The heart of the city. Better and less crowded than the Bean…read more This fecal fountain is a fun little photo op when you're in the city, and it's right down the street from Kasama, making them an unlikely but excellent pair.

Exactly what you'd expect: a statue that looks like poop. There was also a super friendly outdoor…read moreorange cat nearby named Mister that made my entire day. He was so cute and so worth the visit to the Shit Fountain. It's also near Kasama, so you can definitely make a trip out of this or take a quick detour if you're in the area.

I feel a little catfished by this mural project. Looking online, there appeared to be more to it…read more But it's literally about a mile of murals, up and down the overpasses, in Rogers Park, a neighborhood of Chicago. The murals focus mainly on Chicago history, history of the Rogers neighborhood, Audubon birds, and a few other subjects. The murals are nice overall, though some are poorly kept. I don't think they've been updated in a long time. My favorite was the Barack Obama mural. It's easier to walk them than drive them because there is very little parking and a ton of one way streets. I drove quite a ways out to this neighborhood, through Lakeshore Drive traffic. If you're in the area, go for it. There is a cute little pedestrian only street with a tavern and quaint shops. But don't drive from the outskirts just for this.

The Mile of Murals is a unique work of art in Rogers Park. Started in 2007, over the years the…read moreproject has commissioned a number of works: There are several that span the entire block, and there are several viaducts that have murals as well. The goal of this project is to paint from Estes to Pratt, covering the retaining wall along the Red Line in artwork. There are still five block-long sections of this project remaining to complete. All of the works are cool. My favorite, however, is "Connect Origins to Destinations: The History of Rogers Park". It tells the story of Rogers Park from its early days as a home to Potawatomi. The Indian Boundary Line, for which Indian Boundary Park is named, is located at Rogers & Clark... unfortunately, there's a commemorative plaque praising the negotiation skills of white men with the native peoples to cede Chicago to them, but that's a story for another time. I loved learning things about this neighborhood I never knew before through this large -scale art project.

I asked him to print a poster on glossy paper, and the quality turned out excellent. The price was…read morethe lowest I could find in Chicago, which was a great bonus. He even replied to my email over the weekend, which I really appreciated. Highly recommended!

Highly recommended. The business made me static-cling vinyl race car number decals. They came out…read moreperfect, within the tight deadline I needed, at a very reasonable price, and pickup time was super flexible.

I decided to do something rather unique for Veteran's Day this year by taking a quick trip up to…read moreLake County to check out one of Jiffy Lube's most recently completed murals, "Flowers in My Head," a mural that sits on a Jiffy Lube located between the Adam Benjamin VA Clinic and the Gary Area VetCenter in Crown Point, Indiana. The large mural was created by local artist and disabled veteran Ismael Muhammed Nieves, who works under the name ISH. ISH has been a muralist and graffiti writer for over 30 years and is known locally for his work with Eskenazi Hospital, the SubSurface Graffiti Exhibition, and as a founding member of Indiana's first and oldest Latino Artist Collective - Crazy Indiana Style Artists (CISA). He was also an active artist and member for another Jiffy Lube Mural - Three Kings. ISH has dealt with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for 20+ years. He finally decided to get help when he began to realize how disconnected he was with his family. In fact, ISH is a frequent visitor to the VA clinic across the street. According to ISH's description of the mural, "The mural follows a timeline of the internal emotions, actions, and results a soldier with PTSD may travel. Visually, the mural is divided into two parts starting from the top left corner going left-to-right and the bottom half traveling from right-to-left." ISH chose to portray cartoon characters to lighten the viewing experience and flower symbolism to zone out different areas and allow veterans to focus on talking points. "With full artistic license from Jiffy Lube, I was provided a platform to cover PTSD," said ISH. "I had to find a creative way to approach the subject so it would not trigger a stressful or anxious moment." The mural begins with children running through a flower field. They can barely see above the nose-high flowers and slap each other with the flowers they've pulled from the field. The characters high-five each other when they get out of the field. There is a celebration but it's not necessarily tied to national victory but simply getting out alive. In the next section, they are taking off turtle shell helmets and placing them in a pile, a representation of transitioning from a reptilian mind to a civilian. The next scene in the mural represents seeing yourself in the mirror, with your hair undone and flowers in your hair and feeling unsettled. The rake on the character's boots represents the work ahead. It's a matter of clearing the field and dropping new seeds and germinating healthier thoughts. The seeds being dropped from the air represents the awakening that comes from asking/answering the questions. The pink cloud being combed and watering the ground below represents going through the thoughts that will germinate new perspectives. On the bottom half of the mural (from right to left), the first scene shows scissors cutting hair with flowers. It represents that sometimes the only way to move on is to cut it off. The two girls combing through each other's hair represents the therapy process. The therapist (left) is trained to assist and always learn and develop her practice with each new patient. The soldier (right) has her hair covering her face. It represents shame and/or unawareness. It may be hard for soldiers to seek or know they require therapy. Their hair has the colors of the flag to represent one American helping another. The next scene shows the yellow hand throwing the flowers from their hair into a compost. This represents the energy and value in the memories and lessons learned. Tossing the flowers into the compost provides food for the garden you keep. Moving through the process, the young lady is then admiring herself because she has gone through the process and is happy with her appearance. Her hair is neat and organized and decorated with a red bow. The red bow represents the red poppies above her. It shows she has found a way to accentuate and decorate herself. Lastly, standing behind her is a soldier with a shovelful of freshly made compost. It represents that the work never stops. While Jiffy Lube has commissioned many outstanding murals, this mural may very well be my favorite. It's comprehensive yet created with tremendous clarity. It's quite beautiful and incredibly meaningful. As someone who also lives with PTSD, I'm in awe of just how wonderfully ISH has brought the experience to life in an artistic and meaningful way. Is it worth a 2-hour drive to see it? Actually, yes it is. It's also a remarkable and worthy tribute to America's veterans and I'm glad I could check it out on Veteran's Day 2021.

This stretch of murals, also called the B_Line, is an ongoing work. It was created in 1971--and…read moreyes, you heard that correctly; it's over 50 years old. Ricardo Alonzo was an SAIC graduate and started the project with an environmental focus, but over time they have evolved. The organization that assumed responsibility for murals selects artists from around the world to paint them, and flies them out here to create their work. While most of the original murals from 50 years ago have faded away with time, they try to preserve what they can and create new art when they can't. It's an interesting stretch of about a mile, and is not a city project. The organization has an arrangement in perpetuity with the railroad for which the embankment is built. It will be interesting to see how this evolves and what new works are created.

These murals make a reason to visit in an otherwise bland elevated rail infrastructure,separating…read morethe Fulton market neighborhood. Each segment, uniquely different, are an homage to the city and its people. Colorful and vibrant, it paints a picture of unique individualism and whimsy countering a gentrifying area of the city.

What a surprise to find this mural in Lombard! I love murals and public art in general, and am a…read morebig fan of Kelsey Montague's #WhatLiftsYou public mural project. I've visited the one she did in Nashville, and have considered taking a trip to visit the one in Indiana as well. So I was delighted when, on the way to an early morning breakfast at Honey Berry Cafe in Yorktown, I found this purely by accident since I took the long way round the mall. It's between what is currently (as of August 2019) a Barre Studio and Amazing Eyelash. It's really the definition of blink-and-you'll-miss-it. I hate to name an anchor store, since it was Carson's and that's a dead brand, but JCPenney is the next closest. I was there at 8:30 on a Monday, so the mall wasn't open and the only people here were people heading to workout at Barre or Orange Theory. So it's possible that people stop here all the time and everyone knows about it, and I just am a city slicker who's out of the loop (um... so to speak). Though it should go without saying, if you do stop here for a photo, be mindful that you're in a mall parking lot, and the place where the mural is happens to be right by a sharp curve where the driver would probably not see someone who wasn't standing on the sidewalk. Exercise great caution! But take a moment to appreciate a really nice bit of public work.

You can find these amazing murals at the underpass of Foster Avenue and Lake Shore Drive, Uptown…read moreChicago. They are pretty colorful and really adds life to the concrete walls! The walk from the lake to the residential area is more enjoyable.

I discovered this other little gem today on my way to Sunshine Cafe…read more And I was, just as for the one on 47th street, thoroughly impressed. And smiling. Turning gloomy underpasses into wonderful works of art is one of the best forms of urban improvement I have seen in years. It might seem pretty insignificant in the great scheme of things but to me it's highly symbolic: to revitalize some of the most disregarded spots of the city - ANY city - is definitely a step in the right direction. Underpasses are not doomed to be dark, smelly and forgotten. And when the art on display celebrate the Native American culture it takes a whole new dimension. The result - "Indian Land Dancing" - is a colorful display that interweaves time and heritage, with both distinct tribal nuances and larger Native American symbolism providing the bulk of the imagery. But no stereotype here: the entire project was in the hands of the Native American community who wanted to do 'something very meaningful' and connected to the present. Among other things: a skateboarder glides down the shimmering black mane of woman who hugs a sphere of seven circles representing responsibility to future generations. The underside of his board says "Apache." Woven into the woman's hair, a poem reads, "With our strong arms, we form a circle, and in that circle, we embrace the world." The 3,200 square inch mosaic grace both walls of the underpass, and is the only public display of Native American art in the city. Don't miss it this summer while walking to the beach. It's breathtaking.

This is a historic statue of the 16th President Abraham Lincoln. It was one of two Abraham Lincoln…read morestatues that Augustus Saint-Gaudens created for the city. It was created in 1908 and placed in its final home in 1924. The statue is also known as Seated Lincoln or Sitting Lincoln. The statue stands 9 feet alone and is perched on a 9 foot pedestal. The front of the pedestal has "Abraham Lincoln". The statue has a lot of corrosion and has seen better days, but I will give it a pass since it is over 100 years old. You will find this statue tucked away in an 150-foot wide exedra in Grant Park. The exedra has tall spires on each end. You have to climb a few stairs to get to the statue. This statue is the only permanent monument on the Court of Presidents. There is metered street parking, commercial garages and commercial lots within a reasonable walking distance from the statue and park. As with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a destination piece, nor a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes and I was only there because I was visiting Grant Park. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.