{"id":58,"date":"2011-05-30T01:21:52","date_gmt":"2011-05-30T05:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingingin.com\/?page_id=58"},"modified":"2011-12-12T20:19:31","modified_gmt":"2011-12-13T01:19:31","slug":"chicago-unfinished-business","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.livingingin.com\/?page_id=58","title":{"rendered":"Chicago: Unfinished Business"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n“Revisiting former chapters of my life seems to be a rather common theme lately. I moved to the Chicago area with my family just after graduating high school in 1993, and within a couple years I had begun taking classes that would eventually lead to my Bachelor of Arts degree. This past weekend, I finally returned to Chicago to settle the unfinished business of formally receiving my undergraduate degree. If I had known that process would take as long as it did, I probably would have enrolled in truck driving school instead.<\/p>\n

My feelings about Chicago are a mixed bag these days. I lived in Chicago on three separate occasions, totaling about eleven years. That’s about a third of my life, and the bulk of my adult life. As of this writing, I lived in Chicago for a longer period than I’ve lived in my own hometown of Cincinnati. For many years I considered Chicago my adopted hometown, and had plans to settle down there and sink some roots. As I got older, though, and as the city changed (not always in positive ways), my thoughts about Chicago gradually began to sour, and I ultimately sought greener pastures elsewhere. Even so, there’s no denying how Chicago shaped me as a person, and I wouldn’t trade the experiences and friendships I gained in Chicago for anything. I was born in Cincinnati, but I became an adult in Chicago.<\/p>\n

I began my undergraduate degree in architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1995. I left the program after a couple years for a number of reasons, and spent the next decade or so working full-time at various architecture firms while taking occasional classes toward my degree. In retrospect, I was completely unprepared for college in 1995. But in 2006, I finally got serious about finishing my BA degree and enrolled in the School for New Learning at DePaul University, a self-directed program specifically designed for nontraditional adult students. Over the next couple years I took evening classes in Chicago while working full-time, did my Advanced Project while living in New York, and finished my degree with my Externship this spring while living in Cincinnati. I can’t say enough good things about DePaul and the School for New Learning, and I credit them for putting me in the position of starting my Master of Architecture degree this fall at the University of Cincinnati.<\/p>\n

I drove to Chicago from Cincinnati this past Thursday for my graduation, and upon arrival, took a long walk around the Chicago Loop. Friday was spent touring some of my old stomping grounds around the city and attending various commencement-related events on the DePaul University campus. On Saturday, with my parents and a couple close friends watching, I walked across the stage of the Civic Opera House to receive my degree. Here are some photos from the weekend.”<\/p>\n

From Chicago: Unfinished Business<\/a>, posted by David Cole<\/a> on 6\/14\/2010 (117 items)<\/p>\n

