Bonnie E.
Yelp
"Meet me between Marilyn's legs!" I knew someone who just loved saying this when the giant Marilyn Monroe mobile statue ("Forever Marilyn") visited the Windy City. (She's now over here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/grounds-for-sculpture-hamilton?osq=forever+marilyn just FYI.)
Q: "Where are you?"
A: "I'm over here, across the street from the Wrigley Building."
A: "I'm on the north bank of the river, over the Michigan Avenue bridge."
A: "I'm in that plaza over by the Trib building."
A: "I'm kinda by Howells and Hood"
Well, this little patch of concrete located across the street from the Wrigley Building, where Marilyn used to stand has a name: "Pioneer Court!" I love finding out things that I really should've already known. More recently, it was the site of the "helmet line-up" as Chicago hosted "Draft Town."
If you look more closely...over here...toward the bank of the river....you'll see that there are plaques of bronze atop slabs of granite and also a giant vessel of concrete.
One plaque notifies you that: "Jean Baptiste, Point Du Sable" was here. It was his homesite and designated a National Historic Landmark and it was dedicated in 1977 as such. The other plaque is dedicated by "The Illinois Society Daughters of Colonial Wars" and cites specifically "On December 4, 1674...Pere Jacques Marquette, S.J. and two voyageurs built a shelter near the mouth of the Chicago River. They were the first Europeans to camp here, the site of Chicago."
Time capsule anyone!? This one is my favorite. 1965. Dedicated by "The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States" and "has sealed herein a time capsule containing notable memorabilia in commemoration of the dedication of its Midwestern Headquarters Building and of Pioneer Court." June 23, 1965. No date stated about when it's to be opened!? Maybe someone in the year 2065 can Yelp this? 2165? Is there a life insurance policy in there?
All I know is that Pioneer Court has been here since before I was born and now I can finally call it by name... hello there, new old friend.