop by the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. It is to be found at 5700 South Lake Shore Drive (East 57^th Street).

 

Fairytales come to life – how J.K. Rowling became the wealthiest writers in the world

If you were born in the 90s, there is  a very good chance that your childhood was marked by the sign of one of the greatest series of young-adult oriented literature in the history of Western culture. We are talking about, of course, about J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. The story of the young wizard, who along with a band of faithful friends battles the evil powers in this world contains all the ingredients of a good fairytale, and then adds up more. In addition to the fact that hundreds of millions of children all around the world grew up with the adventures of Harry and the gang, the series made J. K. Rowling the wealthiest living author today. Her story however is no less heart-breaking than the one described in her books. Quite the contrary, in all fairness it is just like the ones great books are made of.

The early years

 

1. K. Rowling was born on 31 July 1965 to the family of one Peter James Rowling, who was an aircraft engineer with Rolls-Royce, and science technician Anne Rowling. She has a younger sister, who was born some 2 years after her. Her childhood was not unlike that of many young girls at that time in Britain. The Rowling family moved frequently from place to place – from the town of Yates, where the future Harry Potter author was born, to the village of Winterbourne, then to Tutshill and beyond. In her formative years Rowling started writing fantasy stories to read to her younger sister Diana. It was in 1982 when she took the entrance exams to the University of Oxford, but she did not get in. She read French and Classics for her BA degree in the University of Exeter instead. After a year spent in Paris she graduated from Exeter in 1986 and started working at Amnesty International in London.

The idea of Harry Potter

 

By 1990 Rowling was in a committed relationship. She has moved once more, this time to Manchester, to be with her boyfriend and work for the Chamber of Commerce. In her own words, the idea about the boy wizard came to her while on one of her daily commutes on the train. The picture, as described by the future author, was so vivid that she got back home and started writing immediately. Unfortunately, her mother passed away later that same year, which deeply affected Rowling and made her slip into a mild form of depression. She stopped work on the novel. To make matters even worse, those were not the only bad news that she was about to receive from life in the years to come.

The darkest days

 

Rowling’s life on the road did not seize. She found an advert in the Guardian for a job teaching English in Porto, Portugal and she got it. She lived for a year and a half there – teaching during the day and writing during the night, when she met a local journalist Jorge Arantes in a bar. They were married in 1992, and next year their only child Jessica was born. Just several months after  the birth of the kid the couple separated. Even though there is no firm evidence about that, some researchers share the opinion that Rowling suffered from domestic abuse during the marriage, which was one of the main reasons she quit the relationship. In December that same year Rowling moved, together with Jessica, to Edinburgh.

They say that it is always darkest before the dawn, and that was indeed the case for Rowling. Several years after graduating from university, she had lost her mother, had suffered a miscarriage, was divorced from an abusive husband and found herself unemployed and with a dependent child. While living on welfare benefits from the state, she slipped into deeper form of clinical depression. Writing was the only way she knew how to cope with the situation, and as a result from her efforts – she reportedly worked in cafes around the neighborhood where she and Jessica lived, because those were the only places where the young child could sleep – she completed the first draft of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Finally, success

 

It was in 1995 when she received a very enthusiastic response from what was to become her first agency – the Fulham-based Christopher Little Literary Agents. The book was rejected by as many as 12 publishing houses (which probably consider that their biggest failure in history now) before Bloomsbury bought the rights for an advance of 1500 GBP. That is nothing compared to what Rowling is earning now, for sure, but at that time you can bet that she was more than relieved by the news. And it was only the beginning, before when it came out in 1997, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone won the British Book Award for Children’s Book of the Year. Then, in 1998, the US rights were bought by Scholastic Inc. for the then-record breaking 105 000 USD – no other publishing house has paid more for a first-time children novelist at that point.

It was a tough road for Rowling, who took 7 years to write and publish her first book, and it was a path through hell for her for sure. But in the end of the day, it was all worth it, as it seems. Now, in addition to being highly successful and being idolized by legions of fans all around the world, Rowling is happily re-married and enjoying the benefits of her talent, hard work and perseverance – much like what she was always talking about in her novels.

Rowling’s success in numbers and figures

• 7 Harry Potter novels
• 8 films and counting
• 400 million sold copies of her books world wide
• Personal wealth of 600 million GBP (you can bet that she no longer has to worry about finding affordable and efficient house clearance services  or the like)

Why do English Premier League teams struggle in European tournaments?

