©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
Every so often I find a mural that really makes me take notice. This one in Wicker Park is one of those. Extremely well done.
Logan Sign 2013
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
I had just got off the #56 Milwaukee bus when I saw the Logan Theater sign lit up. All things pointed to a potential photograph here so I kindly obliged!
Approaching Storm/Belmont Bus 1995
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
From what I recall, I was with my girlfriend around Belmont and Broadway just hanging out when a storm was approaching. It got dark and very windy. I think it was early afternoon. Always fascinated with storms, I started taking pictures while people were looking for a place to hide out. A few minutes later, we too ran for cover as it started to come down in buckets along with frequent lightning. I was lucky enough to get a few shots. This was one of them.
Portage Theater 2011
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
The Portage Theater on Milwaukee Avenue is one of the oldest movie houses in Chicago. It currently plays silent and classic films as well as hosting events. The Portage Theater is the home of the Silent Film Society of Chicago. It was used for interior shots to stand in for the Biograph Theater in the movie “Public Enemies”. Â There’s talk of the new owner’s plan to possibly turn it into a live venue. Just as long as they don’t tear it down. It has a loyal following in Portage Park.
‘L’ Tracks 1995
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
The Chicago ‘L’ tracks are one of the most iconic things about this city. To think at one point in the 1960’s the city had considered dismantling the old elevated tracks in favor of a new subway system. They decided to keep the elevated tracks and utilized the subway elsewhere. The Brown (pictured above near the Fullerton station), Red, Green, Pink, and Purple lines all run elevated except the portions of the Red that run downtown in the subway. Riding the ‘L’ is one of the best ways to view Chicago.
Jewish Graceland Cemetery 1995
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
One day during the summer of ’95, I accompanied a colleague who worked with me at the Wright College Photo Lab on a photo shoot. He was photographing Jewish Graceland cemetery on North Clark Street. I brought my camera along and took some photos, although I’m not a big cemetery shooter. It was an interesting place, mainly because it was very old and, unfortunately, a lot of the tombstones were either falling apart or vandalized. These are a couple from that roll of film.
3000 N. Broadway 1995
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
This is Broadway and Briar in the Lake View neighborhood. The area saw plenty of change in the nineties. Reckless Records is still in the area, although they moved across the street. Various new bars and restaurants opened up as well. As a side note : It was around this time that I bought a couple new lenses. One was a 135mm, and the other was a 28mm wide angle lens. I began to incorporate the wide angle lens quite a bit. Dramatic angles also began to appear in my photographs. It was a interesting way for me to explore the next phase of Urban Views: one that had more of a surreal touch to it.
Park Bench 1995
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
I came upon this wonderful scene while walking through Lincoln Park one summer day. This was how I saw the scene–nothing was set up! It had such a tranquility to it.Â
Girl Juice 1995
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
You would find the most interesting graffiti art walking along the Belmont rocks. This was one of many. Several years ago, they rebuilt the shoreline between Fullerton and Addison due to erosion and a lot of the history faded away.
Belmont Rocks 1995
©2013 Mike Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
The rocks along the shore next to Belmont Harbor was a place where my friends and I would hang out at night. It was (and probably still is)  a “make out” spot and a place where you could get drunk or stoned. I have fond memories of this spot. The best thing was just looking out onto Lake Michigan into the darkness.
MICHAEL A. PRIORIE 