My fascination with, and attraction to, the Lurie Garden began the day it opened, July 2004. We had moved from California to Chicago a year earlier, and I was missing our family farm. I wanted to hear a cricket. Living in the Loop several blocks from Millennium Park, I was constantly reminded of big-city living by the turbulent noise from taxis, emergency vehicles and elevated trains. In the Lurie Garden, I found a quiet oasis that I needed to balance city life.
Sitting on a bench with the trees of the thick Shoulder Hedge buffering traffic noise, I watched as the garden changed with the seasons and counted bird species that came to feed on the seeds. Gradually, I incorporated a visit to the garden on my daily walks through Grant Park. Visiting the Lurie almost daily offered opportunities for examining subtle additions and changes to the garden as well as encountering unexpected visitors. The more I learned about the Lurie through research and observation, the more I came to understand what a unique oasis this garden is.
As the frequency of my visits increased, I began to jot down observations in a small journal. Eventually, those sporadic notations grew into daily entries. When it came time to select a subject for my master's thesis in journalism, I found that I had abundant material in my journals. For three years, I have made daily recordings of the temperature and weather in the garden and written about my discoveries and observations.
This blog is an outgrowth of my journals and senior project. Through the entries you will be able to watch the garden with me, as it evolves and changes through the seasons. You will meet the people who care for the garden and hear about related activities. I'll also include visits to other gardens in Chicago and beyond.
One additional note: I have discovered crickets in the garden.