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Representing the Cincinnati Streetcar in the land of the ‘L’.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The Monadnock Building, still the world’s tallest skyscraper with a load-bearing maso…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Looking up Dearborn Street. My very first project at UIC involved a survey of the his…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The flamingo sculpture in the Mies-designed federal building plaza.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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The entrance of the Marquette Building, one of Chicago’s classic skyscrapers.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The Inland Steel Building, arguably the finest building produced by Skidmore, Owings,…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Chagall’s Four Seasons mural in the plaza of the former First National Bank of Chicag…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Looking up the swooping sides of the First Chicago (now Chase Bank) building, designe…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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The Inland Steel Building as seen from the First Chicago plaza.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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City Hall, the Civic Center, and Daley Plaza with the Picasso sculpture. I can’t look…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The night before I arrived in town, the Blackhawks had just won the Stanley Cup.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The sculpture in front of the Thompson Center, sometimes referred to as “Snoopy in a …<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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Inside the Thompson Center, designed by Murphy\/Jahn. Although designed with the best …<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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A new skyscraper east of the Merchandise Mart. Although roughly similar in size to Ci…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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This unfinished building on Wacker Drive is a victim of the economic meltdown.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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A rendering on the site alludes to the grand ambitions of this project.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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Marina City, the IBM Building, and the Trump Plaza.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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This nice little park was still under construction when I left Chicago.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Looking down the Chicago River from the State Street Bridge.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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330 North Wabash, formerly the IBM Building, was the last building designed by Mies V…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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The John Hancock Center, designed by SOM.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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SOM’s new Trump Plaza building was actually a pleasant surprise. Many people had very…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The Chicago River from the Trump Plaza.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Looking up North Michigan Avenue past the Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower. The bui…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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The Trump Plaza building from Columbus Drive.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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I’m not normally a huge fan of Frank Gehry, but he hit a home run with the Pritzker P…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Renzo Piano’s elegant Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Metra Electric and South Shore trains pass under the Art Institute.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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The Modern Wing of the Art Institute, by Renzo Piano.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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A South Shore train passes underneath. The South Shore line is often referred to as A…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The main entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The view of Belmont Harbor from the apartment of my friends Jonathan and Elaine, wher…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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Looking south on Lake Shore Drive.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Belmont Harbor<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Lake Shore Drive at night.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Looking west from my bedroom. Early Friday morning, we were treated to a brief but po…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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Looking down Broadway in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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It’s no Skyline Chili, but Chili Mac’s provided my fix for Cincinnati-style chili for…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The intersection of Clark, Diversey, and Broadway.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Looking north on Broadway. The building on the left is an unfortunate example of Chic…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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For the most part, Chicago’s commercial streets are rather drab. However, the city’s …<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Surf and Pine Grove Avenues in Lakeview.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Looking down Pine Grove toward Diversey.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Stunning graystone townhouses on Pine Grove Avenue.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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The intersection of Pine Grove and Diversey has a wonderful urban scale that’s remini…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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One thing Chicago did much better than New York, though, was incorporating alleys int…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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A gracious pair of apartment buildings on Wrightwood in Lincoln Park.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Looking down Clark Street in Lincoln Park. This was my neighborhood for several years…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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St. James Place in Lincoln Park. The trees have matured nicely since they were plante…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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444 West St. James Place, where I got my first apartment on my own in 1996. Everybody…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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In 1996, I paid $485 a month for a studio apartment in this building. According to th…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The lobby of 444 St. James. The building was originally built as a residential hotel….<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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Arlington Place, one of the more beautiful side streets in Lincoln Park.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Arlington Place in Lincoln Park.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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St. Pauls United Church of Christ, where I was a member for a while.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The Fullerton ‘L’ stop has been nicely rebuilt in recent years as part of the Brown L…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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The Fullerton ‘L’ station.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Now we’re further north, in the Edgewater neighborhood. What used to be a suburban-st…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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5200 North Sheridan, where I lived from 2000 to 2002.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The Berwyn ‘L’ stop on the Red Line.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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This sums up one of my biggest frustrations with Chicago. Mayor Daley is hell-bent on…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The CTA Blue Line station at UIC-Halsted. The two unused tunnel portals to the left w…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Where I began my undergraduate studies in architecture in 1995.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The Art & Architecture building on the UIC campus.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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Inside the A&A Building.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The year-end student exhibition was still up.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Final projects on display. Although beautifully executed, many of the projects didn’t…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Only about half of the A&A Building was completed as designed, leaving odd conditions…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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The unfinished portion of the A&A Building. Of course, this side of the building face…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The Sears Tower from the UIC campus. (Like many Chicagoans, I refuse to acknowledge t…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The UIC campus. Classes had already let out for the summer, so there wasn’t much acti…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The student union building at UIC.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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The classroom buildings are in the process of getting a facelift. Designed in an era …<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The main plaza in the center of campus, with the engineering offices in the backgroun…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The engineering lab building at UIC.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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\u201cA doctor can always bury his mistakes. An architect can only advise his client to …<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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UIC: Putting the “brutal” in brutalism since 1965.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The main administration building at UIC.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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In walking through the UIC campus, it occurred to me how much people are shaped by th…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Student life at UIC wasn’t entirely without its perks, though. Not far from campus is…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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Across the street from Fontano’s is Carm’s, a place to grab a hot dog or an Italian i…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The picturesque Little Italy neighborhood adjacent to the UIC campus. Or what’s left …<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Little Italy, west of the UIC campus.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Now we’re back in the Loop. The temperature was sweltering and the city felt like a s…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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Looking east on Madison Street.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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An Orange Line train departs Washington\/Wells as a Brown Line train arrives.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Some of the urban fabric adjacent to the Madison\/Wabash station.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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A celebratory parade for the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup championship had just concluded,…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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Looking north on Wabash.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Crossing the Chicago River on the Wells Street Bridge. This view never gets old.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Back at Fullerton, adjacent to DePaul University’s Lincoln Park campus.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Dominick’s has a great example of an urban-scaled grocery store here. I wish Cincinna…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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The old station house at Fullerton has been preserved and moved across the street.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Now we’re up at Belmont and Sheffield.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The Belmont ‘L’ stop, rebuilt in a manner similar to the Fullerton stop.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The Belmont ‘L’ stop.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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Looking east on Belmont Avenue.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Looking west on Armitage Avenue. This was my last neighborhood before moving to New Y…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Armitage Avenue in Lincoln Park.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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St. Vincent DePaul Church in Lincoln Park, where I attended a very nice Baccalaureate…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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Inside St. Vincent DePaul Church.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Inside St. Vincent DePaul Church.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Estelle’s in Wicker Park. I’ve consumed many a beer here.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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The Flatiron Building in Wicker Park. Once home to some great bars and art galleries,…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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The Silver Cloud in Wicker Park, another favorite old haunt.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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I was here to meet Bob and Thomas, two good friends from my old days in Chicago.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Finally, the big day. I began the day by heading out to O’Hare Airport to pick up my …<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Yours truly in academic regalia.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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Me and my mom.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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My dad and I.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Backstage at the Civic Opera House. We showed up a bit early, and I had about an hour…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Backstage at the Civic Opera House.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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I’d love to see this space during a production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Backstage at the Opera House.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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My stole from DePaul University.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Finally, more graduates began to filter in. Getting everybody to line up in the prope…<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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On the way back home to Cincinnati, I passed through a massive wind farm in northern …<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n


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