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Travel and Tourism

How Edgewater Chicago can change your mind about Chicago being a friendly city

August 24, 2014 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Weekend Trip Chicago Style
Not For Tourists Illustrated Guide to Chicago (Not for Tourists Guide to Chicago)Not For Tourists Illustrated Guide to Chicago (Not for Tourists Guide to Chicago)

Chicago has the reputation of being a dangerous town, a corrupt city, and a dirty city. Even though it is the third largest city in the United States you don’t hear people talking about taking a trip to Chicago like New York City or Los Angeles. But visiting Edgewater can change your mind about Chicago.

Chicago is ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States, and even the most depressing city in America.Where Edgewater Chicago can change your perception about visiting Chicago

But after visiting this summer I do believe the people of the Windy City really want to change this reputation.

I know my impression of has changed, and I want to go back. Most of what I hear about Chicago is depressing, the crime, the corrupt politics, the unemployment, yet I knew there had to be more.

Downtown is very much like any city, tall buildings, lots of shopping, restaurants, museums, and like New York, Chicago has a very efficient metro train system.

For $15 we bought an unlimited three-day metro pass which included the train, bus, and subway system.

Where Edgewater and Chicago Meet

Where Edgewater Chicago meet and how they are different
View outside the Chicago apartment

After researching online for the best places to live in the Chicago metro area my son picked an apartment in Edgewater. I helped him move in January. He researched on Reddit and searched the various websites which have neighborhood statistics on crime. He learned Edgewater Chicago Crime is one of the lowest crime rates in Chicago. After spending time there I certainly believe it.

The neighborhood is clean, and the residents take pride in the area where they live. The flower beds were blooming with color, restaurants have inviting outdoor seating with flower boxes and umbrellas.

There is a relaxed atmosphere, almost park like and yes, my son says he feels as though he’s living in a twilight zone when he steps out of his apartment. Considering he lived in a Marine Corps barracks in Yuma Arizona the previous three years seeing green and trees is probably a shock to his system.

Edgewater Chicago neighborhood
Midnight after getting off the Chicago CTA train

At night there is a police presence on the corners and they regularly patrol. We parked our car at the hotel and either walked or took the CTA trains everywhere.

Not once did I feel as though I was in danger, or threatened. Remember this is NOT the south side of Chicago, which from what I hear is a whole other world.

Chicago is Friendly

People were exceedingly friendly. We met a young black lady on the train who was taking her three young nieces and nephews to the fountains Saturday night to watch the fireworks.

She spoke with pride about her city and how “…so many people talk bad about Chicago, there is a lot the city offers, people just need to get out and experience it, there are a lot of family activities and events.” This is true, I had no idea Chicago had such wonderful beaches.

Our hotel and my son’s apartment was only blocks away from Lake Shore Drive and the softest, sandy beaches I’ve seen in the Midwest. It’s not the ocean, but Lake Michigan does have its own tide, and small waves.

Dog beach on Lake Michigan, Chicago
Dog beach on Lake Michigan, Chicago

It’s the perfect place to people watch and the dog beach is very fun. Dogs of all shapes and sizes playing in the water, playing fetch and enjoying the summer day.

The Chicago Park system is quite extensive and encourages people to get out and enjoy the trails with rental bikes, trikes (if you look closely in the photo below you can see the trike to the left of the bench) or bring your own roller blades.

I met the friendliest pit bull during our morning walk, his eyes just yelled: “Oh pet me, please pet me I’m so happy to see you”. The owner fit the pit bull breed stereotype, rough. But his eyes said the same thing. Don’t judge me by my looks. Where Edgewater Chicago meet is one of the best places in Chicago to visit. The Edgewater Chicago neighborhood has a lot to offerWe had a nice conversation about the pup, who was only 8 months old and already interested in a twig and a nearby bird, so off they went.

We also met a very wrinkled, larger old lady in a bikini walking her hairless Chihuahua. Yes, I said it a bikini.

The phrase of the day “You know when you get old and you don’t care what people think? I don’t think I can care that little”

Chicago Sightseeing Boat Tours

Part of the girls Chicago weekend trip to see my son included touristy things that he just doesn’t have time to do with his school and work. One of them was a lake and Seadog lake and river boat tour.

Chicago sightseeing boat tours and Chicago River cruises boat tours
Seadog boat tour in Chicago

It was a BLAST, seriously Chicago sightseeing boat tours can be boring and slow, but Seadog gives you speed on the lake beforehand.

It was here that we met the fourth very friendly Chicagoan, who was so excited to be sharing his city. Up until the week before he had never done a boat tour and he had lived there all his life. He recorded part of it on his iPhone and said we were in for an exciting trip.

His words were “Chicago has heart!”

Based on the people I met on this one weekend, Chicago is a friendly city and the people do have a heart.

