Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Osaka Garden






I have to shamefully admit that I love Chicago's winter the most!

几乎所有人都痛恨芝加哥的冬天,除了我。

而我最喜欢在芝加哥冬天做的事就是去Osaka Garden。

Routine 大概是这样的:周末,早晨起来后,把所有的百页窗打开,煮咖啡,煎鸡蛋,清扫房间,洗衣服。。。然后,只要不下大雪大雨,我就说:“我们该去hiking 了”。

妞妞总是笑:“Mommy, that is not hiking , it is 散步” , 她不会放过任何机会用汉语来讽刺我。妞的智商相当不错,但是她的情商更是高人一等。她的从容和自信似乎与生俱来,却从不失天真诚实,一半来自爸爸,另一半当然来自妈妈。

“What are you talking about? It is hiking .” 我很坚持。

于是,我们离开了家。

我们住在52街,往南走几步,过了55街,就是芝大的校园了, 经过一座座哥特式的古老建筑,经过Roger现代风格的办公室和实验室,就到了Middle Way, 拐弯,过了Happer Street, 再过马路,就是Jackson Park了。
Jackson Park is a 500 acre (2 km²) park on Chicago's South Side, located at 6401 South Stony Island Avenue in the Woodlawn community area. It extends into the South Shore and Hyde Park community areas, bordering Lake Michigan and several South Side neighborhoods. Named for President Andrew Jackson, it is one of two Chicago Park District parks with the name Jackson, the other being Mahalia Jackson Park in the community area of Auburn Gresham on the far southwest side of Chicago.
我对Jackson Park的特殊兴趣来自Daniel Burnham。他是芝加哥,华盛顿的城市规划者,也是1893年芝加哥哥伦布纪念博览会的主任建筑师和规划者。Jackson Park是这个世博会的所在地。当年他请了世界上所有最好的建筑师,将芝加哥建成了这个星球上的最美丽辉煌的不夜城。而Jackson Park,正是光源的中心。


沧海桑田,当年的辉煌早已被一把火烧掉了,留下的遗迹是:A one-third scale replica of Daniel Chester French's Republic, which stood in the great basin at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.



还有当年的日本公园Osaka Garden也在原址上被复制保存下来,小小的池塘上有一座弯弯的木桥,一个木制的亭子,几株红枫,数盏铁皮石头风灯。再过去就是一条窄窄的bird trail,四周是伊利诺州原生态的芒草。。。


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