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On summer afternoons Laura Ekasetya will sometimes hear a band or orchestra rehearsing for a performance that evening at Pritzker Pavilion -- a neat perk of the job, she said. "Sometimes I think, 'Oh I'll have to go to that tonight,'" said Ekasetya, who lives in the South Loop. She often sees couples taking engagement or wedding photos -- which is welcome, so long as they don't stand on the plants. "There's really no need to stand in the middle of the garden, but sometimes I have to explain why," she said.
Chris Walker, Chicago Tribune
On summer afternoons Laura Ekasetya will sometimes hear a band or orchestra rehearsing for a performance that evening at Pritzker Pavilion — a neat perk of the job, she said. “Sometimes I think, ‘Oh I’ll have to go to that tonight,'” said Ekasetya, who lives in the South Loop. She often sees couples taking engagement or wedding photos — which is welcome, so long as they don’t stand on the plants. “There’s really no need to stand in the middle of the garden, but sometimes I have to explain why,” she said.

Making Millennium Park work

Chicago Tribune
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Whether it’s mowing the lawn, sweeping up abandoned picnic clutter, planting flowers, booking a concert or keeping vandals away, Millennium Park’s staff is kept busy year-round. The 10-year-old downtown jewel, which saw about 4.5 million visitors each of the past two years, employs 55 to 85 full-time workers, depending on the season, according to city officials. Among them are horticulturists, landscapers, cleaners, artists and security guards. Here are five of their stories. Watch a video of the workers
— Text by Michelle Manchir, photos by Chris Walker

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