Chicago - My Kind Of Town

Ooh - it’s so good to be back!! My first work trip since early March! And I’m so glad I am in Chicago!  I really do love coming here. I did so many Denver trips in the 18 months since before COVID hit, that I can’t remember the last time I was here.

I had no big plans - I just wanted to walk around and get some fresh air. I walked along the river until it joined Lake Michigan and then I walked along that for awhile. I saw lots of boats - lots of different KINDS of boats - see Extra photo for a few examples. The top row of pictures are taken along the river, and the others along the lakefront.  

Then I walked into Millennium Park and went to see ‘Cloudgate’ - casually known as the ‘Chicago Bean’. The Bean was cordoned off for obvious reasons, and you could only see and photograph it from a distance. I was quite pleased, actually - other than on post cards this is probably the only time I’ll ever see it without a crowd of people around it and underneath it. Sometimes it’s nice to see something without swarms of tourists!  I can’t seem to find one of my old blips - I wanted to show what it normally looks like and to get a sense of perspective for size relative to humans. So here’s a link to someone else’s blip - that will have to do for now.

I have to say there was one thing I found very strange as I walked around. In the UK our mask rules and guidelines are predominantly about indoor space. Unless we are in a crowded outdoor area, we would only wear a mask indoors - shops, hospitals, transport, restaurants etc. That’s what is required here. Unless crowded, outdoor space is not considered risky. But in Chicago almost everyone wears a mask outdoors as well, even many of those running or cycling. I’m strongly supportive of mask policies right now but wearinng then outdoors seems strange to me. Other than around the Bean, where the crowds DID make wearing a mask appropriate, there were not that many people out and about. I felt like quite the rebel!