We Love The Stars Too Fondly

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!

I’ve always loved this corridor at O’Hare.

It’s pretty empty at 00:30 AM, the only folks there were the ones getting off of our plane.

Our plane arrived early, our luggage didn’t get lost, and we got to the hotel with only one little “adventure.”

It’s good to be back. I don’t think I’ve been here in over twenty years.