Chicagoist: Ask Chicagoist: Paris in the Springtime in Chicago?

guest

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 17:31:55 -0600

http://www.baudelet.net/paris/cow-parade.htm paris probably didn't want any cows because they were too busy having their very own cow parade.

Cletus Warhol

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 13:07:24 -0600

A somewhat popular nickname for the Dubuffet is "Snoopy In A Blender," although the reference point for the name is fast fading into cultural obscurity.

navin

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 10:28:29 -0600

lol, it's hoot to hear Dubuffet and Helmut Jahn talked about like this.

Mikey

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 10:26:55 -0600

Why all the hate for Cows On Parade? It may have been inspired by an exhibition in Zurich, but didn't garner international attention until Chicago did it, and attracted quite a few tourists as well. That being said, I don't think the offer to Paris of one of our cows was a particularly great gift either. What made the cows special was the fact that there were many spread around the city like easter eggs. One by itself is not very exciting, and yes, some of them were tacky...

Porter

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 09:58:52 -0600

Steven, I am glad that this public urinal exists where it does. In fact, we need more public restrooms in Chicago, similar to San Francisco. The urinal that you refer to is by Jean Dubuffet, who was a Frenchman, by the way.

Steven

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 23:45:42 -0600

How about giving them that ugly piece of junk that serves as an outdoor urinal in front of the State of Illinois Building. Sorry, but I'll never call it by that other name. In fact, why not give them the entire ugly blue and salmon building?

Jeff

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:24:15 -0600

Okay, it was an unoriginal promotional idea that was ripped off from another city by a local businessman. I stand corrected.

Scott Allen

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:34:37 -0600

I'm not sure if they would want it, but we could offer to build the Chicago Spire in Paris instead of Chicago. In lieu of The Spire we could offer them the Olympics, if Chicago wins the bid.

geekgrrl

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 18:47:56 -0600

wow, the same peter hanig that developers are forcing out of the farwell building? he's to blame?

Kevin

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:18:36 -0600

Actually, Jeff, Cow on Parade was the idea of local businessman Peter Hanig, who saw a similar exhibition in Zurich and convinced the city of Chicago to do the same.

Ferdy

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 16:20:16 -0600

If Parisians are too chic to accept gifts they deem unworthy, then they shouldn't be offered any more. Screw 'em.

Jeff

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:28:03 -0600

Bah- I don't blame them about the cows. The cows were basically a tacky promotional idea cooked up by an ad agency. IMO the whole stunt looked like a desperate ploy by a city with an inferiority complex to get attention.

Will

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:54:32 -0600

What's the Ogden Street Bridge that you are referring too? I know where Ogden is but I never knew there was a noteworthy bridge along it.

geekgrrl

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:44:51 -0600

abhay, per your request: www.chicagoist.com/archives/2006/04/27/ask_chicagoist_sister_city_selection.php

j

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:13:23 -0600

Man, the Wyoming egg! I wish I had thought of that first!!! If we don't go with the egg or the foi-dogs, what about the U of C???? I bet the EU could use some economists right about now!

james

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:08:52 -0600

wow, i'm surprised it took three replies to the post for the inevitable 'chicagoist you suck and are stupid' rant. or maybe that person was going to be first but is a slow typer.

jocelyn

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:55:27 -0600

abhay: you noticed three or four different sister cities? not about thirty or forty? and isn't this paris stuff just all about daley's hard-on to try and make chicago uber-european? i think it's funny that paris dissed our cows. i thought some of the cows were cool, and we obviously got a lot of attention from them, but some of them were really tacky. not to mention, when i think cow, i think wisconsin. why have a symbol that represents an urban legend of major destruction for the city?

Abhay

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:36:46 -0600

How many sister cities does Chicago have, and what is the significance of sister cities? When I walk through O'Hare, I noticed about 3-4 different sister cities, and I don't recall Paris, France as one of them.

erin

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:31:48 -0600

whatever happened to parisist? they would have been good ones to ask...

bridget

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:06:26 -0600

There are actually a lot of these in various cities throughout the US....at the moma in NYC, in one of dc's sculpture gardens, etc. I don't think many other cities have decided to actually make them functional, but I also don't think the presence of one here makes chicago that special.

navin

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:49:53 -0600

There was a whole program on the construction of this on WTTW.

Kevin

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:26:33 -0600

There is one of these at Bellas Artes in Mexico City. Seems like Paris just has a whole warehouse full of them to hand out. Maybe we could give them a big order of Chicago-style Freedom Fries, then, instead of trying to re-gift their subway entrance.

geekgrrl

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:05:24 -0600

we should give them that easter egg from wyoming.

Jospehine

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:03:58 -0600

Good work, Chicagoist! Now maybe you can tell us why there is a water tower on Michigan Ave and also what is the name of that body of water next to the city??

cmo

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:28:28 -0600

I know an artist who was selected by the city as a finalist to design a gift to give Paris. France supposedly France declined our gifts because they were, um, tacky and not up to par, so now we are offering to regift our own version of the ubiquitous France metra entrance...but again, France has communicated their constraints on how it should look. Apparently they just think Chicago has crap taste.

JKM

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:27:10 -0600

Maybe some shady foie gras hot dogs?