I like signs and architecture and cities and transit. I like abandoned, bleak, forgotten, and rundown places but I’m not trying to depress you. I try to include art, food, and cute people here so I won’t. Some hockey and baseball, too. I’m very much into that “urban exploration” stuff. I’m an actual female railfan (!). I like documenting my longtime home, Chicago, in minute detail, and try to do the same wherever I travel (Midwest/Rust Belt and beyond). I'm not as organized by tags as I'd like, but I've sorted things well into sets and collections.

I do what I can with point & shoot cameras for now. I put work into choosing and arranging my “favorites” page, take a look (OOPS, well now Flickr automatically puts this on your profile. Sigh.). I get a lot of strange looks while I take some of my photos, but I'm too nice to say “if you don’t get why what I’m taking a photo of is so amazing/hilarious/bizarre/wonderful, I pity you and your uncreative existence.”

I started these Flickr groups: Bicycling Chicago, Northwest Indiana, Signs of Detroit, Stupid car, get out of my shot!, Walgreens, Louis Sullivan, Architect, and Albert Kahn, Architect. I'm slow with email but hope to write you back eventually, don't take it too personally. I've met 92? of my contacts (includes some I knew before Flickr) so far, I hope to meet more.

See also: mod as hell (my other Flickr for historic scans, vintage kitsch, things found in abandoned buildings, 365s, etc.), my Goodreads, my sports (mostly hockey, updated almost daily) blog, a little chippy, and my blog about the above interests and obsessions (includes non-Flickr photos), the Chicago Reader editor's pick (tie) for "Best Local Blog", City of Destiny

katherine of chicago's favorite photos from other Flickr members (477)

  • Parkade by J.G. Park
  • Siegfried parking by plasticfootball
  • Olympia, the Pepsi to Zamboni's Coke by Chicago Man
  • MT, West Yellowstone-U.S. 20 Ho~Hum Motel Sign by Alan C of Marion,IN
  • Santa Fe car wash at Chinatown at Archer Ave by Mark LLanuza
  • BN Main by Nick Suydam
  • the flat by angelnfreefall
  • Verdure by Industry Is Virtue
  • The Auburn Automobile Company by Eridony
  • Blue door by plasticfootball
  • OH Bellaire - Classy Truckin' by scottamus
  • green portals by reallyboring
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Contacts (581)

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Groups (5050)

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Galleries (1)

 

Testimonials (4)

  • view profile

    tombarnes20008 will catch up soon says:

    "A veritable catalogue of architectural styles and sly wit mark Katherine's photostream. A sure bet for an interesting find."

    15th March, 2009

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    Oxford 4 says:

    "I once commented on a photograph that Katherine took of a lovely terrazzo floor noting that: "katherine of chicago was likely the patron saint of all things terrazzo and urban". I still believe this to be true, and if I'm lucky, someday I might acquire some of that uncanny ability to turn urban into artwork."

    3rd January, 2009

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    loungelistener says:

    "Katherine is a great person, and her photostream my guidebook in finding great signs and cool things to see during my trips to Chicago. Without her generous and kind help, I wouldn't have found 1/4 of the cool stuff I did. What a treasure she is!"

    20th August, 2008

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    Mr. Montrose says:

    "Katherine somehow gets shots of every endangered or abandoned building in Chicago & other places..
    Katherines photos inspire me to continue my archiving projects, and the new idea to photo every CTA station is pretty damn cool!
    I see your photos in almost every flickr pool Im part of! Great work!"

    7th February, 2008

Joined:
August 2007
Currently:
Chicago, IL
Website:
City of Destiny