When I was in Los Angeles, my nephew said I must go to see a baseball game. I knew nothing about baseball except that it is a big part of American culture. First, I tried to go to an LA Dodgers game. However, they were “on tour” – that is, playing at an opponent’s stadium. … Continue reading / view photos Major League Baseball
Tag: USA
A palace for the people
When the first stone for the new public library was laid in 1888, Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “This palace is the people’s own.” The architect, Charles Follen McKim, and patrons recruited some of the greatest craftspeople, painters and sculptors of the 19th century to create this masterpiece, the Boston Public Central Library. There is a … Continue reading / view photos A palace for the people
Parkrun, Harvard and MIT
Years ago, I heard the Bee Gees song about going back to Massachusetts and trying to hitch a ride to San Francisco. I never dreamt I’d ever go to those places myself. This trip in the US has been an incredible, joyful and relaxing experience. The places I went to showed me a different side … Continue reading / view photos Parkrun, Harvard and MIT
Boston – The Freedom Trail
All the flights I’d taken in the US had been on schedule. The one from Chicago to Boston was no exception. To get to the HI Hostel from the airport I took a free bus. This took a strange route, through concrete tunnels. No other vehicles used the tunnel. I assumed that it had been … Continue reading / view photos Boston – The Freedom Trail
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