Chicago, Finally

On my last Saturday in Milwaukee before graduation I FINALLY made it down to Chicago! I don't know why it took so long, especially since friends live there! Katie and Lily are twins who moved in across the street from my parents when we were all just one year old. They were my best friends when we were little. Unfortunately, my delay in getting down to see them meant I missed Lily, who went to Tennessee for grad school. As luck would have it she's moving back up to Chicago for the summer this Thursday! So the day was just with Katie, but I was thinking of you Lily!

I met Katie at her apartment, from which we took a bus downtown.
We picked up some tickets for an architectural boat tour in the evening then
walked to the Art Institute of Chicago where Katie has a membership.


I loved this very zen room, the Ando Gallery.


After the museum we went across the street for a Thai lunch. Apparently I'm a messy eater. The view from our table looked out at The Crown Fountains that have changing faces projected in them.


And here's The Crown Fountains. We just barely caught the spraying one!


On to the Bean. Okay, so it's really the Cloud Gate, but I liked Katie's name for it better.
We had way too much fun playing in the reflection!


We continued in Millennium Park through the Great Lawn and down a path in The Lurie
Garden. Suddenly Katie said she swore she just saw someone walking up a wall. What?!
She did! The Art Institute of Chicago will be opening the new Modern Wing next Saturday
the 16th and there's all sorts of celebrations going on with the grand opening. Some of the
entertainment was practicing. I liked the look of not always rotating my shots of the dancers...


After watching the dancers and listening to the big drums accompanying them for a while, we walked on to Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain. That thing is truly colossal. The water was really beautiful when the sun would come out from the clouds. After we were there a while it started shooting one spray in the middle up really high. I sported some silly model poses and Katie gave a perfect dive into the fountain.

The day was going so fast! When we were done at Buckingham Fountain it was already time to walk back to the Michigan Ave bridge where our boat tour launched from! Here's a pic of the Corn Cob Towers and the new Trump Tower. The buildings were great, but I also really liked the great lines going under the bridges. It was a fun, but freezing hour so after we definitely had to hit up Starbucks for some yummy hot chocolate!

From there our day was about over. We took the train (my first!)
back to Katie's apartment and then it was goodbye.

Thanks so much for such a great day Katie!!