Jaunted - Tag: Architecture Travel

Rome: Zaha Hadid Opens An Art Museum In Rome With No Art

JetSetCD — 2009-11-17T09:29:28-05:00

Oh my gosh, would you believe that another building by Zaha Hadid got built? The Baghdad-born architect is famous for her futuristic designs, but most only stay looking good on paper. She has a few buildings scattered around the world, but the newest one in Rome takes the cake in terms of scale and space.

Dubbed the MAXXI Museum, or National Museum of the XXI Century Arts, it is a triumph for Zaha. Having opened only several days ago and described by the NYT as "less a unified lone structure than a convergence of long, shiny, serpentine modules — a bit like a space-age highway interchange," the Maxxi is already going down in architecture history. And since we've got a thing for good design, modern art and any new museum exhibitions, the Maxxi is fresh on our radar as well.

St. Louis: St. Louis' Gateway Arch Looking To Have Some Work Done Before Turning Fifty

kjb — 2009-10-28T16:09:18-05:00

Now that Southwest Airlines has announced that they are all about St. Louis, the city is eager to get to work on their most famous attraction. After all, with an influx of new visitors thanks to cheap flights, the city needs to show off its offerings. Late last week the National Park Service released an almost 300 page set of plans dealing with the future of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial—that’s the Gateway Arch for those less familiar with its full name.

The park service is looking to preserve and maintain the grand lawn area beneath the Arch and wants to add some snazzy new stuff to the north and south ends of the area. The entire memorial is almost 100 acres large, so they have a lot of room to play with. One of the biggest updates would be to expand the park across the Mississippi River. That would provide East St. Louis with a little Arch love, and would allow the Arch to be better connected to the downtown area. Certain blocks downtown could be cleared to allow for new walkways for pedestrians to check things out.

Chicago: Chicago's Millennium Park Piles On The Culture With New Pavilions

JetSetCD — 2009-07-28T14:04:25-05:00

Forget the mirror-finish "Cloud Gate" sculpture, otherwise known simply as "The Bean" by Anish Kapoor, Chicago's Millennium Park has blossomed into something even greater than a sanctuary for great architecture and green space—it's become a work of art all it's own.

From all sides, Millennium Park is the place to visit in Chicago; the north holds Frank Gehry's Pritzker Pavilion auditorium and lawn, the south end is the Art Institute with its new Modern wing, the east edge of the park is the lakefront and harbor, and the west edge pulses with Michigan Avenue. Everything within the park continues to grow; from a huge garden of indigenous-to-Illinois plants to the sculptures scattered throughout.

The absolute freshest addition to this garden of al fresco delights, aside from a wading stream, are the two Burnham Pavilions being built to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the city plan. The first (pictured above), designed by Ben van Berkel of UNStudio, has been up for almost a month now and will remain until late October. It's neighbor by architect Zaha Hadid, however, lags severely behind.

Chicago: A Sad Day For Chicago: Sears Tower Officially Renamed

JetSetCD — 2009-07-16T15:04:19-05:00

It's official: there is no more Sears Tower in Chicago. Today the naming right to the building, an icon of the Chicago skyline since its construction in the 1970s, switched over the British firm Willis, who bought the rights along with office space in the tower.

Now called the Willis Tower, the skyscraper at least has a buzzworthy addition that somewhat distracts from the name-change: the new glass ledge viewing balconies on the 103rd floor's Skydeck. But is waiting in a line just so that you can stand for a minute above the entire city enough to appease a community that holds the originial Sears Tower so dearly in their hearts? We said it once, and we'll say it again: if Chicago can get over Comiskey Park becoming US Cellular Field, home of the White Sox, then with time they will surmount even this.

Nonetheless, after the official announcement went out today, Twitter's hot trending topics lit up with mentions of the new Willis Tower name, and none of them too positive. Except for @abearatemyparen it seems, who says: "Willis Group? London based insurance company? No, I'ma pretend that's Bruce Willis' tower now." Or we could all just use this as an opportunity to constantly quote Gary Coleman from Diff'rent Strokes: "Whatchu talkin' bout Willis?"

Highland Park: Ferris Bueller Travel: The Ferrari House Hits the Market

JetSetCD — 2009-05-29T09:07:02-05:00

While nothing would give us greater pleasure than to do a series on places featured in the classic movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a simple visit to Chicago should take care of most of your curiosity. That is, unless you've got a hankering to visit the real stars of the movie like Ferris' school or, even better yet, the infamous Ferrari House.

Since Ferris was filmed both in Chicago's downtown and suburbs, the suburban destinations are the hardest to locate and reach, thereby giving them cult status. While anyone is welcome to drive into the parking lot at Northbrook's Glenbrook North High School, the forest-hidden contemporary house in Highland Park, which serves as the home of Ferris' friend Cameron Frye, is far more secluded.

Legos Are Back, And They Are Cloning Tourist Attractions

JetSetCD — 2009-05-21T12:01:58-05:00

Move over postcards and sno globes; souvenir shops of some specific major landmarks will soon be getting welcome new additions to their stock. LEGO has just announced a very neat partnership wtih an architect, whereby some famous buildings are being turned into building block sets, a la Puzz-3D. We think this is just another excuse for staycatiioners, but anything that allows us to sit the Sears Tower on our desk is good by us.

In the "Lego Architecture" line, people will be able to buy sets for building Empire State Building, Chicago's John Hancock Building and Sears Tower, and the Seattle Space Needle. Perhaps the most exciting release are the two Frank Lloyd buildings, Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum.

To further crank up your wanderlust once you've completed the structure, each box contains a book of facts, notes on its architectural significance, and points of interest in the city. Although they aren't quite yet for sale behind the glass of your local gift shop, they can be pre-ordered in sets here. Do we sense a perfect Father's Day gift from this?

Related Stories:
· New LEGO Architecture Series by Adam Reed Tucker [If It's Hip, It's Here]
· Architecture Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Images: If It's Hip, It's Here]

Chicago: Chicago's 'Bean' To Get Some Serious Competition This Summer

JetSetCD — 2009-04-17T15:41:39-05:00

For visitors to Chicago, a must-do is taking a picture of your own reflection in the smooth, mirrored surface of Anish Kapoor's "Cloud Gate" sculpture at the entrance to Millennium Park. Nicknamed "the Bean," the massive blob holding court at the Michigan Ave entrance to the park is about to get some serious competition for touristic affection on June 19, when the city unveils not one, but two new pavilions which will do more than just sit there and look pretty.