Football is by far the most popular sport in the world. People start playing it at a very early age and many of them go on to become great professionals. Others simply remain die-hard fans for the rest of their life. Even the USA slowly becomes fond of the sport as the country hosts a number of box office friendly matches every summer during the off-season. Their stadiums are full and sports bars are crowded as well – not everywhere yet, but it’s a nice start. The raising popularity of football across the USA is mainly due to the extensive coverage of the English Premier League that TV networks provide there. English football is considered (by many) to be the best championship in the world. It is said to be the most dynamic and unpredictable tournament among all other domestic competitions. The game there has a lot of flare, beautiful goals, tenacity and big crowds.

But there is something a little disturbing of late. English teams have a hard time playing well and with good results in the European club tournaments such as Europa League and the Champions League. The latter is the most highly paid, most expensive sport tournament in the world. It is also the most (World cup aside) prestigious football tournament to win. If you are looking to establish your dominance or cement your legacy as a football player, coach, president or owner grabbing this title must be your main goal. We had to clarify this because many people suggest that English teams just don’t care about European Trophies because winning everything in England is a greater achievement. Frankly this isn’t true. First off let’s discuss the money. The Champions League is the most sponsored tournament of them all. Also it has the most viewers in every country across Europe and some parts of the world. The financial reason is a very good one for this title to be pursued.  Even if you are a club making a lot of money in your domestic championship you simply can’t pass the financial injection that UEFA will give you if you win it all In Europe. Another good reason is the opportunity to really prove you are the best football club there is. In order to win the Champions League you need to beat the best teams from the top countries. And there are some of the best start players who play in these teams. We simply need to mention Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi who play for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. And then there are the giants of Bayern Munich, arguably the best team in Europe. There are other top class Dutch, Italian, Portuguese and French teams you need to eliminate in order to become a champion. In short it’s a merciless marathon after which you will deservingly be pronounced an undisputable champion if you win it. So we simply cannot fathom how can anyone defend the idea that there’s nothing to play for in Europe.

So the reasons for English clubs failings in Europe need to be found elsewhere. First comes recruitment. Many footballers play in England for enormous salaries that many say they don’t deserve. A lot of “stars” come and go. And this problem exists together with the other problem – young players. Every English team is forced to use at least 3 players under the age of 21 in their first team. This affects coaching a lot. Every team needs to dig out decent enough English players although it’s hard to believe that great cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, London and Birmingham can’t produce great football talent. Famous well-paid players see England as a transition place. They come and go. Team chemistry is rarely built. Spanish and German players tend to stay and play at their domestic championships for years.

Another thing is the game itself. English football isn’t very well tactically built. It’s fine when two English teams clash because they play the same. When you meet a very well prepared Paris Saint-Germain you can’t expect to have an easy game. Furthermore technical skills aren’t top priority in English football. People play with more physicality, more fouls and speed. You will rarely see beautiful moves – it’s mostly pushing and jumping with hard fouls. Also Premier league teams play a very attacking football. The mindset is simply not defensive and this is why very few superstar defenders play there. Furthermore defensive backs usually embrace the role of wingers and this allows many teams to leave empty spaces on the sides when it comes to defense.
In short the reasons are:

 

• Bad tactics

 

• Lackluster defense

 

• A lot of money, not much class

 

• Competitiveness of the EPL

 

• Complacency

 

• Lack of game intelligence

 

• Bad recruitment

It hasn’t been all bad though. Between the year 2005 and 2009 there was always at least one English club playing in the final of the Champions League. And in 2008 two English clubs squared off – Manchester United vs. Chelsea. The 2005 final needs to be specially noted because of Liverpool’s outstanding return from 0-3 against Milan. The English team finally claimed the title after a penalty shootout. The last time a Premier Team won it all was in 2012 when Chelsea beat Bayern Munich again after penalties. But we are talking about English football in general. The fact that one team made it to final and the rest lost in the 1/8 final round isn’t one to be proud of.

Many teams have been reshaped over the last season and we are yet to see what they are capable of. But we have to say that other clubs outside of England have gotten better too. If we this year the English teams fail to reach the late stages of the tournament they might lose their right to send 4 teams in the Champions league and receive just a 3 team quota.

Amazing structures that never got built

Construction has been an integral part of the evolution of mankind. Today we are able to built immense structures which cover huge areas and which can provide shelter or business opportunities to numerous people simultaneously. However, not all construction projects have become a reality as some of them were simply too costly, extravagant or big to be made. Here are some of the most fascinating edifice concepts that were never realised.

