Running along Lake Michigan

My final day in Chicago started like so many of my days that week: with a run along Lake Michigan. The Lake is so big that you feel you’re running beside the ocean. I joined other runners, as well as early morning walkers and cyclists. The temperature regularly was over 30c that week. Therefore, you … Continue reading / view photos Running along Lake Michigan

Walking around Chicago

Chicago is easy to get around. A lot of it is walkable and safe. If you don’t feel like walking, there is the subway (underground/tube) and plenty of buses. Like London, you can use contactless cards/phones/watches to pay for your fare. The Chicago Cultural Center is a building that has art galleries and free events. … Continue reading / view photos Walking around Chicago

The Loop

Although Michelle Obama mentions The Loop many times in her autobiography, I must have missed the explanation of what it was. I was curious to see it. The Loop, it turns out, is Chicago’s central business district in the downtown area of the city. The name probably comes from the elevated railway line that encircles … Continue reading / view photos The Loop

The Obamas can’t see you right now

It was, apparently, possible to glimpse the Obamas’ house through the surrounding trees. With hope, I headed west to Hyde Park on a double decker train. Chicago’s public transport is the best I experienced in the US. The municipal train (different from the excellent subway) had a conductor. I noticed that the train didn’t stop … Continue reading / view photos The Obamas can’t see you right now

City of architecture

Chicago may be my favourite city of those I visited in America. Not only does the architecture have a rich history but also I felt it’s a city designed for people. For example, the riverside is protected so that no private builders can block the path. I saw many people walking along the river and, … Continue reading / view photos City of architecture

Chicago Art Institute

The Art Institute of Chicago is the second largest art museum in the US, after the humongous Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. The Art Institute has everything from African art to Textiles. You could spend days there. I spent so long in the many galleries that, with about 90 minutes to closing time, I … Continue reading / view photos Chicago Art Institute

Pilsen

My second walking tour with the hostel was to see the street art in Pilsen. It was a trial run for our volunteer guide. She had never taken a group before but she wanted to share with others the art in the area. On the tour, a couple told me that they had gone to … Continue reading / view photos Pilsen

Truth is life

Nature is my manifestation of God. I go to nature every day for inspiration in the day’s work. I follow in building the principles which nature has used in its domain. Frank Lloyd Wright It’s strange that someone born in the 19th century, who lived some of his adult life without electricity, went on to … Continue reading / view photos Truth is life

First impressions of the Windy City

I was less ignorant of Chicago than I might have been. A friend had advised me to read Michelle Obama’s autobiography before I got to Chicago. I did. The book, especially the first third, describes Michelle Obama’s childhood in Chicago. When you arrive at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, you’re greeted by flags from all over … Continue reading / view photos First impressions of the Windy City