A Room with a View...

So, I have a new office.

All to myself.

And, it kinda has a view.

Our new, and vastly improved office space is in the old Daily News Building at 2 North Riverside Plaza. Pretty cool 20s deco-style building---the first to really embrace the Chicago River as an amenity, which makes it perfect for NRDC.

We are in the tower, taking up half of one floor, so we have pretty great views. On the East side, there is a gorgeous view of the river and the skyline. To the south you can look down Canal at Union Station...



...but I face east.

Directly at the less glamorous Ogilvie Transportation Center.

If you know Chicago, you've seen the building. It is curvy with blue glass and an undeniably 80s "sensibility" to it. But I am not complaining. The view is quite interesting actually. On either side of the big building, a lane opens up that allows me to see into Greek Town to the southeast and the Eisenhower and West side to the northwest.

But the most interesting views are in the fun house mirror reflections on the neighboring building itself. These are a couple of quick shots I took out my office window---the first one just shows the neighboring building and the skybridge that connects the Metra station in its basement to my building (that is the intersection of Canal and Madison).

The second shot is more interesting closest is the reflection of my building (stone facade) with the top of the Lyric Opera House looming over from across the river, topped off by the Boeing HQ towering above. You also can see the temporary lighting in my office reflected---our real fixtures will be installed in March, but in the meantime, you can see we practice what we preach with CFLs.

The light lanes move across my building throughout the day, exposing some of the great deco detail that adorns the building. I have a great view of the somewhat creepy crucified-looking hooded dude for about an hour in the morning before the light moves and his reflection disappears.

At about 3:45, the light shoots directly into my office, blinding anyone who tries to sneak up on me.