"Make no small plans, they have no magic to stir men's blood" – Daniel H. Burnham

For those of you in Chicago, you may be familiar with the impact Daniel H. Burnham had on the city (and the country) back in the late 18- early 1900's. Daniel Burnham was an architect and urban planner who is credited with designing America's first skyscraper in Chicago, along with several other historic buildings in the US including the FlatIron building in New York and Union Station in Washington, DC. He was also very influential in the success of the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition in Chicago, from which several Chicago institutions got their start, including The Field Museum and The Museum of Science and Industry.

But what Daniel Burnham is perhaps most famous for, is his 1909 Plan of Chicago, a book wherein he outlines plans for the development of Chicago. It was the first of it's kind designed to guide the growth of a major US city. In the book, he stresses the importance of the people and their use of the city. At the forefront: the Lake. He's quoted as saying, "The lake by right, belongs to the people." He also strongly believed that every Chicago citizen should be within walking distance of a park.


This year is the 100th anniversary of Burnham's Plan of Chicago and the city is currently celebrating The Burnham Plan Centennial.

As part of the celebration, The Field Museum is hosting a small exhibition called Burnham Memorial Design Competition. The exhibition is on display now until November 1 and consists of 19 modern day architects' designs for a Burnham Memorial to someday be built on the Museum's north terrace. The exhibition also discusses Burnham's impact on the city and contains two original artifacts from Burnham himself: a copy of the 1909 Plan of Chicago, and a large framed blueprint of Daniel's vision of the lakefront. I'm proud to say that I had a small part in the completion of the exhibition and encourage you to attend if you are in the city.

life is good.

Happy Saturday morning to you all!

I'm sitting here, at the jumbo-tron, having a cup of coffee and enjoying the cool breeze coming in my window.

Today is a good day.

To update you all on my last post.... jz is no longer at Urbana. After 2 days of classes, he got a call from the University of Michigan telling him that they've taken him off the wait list and have a spot available for him.

So... he moved to Ann Arbor the next day to start orientation there.

Crazy, but so exciting! I'm totally going to buy some UM gear.

absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

Well, the inevitable has finally happened. jz has moved away to Urbana to start law school and I already miss him like crazy. It's a pretty awesome feeling to miss one person as much as I miss him right now. It's exhilarating and awful at the same time. I love him so much. If anyone has any insight on what can help a long-distance relationship, please use the comments section to share your thoughts or wish us luck. This could be a long three years.

I have a lot to report.

I survived camping in Kentucky. JZ and I had a great time and thankfully, very nice weather. Only a few raindrops during the night. Also, Mammoth Caves are pretty awesome. I recommend them.


My apartment is officially warm! Not temperature wise necessarily (more on that later), but amongst friends. I held my first apartment party at my new place this past Friday. It was a full house, but oh so