Hotel Attraction

Designed by the legendary Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, the Hotel Attraction was supposed to be the tallest building in New York. The edifice was planned to be 360 metres high but was discarded as the concept was too unrealistic for its time. Until the mid-1950s little was known about the structure. It was the release of Joan Matamala i Flotats’s report “When the New World called Gaudí” that shared more light about the building. However, Gaudí’s work was not in vain as his plans were used as a basis for the reconstruction of Ground Zero in Manhattan, New York.

Ville Contemporaine

French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier thought he could solve Paris’s urban housing crisis by creating a large modern neighbourhood which would have the capacity to accommodate a total of three million residents. The focal part of his construction concept was a cluster of skyscrapers built on steel frames with glass façades. Each edifice would be 60 floors tall and have both commercial and residential properties. The quarter was supposed to be linked to the remainder of the French capital via a gigantic transportation hub that would provide both bus and rail services. It would also have had its own airport and highway network that will connect Ville Contemporaine to the other nearby settlements of the area. Although it sounded good on paper, the project had numerous downsides, such as the fact that the architect emphasised on automobile transportation and kept pedestrian circulation to a minimum and more importantly that after completion the price of the properties would be so high that only the richest people in France would be able to afford to live in the neighborhood which ultimately doesn’t serve the initial goal of the quarter.

Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid

This super structure was supposed to be located in the Tokyo Bay in Japan. It was designed by the Shimizu Corporation and if it was built it would have been the largest man-made edifice on the planet. The mega-city was planned to be twelve times higher than the Great Pyramid of Giza and would had the capacity to house a total of one million people. The structure would have been comprised of 55 smaller pyramids (each the size of the prolific Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, USA) which would have been connected to one another via nanotubes. Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid would have been resistant to strong winds, earthquakes and tsunamis and would have been covered with photovoltaic film that would transform sunlight into electricity. Pond scum and algae would have been used as a secondary power source. Upon completion the structure would have covered an area of 8 square kilometres and would have had a height of over 2.000 metres. The reason why it never left the planning table is that it couldn’t be built with the present conventional materials.

Fourth Grace

New structures are being built in the city of Liverpool on a frequent basis and this keeps all contractors that provide eco-friendly rubbish removals in Liverpool extremely busy. Sadly, one of the structures that never got the green light was the Fourth Grace. The edifice’s concept was created by Will Alsop and was submitted under the name “The Cloud”. It got its name due to the fact that it was supposed to be constructed in close proximity to the world famous Three Graces of Liverpool which are:

• Cunard Building which dates back to the mid-1910s

• Port of Liverpool Building which was construction from 1903 to 1907

• Royal Liver Building which was built between 1908 and 1911

The Fourth Grace would have been one of the tallest buildings in the city with a height of about 119 metres and would have overshadowed any of the aforementioned edifices. It was designed in the Zoomorphic architectural style and would have been used as an office building. It would also have housed a 107-room hotel. The local authorities however decided to cancel the construction of the structure in 2004 as it would have been too expensive.

The Palace of the Soviets

The Palace of the Soviets was supposed to be an administrative centre and congress hall in Moscow, Russia. The structure was to be built on the site of the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and upon completion would have been one of the tallest buildings on the globe. It was designed by Boris Iofan who planned to top the edifice with a gigantic statue of Lenin. The total height of the structure would have been 495 metres (antenna spire included) and would have had a count of 100 floors. Unlike the other entries from the list, the Palace of the Soviets got green lighted and its building began in 1937. The construction work was halted during World War II and in 1942 the structure was dismantled so that its steel can be used for the fortifications of the Russian capital. After the end of the war the steel was used for the construction of the Bolshoy Krasnokholmsky Bridge. The aforementioned mentioned cathedral was rebuilt on the site during the late 1990s.

Volkshalle

This mammoth monumental edifice was designed by German architect Albert Speer and commissioned by Adolf Hitler. It was supposed to become Berlin’s most importantly and emblematic structure and a symbol of the German’s strength and power. If completed it would have had the largest dome on Earth and would have been one of the largest structure made by man. The project however was never realised due to the break of the Second World War. CG Images of Volkshalle have been used in scenes of the highly rate television show “The Man in the High Castle”.

 

The Royal Observatory in Greenwich – a brief history

Greenwich is one of the best known places in London. Everyone has heard the name of the borough and the area, even they have never been here before. The reason for that is mainly the fact that the Prime Meridian is named after Greenwich, and from there – the internationally used Greenwich Mean Time. The Royal Observatory of Greenwich, one of the oldest scientific institutions of its kind, was the responsible factor for those things.

The building of the observatory, which is no longer serving its original purpose, is located in the mid of Greenwich Park in an area that offers a breathtaking panorama of the River Thames. It was commissioned by no other King Charles II, thus the designation Royal. The charter for the construction was signed in 1675 and the foundation stone for the future observatory was laid on 10 August that same year. The construction of the building was entrusted to Sir Christopher Wren, who is probably the most highly acclaimed architect in British history. There is little doubt that such a title is wholly deserved. Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt as many as 52 churches after the Great London Fire, but other buildings that are his work include  St. Paul’s Cathedral, The Royal Naval College, the front of Hampton Court Palace and many others.

Wren was actually commissioned to create the first purpose-built scientific facility in British history. He was given 500 pounds for the project, which eventually went over budget and was completed the next year (1675) for 520 pounds.

In addition to the Observatory itself, the position of Astronomer Royal was also established. His duties were to govern the activities that are taking place in the Royal Observatory, or to quote from the original chart with which the position was established: “”apply himself with the most exact care and diligence to the rectifying of the tables of the motions of the heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so much desired longitude of places for the perfecting of the art of navigation.” The first occupier of the post was no other than John Flamstead who is to this day remembered for his scientific feat of cataloging no less than 3000 stars. Most of this strenuous work was completed while he was at the position of Astronomer Royal. Actually, his persona became so tightly connected to the Royal Observatory that long after his death the place was still referred to by locals as the Flamstead House.

Originally, the Observatory was built with the purpose of housing the instruments and equipment of the Astronomer Royal and to accommodate him at best in the course of his work. Eventually additional responsibilities for the occupant and staff of the observatory were added, like hosting Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office, and of course marking the official time of the day.

Sir Jonas Moore, who at the time of the establishment acted as Surveyor General at the Ordnance Office, and is reputed to be the brain behind the establishment of the observatory and establishing John Flamstead as director, furthermore donated two clocks, work of the famed clock-master Thomas Tompion, which were installed high in the principle room of the building – the Octagon Room. The position of the clock and their unique designed gave an unparallel accuracy at the time – seven seconds per day.
Despite the myriad of brilliant scientists and the tons of good work that has been done in the Royal Observatory, what the place will always be remembered for would be the establishment of the Prime Meridian. This happened in 1851. The person behind the establishment of the Greenwich Meridian was Sir George Airly. Until the end of the 19^th century all ships and nautical maps around the world used the Greenwich Prime Meridian as a main reference point. The decision that namely Greenwich would be home to the prime meridian was made at a congress at the behest of the US President Chester A. Arthur. As many as 41 delegates from 25 nations attended the so called International Meridian Conference that took place in October 1884. At that time the Greenwich Meridian was already so popular with trade and military sailors that there was little surprise in the decision that it is to become the official Prime Meridian of the world. It passes through the Airy transit circle (51°28′40.1″N 0°0′5.3″W) of the Greenwich observatory.

Some other major points in the history of the Royal observatory can be seen in the following brief chronology:

 

• 22 June 1675 – the Observatory is founded

 

• 10 August 1675 – beginning of the construction

 

• 1714 Longitude Act established the Board of Longitude and Longitude rewards. Until the act was dissolved in 1828, the Astronomer Royal was always Commissioner of Longitude.

 

• 1767 – the publication of Nautical Almanac began courtesy to Astronomer Royal Nevil Maskelyne

 

• 1818 Oversight of the Royal Observatory was transferred from the Board of Ordnance to the Board of Admiralty.

 

• 1833 – by dropping of Time ball the daily time signals were established

 

• 1899 – extension of the Royal Observatory, known as the South Building, was completed

 

• 1924 – hourly time signals began being broadcasted via radio

 

• 1957 – The Royal Observatory was moved to Herstmonceux. The Greenwich site is renamed to The Old Royal Observatory

 

As it was already mentioned, there is no longer scientific work done at the old site. Today however the Observatory Museum, which is the main function the building carries out, is one of the most interesting attractions in Greenwich Park and in the borough as a whole. If you are coming to live in Greenwich and you have already left it to your professional man and van services in South East London to handle the move, come here with your kids. You will be more than happy with the time spend at the observatory, because you will relax, de-stress and you will get acquainted with your new place of residence in the best possible manner – through its rich history and cultural importance.

 

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