Chicago in 2005 was a city in flux, and nowhere was that more obvious than at the Trump Tower construction site, right on the banks of the Chicago River. I was walking at the edge of the site and took a bunch of photos, some of which I’ve posted over the years. What you see…

I last visited Chicago in 2005, when I took this photo of the Wrigley Building, and this “We’re glad you’re here!” banner. Did you know the clock faces of the Wrigley Building are each almost 6m in diameter? The two towers of the building were completed just over 100 years ago!

Twenty years ago today, I was walking up State Street in Chicago when I spotted a duck robbing an unsuspecting woman on the street. I was horrified and, of course, immediately took a photo of such a strange incident. Turns out, it was some sort of advertising photoshoot for Western Union, but the original photo…

In 2003, there wasn’t much vegetation to see on La Salle Street, but I found it at N 120 La Salle N Street according to Google Maps. The most recent photos on Google Maps show the red flowers are long gone. You’ve probably seen the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) building in movies, such as…

An Apple Store in Chicago, in 2003. I wandered in here while I was in the city, curious about what it would look like, as I didn’t use any Apple products at the time. Check out those CRTs at the back of the second photo!

Right, as I have been reliably informed in the comments, this is the John Hancock Center in Chicago. Ah well. I haven’t been there in twenty years. The Sears Tower rises above all nearby buildings in Chicago in 2003. It was renamed the Willis Tower in 2009, but when I took this photo from a…

A Scarlet Ibis in Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. I love the deep orange colour of the bird’s feathers!

Twenty years ago on the streets of Chicago I saw a carriage being pulled by a horse and a bored driver. Today I learned while looking up more information about these trips that Chicago banned horse drawn carriages in 2021. Prices seemed to range from $120/hour up past $500/hour.

Numerous boats are tied up at Navy Pier in Chicago, as well as a small U.S. Coast Guard boat. This was away back in 2003. I have no idea what the place looks like now!

I saw this morning that Kirstie Alley passed away last night at the age of 71. She was great in Cheers, but I barely remember Veronica’s Closet and I’m not familiar with her roles in other shows. In 2005, my wife and I were in Chicago, and we happened to go into a Borders bookshop…

Many years ago, in August 2003, I was waiting for the L in Chicago to bring me to work. Edit in 2024: I remembered this was Fullerton from the sign to the far right of the image, so I added it to Google Maps there. It looks like it’s the oldest photo for that station…

A passer-by checks the front page of the Chicago Tribune in a neighbourhood kiosk, July 2003. I can’t imagine those kiosks are still there, considering the financial troubles newspapers have gone through in the last 19 years since this photo was taken.