Started off with the hotel continental breakfast, which was a bit of a disappointment after yesterday's breakfast, but we left un-hungry.
We then spent the morning visiting the campus of Notre Dame University, a lovely, expansive campus in middle America, with scenic buildings ...
Front porch swings ...
Old, prestigious, and acclaimed events ...
Powerful, pointing men ...
College football dreams ...
Brown squirrels and their nuts ...
Quasi-racist portraiture ...
Football-themed convenience stores ...
Strangely familiar-looking sculpture ...
An awareness for social concerns ...
The Goodyear blimp perpetually overhead ...
And, of course, Jesus.
After the campus, we only had a brief moment to cruise past the College Football Hall of Fame before continuing on our way.
Driving through Indiana we got a good look at the two things that keep America running. Amber waves of grain ...
And road construction.
Along the way we needed to stop for gas and some food, and were lured in by the industrial smokestacks and stately City Hall in Gary, Indiana.
Instead of fuel and food, what we found was this:
Still we made or way through and out, and managed to find a good place to pick up sustenance. We fueled only ourselves here, not the car, though I don't doubt that we could have.
In the afternoon we checked into our hotel in downtown Chicago. It's n old-school sort of place but it has its charm, and I like it.
The only strange thing is that the room has a rather, uh, interesting view.
We did a little walking around the city in the afternoon. After feeling pretty hot along the way over, it was refreshing to be outside by the lake with the breeze blowing. Who knew Chicago was so windy?
I also learned that the Chicagoans sure do love their monumental landmarks, whether it's tribal chiefs on horseback ...
Or metro stations made to look vaguely like the ones in Paris ...
A fountain ...
Or Gehry-inspired madness ...
Or some kids getting spit on ...
And even this thing, which I didn't want to take a photo of, but felt I was obligated to.
Here's my associate having some family fun at the Family Fun Festival.
And we saw how low the Chicago theater has sunk.
I got a little look at an alternative reality where I worked for a different city. Don't let the sign fool you ...
City Hall really is quite big.
In the evening we ventured to Greektown, if for no other reason than to see what a "greektown" looked like, because it's not something I'm used to seeing in most cities. None of my night photos came out particularly well, but this one has too good a sign in it to not show it off -- look carefully.
Well, after an evening of octopus and braised lamb, not to mention the time we've been up and the time zone change, I'm finding myself about to fall asleep rather suddenly. So that'll be all for now, tune in tomorrow for part two of the City of the Big Shoulders.
4 comments:
I'm impressed that you swung thru Gary - I never had the nerve. I only went into Greektown once while I was traveling there - not surprisingly with John Coletsos. I forget where we ate, but I think it was a fairly large place - possibly called Zorba's.
Enjoy the rest of your time in Chicago
PS Mom wanted me to tell you that that was a CORN field not a wheat field
There's an R2D2 mailbox outside of symphony hall in Boston, or at least there was in June. Maybe it's yet another conspiracy. Or maybe they're promoting star wars stamps.
PS - I appreciate your knack for finding interesting signs... I am highly entertained
I'd bet money that that R2D2 is left over from Revenge of the Sith. Local areas were paid to put them in in '05, but there's no money in removing them unless someone complains so a handful of them are still around.
Mmmm... Jimmy John's.
There's a Jimmy John's down the street from where I work. It, too, has the "free smells" sign. Unfortunately, the sandwich shop smells like industrial cleaner with a lot of ammonia in it. Doesn't do much for the appetite.
Diggin' the Family Fun Festival Jig of Joy.
Post a Comment