On the eighth day we returned – on the ninth day I had to start catching up on work that had been put off for eight days. While I have wonderful and amazing co-workers and we have a fantastic team, the fact is that there are things that have got to get done. So instead of thinking or writing much (and there’s no Flash Fiction again this week, so far as I know) here are a few more pictures from our visit to Chicago.

This high-rise condo or apartment building was opposite our hotel and I have a thing for patterns in my photographs. These patterns were nicely broken up by the rain drops on the windows, something we get very, very rarely these days in Los Angeles. (On the other hand, we’re expecting to get sideswiped by a Pacific hurricane for the first time in twenty-five years with heavy rain and local flash flooding tomorrow through Sunday, so things are getting weird.)

Next to that high-rise condo building was that one that I referred to a couple days ago as looking “sort of like a fountain pen sticking up.” For Labor Day weekend at least, it was lit up at night in red, white, and blue. Way, way down in the bottom right corner, three blocks from our hotel, was one of the Giordano’s restaurants, where we got that wonderful deep dish pizza.

Here it is again, to the right of the dark brown building, which is the Hyatt Regency, site of the Worldcon. This view is from the other side of the Chicago River, when we were on a quest to find those Chicago dogs. (The kind with pickle, relish, tomato, onions, but never, ever any ketchup!)

Inside the Hyatt at night, everthing over by the restaurant and bar in the huge atrium is lit with slowly shifting colors all night. Quite colorful and vibrant – I wish I had thought to take a time-lapse of it. Oh, well, next time maybe.

Now, back to work!

Eight days on vacation – one travel, five at Worldcon in Chicago, one in Champaign-Urbana looking at houses and getting the lay of the land and discussing options, and one final day of travel.

This should look familiar to about 99% of those who have traveled in the US in the last twenty-five years or so. The United Airlines terminal C at O’Hare in Chicago, of course.

Now we’re home and I don’t know what time it is or what day it is. But it’s hot here, and I have to get back to work tomorrow.

It’s Monday^9. Should be “interesting!”

Worldcon was wrapping up (it was great) so we took one of those bus tours of the city.

The “L”, tall buildings sticking up into the clouds, a bunch of tourists sitting on the top of a bus with no roof.

Lots of tall, tall buildings in a number of spots.

Nice views, albeit for probably $100K+ per year in rent. Or, more precisely, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.

From the museum district out where Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, and Field Museum are, you get a nice view of the bottom of the skyscrapers. See on the left side, where the sixth from the left looks sort of like a fountain pen sticking up and the one to the right of that is up in the clouds and just a straight, white building? (Nothing implied there…) Our hotel is right there, but much shorter…

This is the Sheraton near us with funky balconies that I like a lot.

I do really like Chicago, a lot!

Another great benefit of travel is different foods. Most places have local dishes that you need to sample. Kansas City BBQ. New York deli. Los Angeles street tacos.

Chicago deep dish pizza. Check!

The absolute best part of this picture is the expression on that little kid photobombing us from the next table.  That’s totally a “JESUS CHRIST! THEY’RE GOING TO EAT ALL OF THAT??!!” look. And yes, we did. It was wonderful.

The Chicago dog? SPECTACULAR! Have two.

I love to travel. I love to get out and just walk around and take pictures and see things. (I take a LOT of pictures.)

The Chicago River is central to Downtown Chicago, better known as The Loop.

The Chicago Riverwalk is an amazing strip of park, restaurants, walking and running paths, an oasis of calm in a sea of skyscrapers.

There’s a mix of the old skyscrapers, like the Wrigley Building, and the modern steel and glass buildings, like this fortress of evil.

Lots of rococo. Flying buttresses? Really?

A fair number of these are not office buildings, but condos, townhouses, and apartments. I doubt they’re cheap, but it would be wonderful to live down here!