It will open to the general public on June 19.
We have several posters in the Chicago area. Anyone planning to visit?
We are watching it right now, and currently listening to Michelle Obama. This is great!
Tickets for a visit are sold out into November. I’ll visit after the hubub subsides.
Eventually.
I don’t have time and money for too many touristy things, but next time I do it is certainly on the list of potential destinations.
Same. I’m a member of the Museum of Science and Industry just down the road, so maybe I’ll make a day of it.
I wish Obama was the President for the 250th celebration. Stevie Wonder just did Higher Ground. John Legend took a verse and Common rapped. Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Vedder and Bruce Springsteen sang back-up. This is a great party. Everyone is singing along and dancing. Missed Michelle’s speech but got to hear Obama. Everybody is there: Clinton, Bush, Biden, Harris, Pritzker, Newsome, Tom Hanks. Saw Jill Biden but didn’t see Hillary or Laura Bush but they may be there. Obama looks like he is having a great time.
Tan suits aplenty!
I’m not a fan of the tower building; it looks brutalist to me.
Not a fan of it either, but it’s also a nice break from gold/gilt if you know what I mean.
I find it amazing that there is so much of it open and free to the public.
Also that they discuss how to get there via not just car but also bus, train, and bike.
Yeah, it has a bleak Eastern Europe Cold War Iron Curtain vibe. Harsh-looking. I don’t know why it was made that way.
But yes, if I were in Chicago, I’d totally visit.
I had been holding my metaphorical breath. So many people were there today who are on Donald’s hate list. I was concerned that fans of DT would try to do something that would please him. (Obviously there was plenty of security at the event, but even so…)
Instead, it was an event to remind Americans and the world what class and decency and public spirit can do. Thank everything that’s holy!
The best comment in an article about the Obamas looking at their new painting was, “Come back Mom and Dad. We miss you!” I agree.
Manoman I’ve been seeing things lately.
When I first saw that thumbnail, above, of Colbert, I thought it was Mike Johnson, and I was like - WHAAAAT? (fingertips splaying away from each side of head)
To add - that building is quite something - not quite as nutty as the San Diego library, but still, sure wasn’t expecting a plane-crash-resistant grain silo.
This seems like a good place to post this. They’re showing a lot of short videos on YouTube about Obama, clips from his past speeches, comedy routines, extemporaneous remarks, etc. watching them just makes me want to weep. He has so much class.
This one is worth watching – it’s only 5 minutes long. Watch to the very end.
Probably the cheapest, fastest construction method.
The sort of thing you do when you don’t have billionaire corporate ‘donors’ to give you money.
my concern is where I read it’ll cost $75M a year to maintain–that seems high to me
Except he probably did have billionaire donors. The whole thing cost something like $850 million. And while that construction is, frankly, ugly, it’s not at all cheap.
I googled, and there are lots of articles about the architecture of the building. There’s a branch of the Chicago Public Library there. The building is taller than spread out for footprint concerns, and the outside shape is reminiscent of four hands placed together.
But naturally, what anyone sees or feels at first glance is going to stick.
Wow something completely different than a glass tower, more like a sculpture, I like it. Love that’s there’s a CPL branch there too. bball courts amazing. Clad in NH granite, Well done!
The two of them are such a class act. It’s so refreshing to hear them speak. And the snub of DJT was quiet in a very loud way.