The thing that topped off my respect and faith for the city of Chicago was when I misplaced my gift bag from Chinatown in the restroom of a restaurant. We were rushing to get on the Navy Pier bus at 4:00 pm and I wasn’t thinking.

More than four hours later my kids convinced me to go back, maybe it’s still there. You see I don’t get souvenirs that often and this one had special meaning.

So we made the trip back, I asked at the desk, I looked in the trash, I asked the bartender if anyone had turned anything in, no luck. Out of desperation I opened the door to the stall and in the corner sat my bag.

Yes, Chicago has a heart, Chicago is full of friendly people, Chicago has honest people.

Our girls weekend to visit my son was wonderful! We went to the Billy Joel Concert in Wrigley Field, ate Chicago pizza, went to Chinatown, did a boat tour, sat and watched a free concert at Millennial Park, watched fireworks, and visited Navy Pier (which I was very disappointed) But best of all got to spend time with my son who is going to school at Tribeca Film Academy and making quite the name for himself in a very short time.

Chicago sightseeing boat tours are fun and meet at Navy PierThere will be a next time, Shea Aquarium, a few museums, and maybe even a show or two. Someday I’ll actually sit on the beach for an afternoon, watch the dogs and the sailboats on the lake. Sounds like another great trip.

Yes, I know about the gang mob violence in Chicago. Like any big city, there are certain areas you avoid, there are precautions you take on the train, a certain way to behave, stay alert, not draw attention to yourself and stay safe.

I had a drunk guy fall over on me on the train, but I also witnessed people applaud when my son killed a flying bug and “saved” a little boy who was scared.

So how about you? Have you been to Chicago, do you live there? What do you like, what would you suggest for my next trip?

 

Filed Under: Travel Adventures Tagged With: Chicago, city, family, illinois, midwest, tourism, travel, Travel and Tourism, Vacation

#24/52: Waterfall Photography

June 28, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

I’ve always wanted to photograph a waterfall and finally got my chance. I’m so happy with it! Shot this waterfall photo at Devils Den State Park in Northwestern Arkansas on my Mother/Daughter camping trip. I climbed out on the rocks, quite a feat since I’m afraid of heights, and a flat rock acted as my tripod.

Waterfall photography
ISO 100, f/20, 75mm, 1.3 sec Canon Rebel XS (click for larger image)

Only took two photos since the sun was going behind the trees and after looking at the results in the camera I was more than pleased. Being from Nebraska I don’t have much of an opportunity to practice waterfalls photography.

Editing notes: Almost none, opened in Lightroom 4, straightened a few degrees, adjusted white balance for a little more warmth, that was it!

Tips For Good Waterfall Photography

  • Set your camera on Manual or Shutter priority
  • Experiment with long exposures starting at 1/2 second and going up from there. The longer the exposure the smoother the water effect
  • Increase your aperture as high as it will go to reduce over exposure in sunny conditions (this photo was taken on a cloudy overcast day)
  • Use a neutral density filter on sunny days for really long exposures
  • Use a tripod and a shutter trigger
  • If you don’t have a tripod, or a good place to set up find a sturdy rock
  • To avoid blur if you don’t have a shutter release set the automatic timer

 

What Equipment Do You Need to Photograph a Waterfall

Photography doesn’t need to be complicated, nor does it need to cost a lot of money. The shot above was done with a very simple DSLR Canon Rebel camera sitting on a rock on shutter priority and the self programmed timer. You know the setting, set it for 2-10 seconds, run and get in the photo. It was a cloudy day so I didn’t have to worry about sun glare. The conditions were perfect, I had a perfectly placed flat rock and perfect weather.

However, conditions are not always perfect and having the right photography tools on hand can make it easier to get the photograph you envision. I’ve always wanted a Gorilla pod, one just because they look cool, but other reasons is they are so very flexible and you can wrap them around a tree limb.

I have since purchased a Neutral Density filter and this will act lessen the sun glare and bright spots and enhance the ambient colors. Works great for sunrises and sunsets to bring out color.

Manfrotto BeFree Compact Lightweight Tripod for Travel PhotographyJoby GP1-A1EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod (Grey)Hoya 62mm HMC Neutral Density ND8 Multi-Coated GlassNeewer LCD Timer Shutter Release Remote Control for

Learn More About Waterfall Photography

Beginner’s Guide to Waterfall Photography – Digital Photography …

Beginner’s Guide to Waterfall Photography – Learn the tips, tricks, and techniques that will help you improve your waterfall photography.

