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Chicago Lives
Sidewalks: Portraits of Chicago
"A wonderful book that tells you the basic truths of our city." —Studs Terkel
Few people know Chicago as do Rick Kogan and Charles Osgood, and their "Sidewalks" column for the Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine is a tour of the city like no other, taking readers to the off-beat and quintessential spots that give Chicago its character—that make its inhabitants feel at home and tell its visitors that they have arrived.
Accompanied by evocative color photographs by Charles Osgood, Kogan's pieces revisit the lost places and people of Chicago, and take readers down the quiet byways and thriving thoroughfares, pointing out the characters and cornerstones, the oddities and institutions that make the city what it is. In this collection you will find an elegy for Maxwell Street, the marketplace that pulsed with city life for more than 100 years; a remembrance of a disturbing advertisement ("Are you a slave to housework?") on the side of a building on Irving Park Road; a cross marking a deadly intersection; a magical miniature golf course; as well as ballad singer Fred Holstein, the denizens of the World Gym and memories of Bensinger's pool hall, the day-camp kids of summer, bike couriers, the creatures of the beach, and much, much more. Here is Chicago, past, present, and—let's hope—future, captured in the unique archive of Sidewalks .
Few people know Chicago as do Rick Kogan and Charles Osgood, and their "Sidewalks" column for the Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine is a tour of the city like no other, taking readers to the off-beat and quintessential spots that give Chicago its character—that make its inhabitants feel at home and tell its visitors that they have arrived.
Accompanied by evocative color photographs by Charles Osgood, Kogan's pieces revisit the lost places and people of Chicago, and take readers down the quiet byways and thriving thoroughfares, pointing out the characters and cornerstones, the oddities and institutions that make the city what it is. In this collection you will find an elegy for Maxwell Street, the marketplace that pulsed with city life for more than 100 years; a remembrance of a disturbing advertisement ("Are you a slave to housework?") on the side of a building on Irving Park Road; a cross marking a deadly intersection; a magical miniature golf course; as well as ballad singer Fred Holstein, the denizens of the World Gym and memories of Bensinger's pool hall, the day-camp kids of summer, bike couriers, the creatures of the beach, and much, much more. Here is Chicago, past, present, and—let's hope—future, captured in the unique archive of Sidewalks .
- GenresPhotography
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 14, 2022
Rick Kogan (writer) and Charles Osgood (photographer) had a regular column in the Chicago Tribune Magazine called "Sidewalks". I never read it but was intrigued as to how well it would reflect this “city of broad shoulders.”
Basically, each column is given (more or less) a page and you see opposite the text a very well-taken photograph. The book impresses with the multiple facets of Chicago life but I didn’t find that it “captured the city.” For me, it was a pleasant way to recall my own time in that great metropolis.
Basically, each column is given (more or less) a page and you see opposite the text a very well-taken photograph. The book impresses with the multiple facets of Chicago life but I didn’t find that it “captured the city.” For me, it was a pleasant way to recall my own time in that great metropolis.
January 30, 2022
4.5 stars in the photographs and nearly that in the print copy. But I cannot round it up to perfect because it is 20 years later in dating and the crux/ key point omits were few, but they exist. Also it fails to catch Chicago brand energy levels. Then (far past), now, or in this particular period of the photos.
Photographs from the late 1990's and the very first years of this century are the photo content. Only a few demonstrate the crux of change but I give them 5 stars for the Big Kitty pics in particular. From their serendipity first photo because it was the two main input authors' meeting place. And the "after" picture when the huge landmark character (12 or 15 feet high) was destroyed just "for fun". All laying down, mutilated, and full of holes.
Evanston, Hyde Park are hugely over-represented but that is absolutely forgiven. I feel and read it was heavily their own territories, and also within the interests of outside IL people, completely understandable.
6 stars for including picture and notes on Sherman Park. Olmsted and myself both cry. Chicago has many, many beautiful parks and Sherman was the gem. I still believe heaven is the bridge and the white stone library. Now it is a central meeting place for 100's (literally) of gangs.
