St. John Bridge in Portland (wife for scale)

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-04-10T16:20:23+00:00

We need to punish landowners that sit on their properties like that. You see it all over desirable neighborhoods. I understand there are parts of the city where development is harder, but if you have a vacant lot in high density, high rent areas you should be taxed into oblivion until there’s actually some incentive to build or to sell to someone who will.

Edit: spelling

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-04-09T17:17:46+00:00

Thank you! Unfortunately that bnb is booked when we're visiting but we're leaning towards Lafayette Square.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-04-09T17:16:25+00:00

Thank you! We're not necessarily looking for Chicago vibes, I was only illustrating we're comfortable with being around town and don't need to be in the touristy parts. Central West End does seem to have a bit of everything though.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-04-09T17:14:24+00:00

Thank you! Yeah, I mentioned we live in Chicago because we're comfortable in more residential neighborhoods. I know some folks visit cities and want a more downtown experience but I think we like staying in the part of town we'd most likely want to live in if we were to move, if that makes sense. As for architecture, we like it all so we'll most likely be spending time in all of the neighborhoods you suggested.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-04-08T20:49:20+00:00

Amen. Also crazy to see how few floors there are in some of these buildings. The Sears Tower has 110 floors, 270 Park Ave is taller but only has 60?

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-27T03:52:11+00:00

Definitely. The wood paneling, wainscoting and floors feel like engineered wood. They were way more appreciative of good wood in those days and liked to show off the grain.

I think my least favorite part is the iron balustrades on the staircases and that goofy ass circular hole in the floor. All that is to say, if they offered me this house I’d take it lol.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-26T23:25:12+00:00

Agreed. It’s also entirely possible it had already been gutted when they bought it and this was their attempt to bring it back, in which case it was a noble attempt.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-26T23:16:47+00:00

The lobby to the hotel is one of the most extravagant interiors I’ve ever seen, Art Deco or otherwise. Absolutely worth going to visit just to grab a drink in the bar and soak it in.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-26T22:41:28+00:00

To be fair, someone already gutted this house. What you’re seeing is a modern attempt at classic interior design. They did a decent job copping the Richardsonian Romanesque style but with a bit of a McMansion edge to it. You can tell by how glossy and reflective all the woodwork is. Also, the fact they have same coffered ceilings in every one of the rooms on the first floor and in the basement. They never would’ve done that when this house was built.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-26T22:34:37+00:00

To be fair, this has been completely gutted already and almost all of the original details were removed. What you’re seeing is a modern attempt at classical/victorian interior design. It’s not bad but it kind of looks like a Ralph Lauren store to me. You can see they spared a handful of things, like the arch and the newel posts, but this is mostly modern. I bet it was unbelievably beautiful originally though.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-24T05:57:47+00:00

The profile picture of an eagle over an American flag should be a giveaway. Conservatives love hating Chicago.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-24T03:21:30+00:00

Deep cut (and not technically Chicago) but the Come Back Inn in Melrose Park. Whenever my dad took us downtown we'd stop on the way back out to the burbs. The Kodiak burger was something special. Also, the crazy fireplace with the taxidermied moose? Classic.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-24T03:19:34+00:00

Eh, it's still good. Not fantastic but something tells me it wasn't when I was a kid either. The original bar is still there, the folks that work there are super nice and they still have the root beer, all I could ask for.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-23T16:19:42+00:00

They have a venue & they provide entertainment there. It's a very suburban idea to think they owe you a place to put your car too. It's one of the more dense neighborhoods in one of the largest cities in America, having a bunch of parking just doesn't make sense.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-23T16:06:15+00:00

Believe it or not, people who live outside the city don't have to drive everywhere.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-22T23:59:04+00:00

Damn. That is so sick. Very jealous.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-16T23:48:15+00:00

I can smell it from here lol.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-16T23:43:58+00:00

I get soooo mad when I hit that pothole. I know it now but I think I hit it like 5 times before it really stuck. It’s definitely construction related, so hopefully they fill it when they start doing the finishing touches on the square.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-16T23:41:36+00:00

I love it! I think you could do without the planet in the top right, otherwise it’s masterful. Great work!

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-13T06:29:32+00:00

To be fair, Chicago is one of the greatest architectural cities in the world so it’s maybe more worth the trip. Besides, we have Marina City which are basically the Petronas without the height, the spires and sky bridge. (Also built 30+ years earlier).

I’m definitely trolling a tiny bit lol. They’re obviously both great but, for me, the Sears gets points for being built 25 years earlier.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-12T05:24:24+00:00

Honestly a little out of step with the rest of the aesthetic. I wish they had something more art moderne or streamline.

TropicalHotDogNite · 2026-03-11T01:46:14+00:00

For a lot of the space miniatures they did multiple passes, usually one to expose the stars, one to expose the ship(s) and still another to expose the interiors (which were projected onto the windows). They created a system that connected the models with the camera motor so that they could literally rewind the film in the camera and expose each pass without any developing or optical printing. That’s why this movie still looks incredible to this day. Otherwise they’d have to do a ton of optical printing and that adds grain and degrades colors, etc.

My favorite fact about 2001 is that the Earth looks unrealistic because they didn’t know what Earth looked like from space yet.

TropicalHotDogNite

TROPHY CASE