The Windy City

We visited Chicago to visit with Linda and her husband Bill. Linda is the last of Dinah’s four friends from her youth that we visited on this trip. How cool it is that these five women, who met and became a posse of best friends in middle and high school have such close relationships to this day?

Fancy elevators in a fancy hotel, who’s name I sadly can’t remember.

Linda and Bill, who are both architects, gave us an amazing tour of Chicago architecture which means we also received a good dose of Chicago history. Amongst too many great historical facts to relate, I’d call out the amusing news to me that Chicago is not called ‘The Windy City’ because it’s actually that windy, but rather because the Chicago politicians were called wind bags by journalists in the 19th century.

Chicago’s skyline along the river is one of the best in the world and its tradition of leading edge architecture is 150 years old (Thank you Chicago Fire and O’leary’s rumored cow which caused a total rebuild!). Chicago has been investing in public spaces since I was last there with a great river walk and the Millineum park addition built over railroad tracks. Seattle is considering a park over the I-5 Freeway that cuts through town and based on Chicago, I’m all for it.

Cloud Gate by artist Anish Kapoor at Millennium Park. Everyone calls it ‘The Bean’.

Chicago is too big and crowded for Dinah and I to want to move there … but my appreciation of the city grew immensely through the passion and knowledge of our hosts, and like NYC, I look forward to visiting again in the future.