Chicago: First Day; Condo and Walking Around

Hey Doc, I didn't forget you. You're awesome; looking forward to reading your stuff in the New England Journal of Medicine. Most people who read this will know some of the people I name, and otherwise, I try to keep a sense of privacy alive.

We arrived Thursday night from LaGuardia, late of course, at the Midway Airport, and took the Orange Line in to the Roosevelt stop to get to Joey's condo. Sitting on Michigan Ave, the views were tremendous, especially since we were on the tenth floor. The Sears tower is visible beyond the cell tower.

Craning around and looking east, beyond the side of the building, this is the view, with Lake Michigan observed off to the right of the frame. Pretty sweet.

We talked about the price of something like this in Manhattan, and realized the size, height, and views would cost at least four-times as much. We started off, Corrie, Joey and I, walking up Michigan, where eventually we got to Grant Park (I think). There were two large monolithic fountain things with faces digitally rendered on them, eyes fully blinking in an eerie display. Kids were playing in the one-inch deep run-off between the two, and every ten minutes the faces would pucker their mouths and a large stream of water would come blasting out to the gleeful cheers of the playing kids.

Next along the walk we came to something that I don't know what it's called, other than what Joey referred to as the Mirror Bean, or Chrome Bean...it is a large bean-shaped mirror ball, pictured below. If you look close enough, you'll be able to find me taking the picture, wearing tan shorts and a black t-shirt. It was very reflective and cool.

Joey had to split to go to work, but took this picture of us.

Corrie and I walked all over; I took pictures of cool building sights, being a shutter-bug, and she educated me on many things about Chicago. Coming around one corner, there was a huge red-steel sculpture, and I had Corrie pose at the base to get a true sense of size. She's visible on the left side of the frame, at the base.

We walked around the north side of the river, through the buildings, and back down from where we started, and passed by Soldier Field, where the Chicago Bears play. They finished renovations a few years back, and the outer facade looks the same, but, as Joey correctly observed, from a distance it looks like a UFO landed on top of the Old Soldier Field.