Eric

Eric, 23, lives in Kenwood and coordinates a nonprofit fellowship program at the University of Chicago, among other things.

As of June 2009, Eric has visited and photographed 72 of Chicago's 77 official community areas. Check out Eric's Photo Journal, a part of our Life By the Lake: Flickr Photo Journals Project. He also has a blog at reallyboring.net


Tell me about your photo project in your own words. Why did you decide to start photographing the city's official community areas? How many have you photographed so far?

I started pretty small back in 2004, taking photos of the buildings and places in my everyday life as a student in Hyde Park. I gradually began making a deliberate effort to see different parts of the city, as I learned more of the rich history and fascinating architectural legacy of Chicago, and became increasingly confident traveling its length and breadth by bike and CTA.

As my collection of photos grew into the thousands, I needed a way to organize them, and the 77 official Community Areas provided a natural scheme – not to mention an obvious challenge to be met! As of early June, I’ve visited 72 of them at least once, not that one visit is ever enough.

I invest significant time researching and keeping my photos organized, captioning them with historical tidbits, architectural information, or other interesting details, and “geotagging” them, so that each photo’s location can be pinpointed precisely on a map. I hope that my photographic explorations will help others discover unknown and extraordinary places, while also preserving a record of the ordinary fabric of everyday life in Chicago.

So what are your favorite discoveries thus far?

If I had to pick a specific favorite place to visit, it would be Wolf Lake, in far southeast Hegewisch. But my favorite discoveries are more thematic. I get pretty excited about row houses, wherever I find them; about the fanciful architecture of the many old neighborhood “downtowns”, filled with exquisite terra cotta-clad buildings; and anything Art Deco or Moderne. The greatest excitement, though, is the awareness of how much I have left to see.

Cubs or Sox?

I’m not very plugged in to baseball, but I guess I lean towards the Sox. I’ve got the CTA’s special Crosstown Series poster from last year up on a wall at home, though, and if there’s a bandwagon loading up, I’ll probably get on it. The ticker-tape parade on LaSalle when the Sox won the World Series remains one of the most thrilling experiences I’ve had here.

Favorite Pizza

Caffe Florian on 57th Street makes a deep-dish pizza with a whole wheat crust. And their spinach and feta topping is delightful.

Favorite date night

Perhaps unsurprisingly, all the relationships I remember fondly were built on a shared excitement for exploring the area. My current beau and I met on a bike trip to Gary, Indiana, to visit some unique cast-in-place concrete houses.

Favorite lunch spot

Z&H on 47th Street has a wonderful menu of gourmet sandwiches. You can’t beat a good sandwich for lunch, especially when it’s just around the corner from home.

Favorite skyline view

Despite my general preference for all things South Side, I’m quite fond of the view from the Brown Line just south of North Avenue. But the view from anywhere on the lakefront is stunning, too.

Favorite season

Winter. There was not nearly enough snow in my childhood, I’m making up for lost time.

Favorite place to take out of town guests

Millennium Park is a must, of course. But I usually try to draw visitors out of the Loop and into a neighborhood, preferably on a bike.

Favorite summer activity

Forgetting about work, hanging my camera around my neck, and striking out on my bike to see some new place or revisit an old favorite.

I like to talk about Chicago because...

My head is full of so much random Chicago trivia, I can’t really stop it from bubbling up. It’s an endlessly fascinating city to live in, and to talk about.