Where I Found Solace Among the Madness: The Garfield Park Conservatory

By Edward M. Bury, APR, MA (aka The PRDude)

As noted in this post published on the next-to-last day of 2025, I have made the commitment to break away from the ordinary, seek out the unfamiliar, engage in something new. Or in other words, follow a different path, even if it’s a path I’ve been on before.

Okay, enough of my efforts to sort of wax poetic.

On the first day of February, after watching an enlightening CBS Sunday Morning episode and reading selected sections of the now diminished Chicago Tribune, I started my now 30-year-old Toyota Camry and drove 20 or so minutes south to a true treasure here in my home town of Chicago.

Below you will find images from my visit to the Garfield Park Conservatory, a more than century-old compound housing a dizzying and mesmerizing collection of things that grow. Strolling through the Conservatory can be equated in some respects to taking a trip around the world. In every exhibit, I found plants from every continent, well except for Antarctica. And, as an avid home gardener, I renewed my love of things that grow.

The venue was relatively crowded that Sunday, with families and couples enjoying the surroundings. Yet, I found plenty of places to stand alone, take it the beauty of the natural installations, and breathe in the warm, moist air.

What this experience also provided was temporary break from the highly troubling and disturbing things happening in my city, in my country, and in the world around me. The Garfield Park Conservatory, which I have visited in the past, is one of the aspects of Chicago that truly contributes to its position as a world-class metropolis. That day, it provided a place to rejuvenate.

Rest assured: There are many other iconic places in Chicago that are just a short ride or public transit commute away. I plan to continue my quest to shatter the mold of sameness and explore what’s out there. It’s a proven way to help cope with the growing madness these days.

The main passage connecting the different sections of the Conservatory was “enlightening” in more ways than one.

Look close: Yes, those are live fish.

A great place to sit and rest while at the Conservatory is on one of the ledge formations; but as noted, keep your feet off.

Use your imagination. Imagine you are in a rainforest or jungle. Yes, that can happen at the Conservatory.

Man, those are really, really tall cactus plants!

Not sure what kind of tree this is, but hey, it’s tall and it’s beautiful.

This man-made piece of art seems to “embrace” the natural treasures at the Conservatory.

Currently under some renovation, the Conservatory is still welcoming from the outside.

Washington, DC: A Travelogue (and Commentary of Sorts) 2025

By Edward M. Bury, APR, MA (aka The PRDude)

For the past decade or so, the first PRDude post of the year has centered on my trip to Washington, DC for the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting.  Well, on New Year’s Day 2025 I tried something else, as noted in this post.

What follows is a combination of some thoughts and images from my visit last week to the TRB conference in the nation’s capital, which had to cope with some unseasonable winter weather while preparing for a monumental change due to the new administration that will take over next week.

Yes, I could use this space to offer thoughts on where the nation may be heading, but I’ll save those posts for another time. What the images and captions that follow do demonstrate is that Washington — an amazing city which contains the very foundation of our democracy — is a way cool place to visit.  Yes, even after a snowfall. 

The rare snowfall January 6 and 7 resulted in reduced traffic here along K Street across from Franklin Park. The scene is more akin to a northern city rather than Washington, but still beautiful and serene.

Historic St. John’s Church is a short walk from my hotel. On my recent visit, I noticed this plaque on the back pew along the far right. Yes, I sat there for a while.

Another compelling moment while in St. John’s Church: Someone played the pipe organ, filling the small church with beautiful and powerful music — just for me.

With the Washington Monument in the distance and the U.S. Treasury on the right, I had this evening vision of a major thoroughfare in the nation’s capitol to myself.

Much of Lafayette Square across from the White House was cordoned off as workers prepared for the January 20 presidential inaugural. A little snow wasn’t going to stop the construction work. And, the White House was open to visitors.

On a bright, sunny morning, the Washington Monument stood majestically. Walkways were cleared of snow, testimony to the efficiency of the men and women responsible for providing access to our great public spaces across the District.

One presentation that’s on my must attend list: The TRB awards for recognizing excellence in Communicating Concepts with the Public. This year’s top awards focused on programs that addressed safety in transportation.

As I’ve noted often, one great benefit of my current position is the opportunity to meet and work with tremendous people from all over the world. My friend Dr. Takanori Sakai is one of those people.

The giant TRB letters in the Washington Convention Center main lobby offered an ideal photo platform. For some reason, I found this rear view more captivating.

Looking down Pennsylvania Avenue, the U.S. Capitol stands in the distance and flags were at half staff in respect of the recent passing of the 39th President of the United States.

One excellent temporary exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery featured compelling black and white images of Hollywood movie stars from a bygone era. Okay, who is this blond bombshell?

In the Presidential Portraits room at the National Portrait Gallery, purple bunting draped across the portrait of the late Jimmy Carter. History has shown that regardless of how he was viewed as a president, his life was one of honor, service and dedication.