Love Letter from... Chicago!

Brrr. Autumn seems to have arrived here in London. How strange to think that, less than two weeks ago, I was here:

Oak Street Beach in Chicago, on the shores of Lake Michigan, drying in the sun after a morning dip. Check out the hair - they don't call this The Windy City for nothing.

I absolutely fell in love with Chicago in the few short days I was there. I ended up going as I was in the States for a friend's wedding in Boston and I've wanted to go to Chicago for some time now. I was a bit nervous that it wouldn't live up to my hopes but it surpassed them. It had a perfect city feel with a fascinating mix of architecture, a great buzz, a beautiful location on the lake, green spaces, wide streets, and such friendly people. It did really feel like 'my kind of town', in the words of Frank Sinatra. Like all my favourite cities, it didn't feel frozen in some past period, nor completely new. You could feel and see the history but it felt like it is still alive and changing, still exciting and full of energy. As an architecture geek, I particularly loved all the new buildings butting up against the old. (And I highly recommend the architectural boat tour, run by the Chicago Architectural Foundation, for a great run down of it all.)

Here's just a few shots from my wanderings... There's quite a few here, and yet it's still only a small selection from the many taken...

Bam! Architectural amazingness overload!

The Wrigley Building! (Frank Sinatra sings about this...)

Down at the beach in the evening, I was amused watching the cops, watching the waves 

I spent most of my time in the centre, which is where I was staying, but also managed to get out to Wicker Park, which is one of the inner suburbs of the city. I browsed some of the various vintage/thrift stores there, but wasn't really in the buying mood. I did snap some more pictures along the main street though.

'Don't fret': You're in Chicago, life's good here!

So that's my glimpse of Chicago. I did absolutely love it and didn't have nearly as much time as I would have liked there (only two full days, three nights). However, now I know that it's there and how amazing it is, I can always plan to go back one day, to see all the many places and things I missed this time around. Hopefully next time I will be able to take The Cat as well, as he wasn't able to make it this time (despite wanting to) and had to endure my excited telephone calls and messages as I explored and fell head over heels...

God bless you, Chicago, you beautiful city!