Osaka Garden in Bloom April 22, 2026

Walking from the gate to the left, going clockwise Chinese Crabapple (several throughout garden) Yodogawa azalea (according to google--definitely an azalea) Judii Vibernum just starting to bloom near the zigzag bridge. Also called Korean Spicebush. Japanese Crabapple Regular old lilac, which predates the 1993 garden, so it’s allowed to stay though it can’t be shaped … Continue reading Osaka Garden in Bloom April 22, 2026 →

Osaka Garden in Bloom, April 16, 2026

I wanted to share with folks what's in bloom in the garden, so people know when it's good to visit. I thought posts here would work rather than the substack where I think there are more varied subscribers. I'm going to make an Osaka Garden page with the more permanent background information I've collected. I … Continue reading Osaka Garden in Bloom, April 16, 2026 →

Japanese Community on the Southside of Chicago

I'm presenting a talk about Japanese and Japanese-American presence in and around Hyde Park, so I wanted to gather the relevant links in one spot. Sources for more reading My History of the Japanese presence on the South Side, the Detention Center and the South Side Japan Town, and the Urban Renewal On my substack … Continue reading Japanese Community on the Southside of Chicago →

Binga Dismond, someone worth remembering

When I was researching Amos Alonzo Stagg and Stagg Field, I realized that, while Stagg is famous for football, but he was a huge presence for track and field too, especially promoting the Olympics movement. He also respected talent. Henry Binga Dismond (1891-1956) was one of his track stars in 1915-1917, a Black man competing … Continue reading Binga Dismond, someone worth remembering →

When History Gets It Wrong

Confederate Monument in Chicago Misinformation metastasizes through the information ecosystem in ways large and small. My pet peeve is the number of people who attended the 1893 Columbian Exposition—27million individuals did not attend the fair. That number is everywhere, but it’s a misunderstanding of another stat. There were 27 million daily entrance tickets sold but … Continue reading When History Gets It Wrong →

An Itinerary for CAC Open House in Hyde Park

Written for a friend who told me what was already in her plans, so I supplied her with links to background information on her way. 1. South Side Entertainment District along Cottage Grove.and 63rd Street It grew because of the Cable Cars, so you can see a couple photos and see why it was there … Continue reading An Itinerary for CAC Open House in Hyde Park →

The Elms: A Once Famous Hotel Lost to Urban Renewal

I bumped into this headline while searching for something else, and I decided I had to take a look at the Elms Hotel. It hadn’t hit my consciousness when I was researching Grand Hotels for my talk for the Historical Society https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkPBikpIv2I “Hotel Register Worth Weight in Gold, Carelessly Burnt” Hyde Park Herald It flourished … Continue reading The Elms: A Once Famous Hotel Lost to Urban Renewal →

Bob Dylan and Blues History

The University of Chicago Folk Festival Bob Dylan with acoustic guitar and harmonica (Bob Dylan Center) This post isn’t a history of the Folk Festival. This post is about how the hive mind of the internet helped me track down a legend about Bob Dylan playing (however briefly) in Hyde Park, which came around to … Continue reading Bob Dylan and Blues History →

Chicago’s Municipal Device

A scavenger hunt I like to play as I walk around the city is spotting examples of the Chicago Municipal Device. The “Y” represents the heart of Chicago--Wolf Point--where the south branch and the north branch join and flow into Lake Michigan. It’s surrounded by a circle to show that the city is united. Once … Continue reading Chicago’s Municipal Device →

Morgan Shoal and the Lakefront

Some Sidelights Earlier this year I wrote a Hyde Park Story about Morgan Shoal in the Hyde Park Herald The people who love the shoal are fighting to save it. Here are some sidelights that didn’t make it into the article. One of my favorite discoveries was the complex network of fossil coral reefs that … Continue reading Morgan Shoal and the Lakefront →