Waterfall Digital Photography – Digital Photography School

Timing – pick the right time of the day to do your waterfall photography and you can definitely give yourself more options to use longer shutter speeds. Around sunrise and sunset are obvious times as light is less bright. Also overcast days are …

5 Steps to Waterfall Photography (Guest Post) | eQuipping for eMinistry

This is the final post in a series on outdoor photography for Cru staff attending IBS and national staff training in Fort Collins, Colorado. Many staff will head to Rocky Mountain National Park on their free time, hoping to find great …

Filed Under: Photography, Project 52, Travel Adventures Tagged With: Arkansas, Camping, Devils Den State Park, nature, photograph a waterfall, Photography, Travel and Tourism, University of Central Arkansas, waterfall, waterfall photography

Correcting Exposure Using the Histogram: Rowboat

April 20, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Using the Histogram on your Camera to get Better Photos

Now that I’ve improved my photography and editing skills I’m going through photographs from past years vacation and reworking them in Photoshop. This time I’m using the  histogram to set optimum exposure and getting much better prints. So here is a good example of editing a photo in Photoshop using the histogram, if you remember I took a trip to Block Island, Rhode Island and have hundreds of photos I absolutely love. Too bad I wasn’t shooting RAW then.

Using the histogram in Photoshop
Rowboat on Block Island, RI edited in Photoshop

First I straightened the image about 2 degrees clockwise. I was a little off kilter taking the picture.  The swimmers in the water were bothering me, so I cloned them out.

I’ve learned I cannot rely on my computer screen when it comes to the light balance in a photo. My computer screen is pretty bright and as a result I always misjudge the exposure in my edited photos. The best best is to use the histogram. The same is true when you take photos on your digital camera. Don’t rely on your camera LCD screen, especially during the summer. Use your histogram tool.

As you can see in the initial histogram below, the histogram is pushed to the darkside (left). In the levels adjustment tool I used the far right prompt and brought it to the edge of the curve to brighten up the whole photo. Much better.

Using the histogram in Photoshop
Example of initial histogram in the Photoshop Histogram

Even with my Canon Rebel camera and exposing to the right, I still throw my exposure off, but I am getting better. Although I try not to chimp (constantly look at the camera screen after each shot) I will occasionally check the histogram in camera to make sure I’m not clipping my blacks or whites. As you can see int he photo above the left side of the graph is barely touching, so I didn’t lose very much information in the dark regions.

Canon DSLR Photography Quick Reference Tip Cards & Cheat Sheets for Canon Rebel T5i T4i T3i T3 T2i T1i XSi XS XTi XT 60D 7D 6D 5D Mark III IIBuW OMES L-3 Photography Exposure Meter / Continuous Light Meter with LED Display

If you shoot in RAW then you can recover a lot of digital information in the lights and darks. But I prefer to get a photo properly exposed in the camera as best that I can to eliminate major digital darkroom edits.

Any of the below programs have a histogram function in the editing mode. If you are a beginner then Photoshop Elements is where I would start. That will give you the biggest flexibility as far as text, layers, cloning and photo manipulation. If you just want to edit your photos and not get really creative with layers then Lightroom is the way to go, I LOVE Lightroom. Many people choose to subscribe to the Adobe Cloud for the $10/month you have full usage of both Photoshop and Lightroom and never have to worry about outdated software.

Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (Photoshop CC +Editors Keys Dedicated Keyboard for Photoshop | PCAdobe Photoshop Lightroom 6 | PC DownloadNEW ADOBE PHOTOSHOP KEYBOARD STICKERS FOR DESKTOP, LAPTOP AND NOTEBOOK

 How to Use the Histogram to Get Better Photographs

Using the Histogram to Get Better Photos – Pentax Forums

Have you ever wondered what that graph-looking thing on your camera display or in Lightroom was? Or what you are supposed to do with it? If so, then read on to find out more about the mysterious histogram and what it can …

News Shooter | Blackmagic Design add histogram and …

Using the histogram scope, customers can now easily and rapidly set exposure in a shot as the histogram shows the the distribution of luminance in their images and if highlights or shadows are being clipped. Images with …

Histograms Explained: How a Simple Tool Can Help You …

There are a few drawbacks to using the histogram to judge exposure, however. Since it only gives you an overview of exposure by showing you the density of pixels, it can’t give you any specific information about which parts …

Lightroom Histogram Cheat sheet | Photographer Abroad

The contrast of the image can also be determined using the histogram. The more spread out the values are in the graph the more contrast is in the image. Conversely, an image with all the values concentrated in one zone is …

Blackmagic Camera 1.9

Using the histogram scope, customers can now easily and rapidly set exposure in a shot as the histogram shows the the distribution of luminance in their images and if highlights or shadows are being clipped. Images with clipped highlights or shadows …

 

Filed Under: Photoshop Friday Tagged With: Adobe Photoshop, Block Island, boats, photo editing, Photography, Photoshop, photoshop friday, Rhode island, Travel and Tourism, using the histogram, Vacation, water

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