There are many comments'/ personal witness that are priceless and truly real. Also with the timing of this book (great majority are more than 20 years old at this exact time period)- it was 6 star interesting for me the reader to see some of the restaurant scenes and read witness of the owners' stories. The one who came from Morocco was excellent.
Hardly any downtown scenes and way too few on the South and Southwest sides. But I do forgive them because they included the huge Indian statue in Oak Lawn and the Stephen Douglas memorial is in there too. And also had a few from Roseland (truly and nearly destroyed as a whole). But no Beverly?
Much has changed since these photos were current. A few places for the better, but the much larger proportion of these NOW are way toward the worse. Especially upon the working peoples' circuits included in the photos. Wendella's I believe is greatly diminished. Most everything actually is now from what it was then. From my youth, Chicago spirit and self-identity measure? No words for that comparison.
Somehow or other the book only captures self-identity in Chicago at about a 3 star level. But the whole is better here from that considerable effort made to try. IMHO, the Tribune has nearly no connection to working or middle economic class Chicagoans at all now. No one I know subscribes to it anymore. If they buy one, it is for the puzzles. So absolutely true too the inquiries and pieces upon street names. No one of any age or identity group on Royko knows who the street is named for. Truly unbelievable reality. Mike must be rolling in his grave despite the Cubs having won the World Series once since his death.
Photographs from the late 1990's and the very first years of this century are the photo content. Only a few demonstrate the crux of change but I give them 5 stars for the Big Kitty pics in particular. From their serendipity first photo because it was the two main input authors' meeting place. And the "after" picture when the huge landmark character (12 or 15 feet high) was destroyed just "for fun". All laying down, mutilated, and full of holes.
Evanston, Hyde Park are hugely over-represented but that is absolutely forgiven. I feel and read it was heavily their own territories, and also within the interests of outside IL people, completely understandable.
6 stars for including picture and notes on Sherman Park. Olmsted and myself both cry. Chicago has many, many beautiful parks and Sherman was the gem. I still believe heaven is the bridge and the white stone library. Now it is a central meeting place for 100's (literally) of gangs.
There are many comments'/ personal witness that are priceless and truly real. Also with the timing of this book (great majority are more than 20 years old at this exact time period)- it was 6 star interesting for me the reader to see some of the restaurant scenes and read witness of the owners' stories. The one who came from Morocco was excellent.
Hardly any downtown scenes and way too few on the South and Southwest sides. But I do forgive them because they included the huge Indian statue in Oak Lawn and the Stephen Douglas memorial is in there too. And also had a few from Roseland (truly and nearly destroyed as a whole). But no Beverly?
Much has changed since these photos were current. A few places for the better, but the much larger proportion of these NOW are way toward the worse. Especially upon the working peoples' circuits included in the photos. Wendella's I believe is greatly diminished. Most everything actually is now from what it was then. From my youth, Chicago spirit and self-identity measure? No words for that comparison.
Somehow or other the book only captures self-identity in Chicago at about a 3 star level. But the whole is better here from that considerable effort made to try. IMHO, the Tribune has nearly no connection to working or middle economic class Chicagoans at all now. No one I know subscribes to it anymore. If they buy one, it is for the puzzles. So absolutely true too the inquiries and pieces upon street names. No one of any age or identity group on Royko knows who the street is named for. Truly unbelievable reality. Mike must be rolling in his grave despite the Cubs having won the World Series once since his death.
December 3, 2021
A la flaneur (s) about the Big Windy takin' pics an talkin' to the locals in neighborhoods 'bout things/thangs goin' on.
January 26, 2017
Warm, touching collection of short essays and photographs of Chicago's neighborhoods, and nearby towns.
April 27, 2008
This is a great Chicago book - about the real Chicago. It is based on the Tribune series of the same name. Maybe be the favorite of my exploration
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews