Hello from Chicago - What a Fabulously Photogenic City

Yesterday I woke up at 5:00 am Chicago time and Iis derived from the design of the French cathedral of
figured I might as well get ahead of the crowd atRouen and gives the building its striking silhouette.The
the Arlington House Youth Hostel and take an earlyarea around the Michigan Avenue Bridge and
shower. At 6 am I was already on the Internet,Esplanade looking westwards along the Chicago River
recording my first impressions of this exciting cityis an absolute mecca for an architecture buff like me.
and by 6:30 am I had left the hostel. It was stillYou'll find a mixture of classic skyscrapers, many of
pretty dark outside and the sun was just slowlythem built in Art Deco Style, as well as more modern
starting to come up.I walked through the quiet Lincolnskyscrapers built over the last 30 years. This has to
Park neighbourhood all the way to the Lake Michiganbe one of the most impressive urban vistas in
Shoreline where the cool wind was just howling offexistence anywhere.I continued to walk west on
the lake. Joggers, bicyclists and power walkers wereWacker Drive and walked past a number of the
already out in full force. I strolled around for about 15north-south streets that connect the Loop with the
minutes, but when the wind got too strong I decidedareas north of downtown. I wanted to capture
to take a bus and head south to a neighbourhoodanother fascinating building: Merchandise Mart, an
called "Old Town", near North Street and N. Wellsimpressive building at the north bank of the Chicago
Street. It's a tidy, well-kept neighbourhood of historicriver between Wells and Orleans street, was built in
homes and the location of the Second City Comedy1931. At that time, when it was constructed by
Club, a place that has spawned so many comedicMarshall Field and Company to replace H.H. Ricardson's
talents.After a brisk morning walk around Old Town IMarshall Field Wholesale store, it was the building with
hopped back on the el-train and went to check outthe largest floor area in the world and today it is the
downtown. I got off in the Loop and headed outsecond largest building in the United States after the
towards the openness of Michigan Avenue and GrantPentagon.A short hop on the el-train later I got off at
Park. Interestingly the wind in between the buildingsRandolph Street to pick up my friend Linda who was
in the Loop was much stronger than in the openscheduled to arrive at 10:25 am on the South Shore
areas just off the Lake Michigan Shoreline.MichiganRailway Line. We have known each other since we
Avenue and Grant Park are one of the areas whereare 10 years old (almost 30 years!) and grew up in
Chicago's beauty is most striking. Daniel Burnham'sAustria, and Linda herself moved to the United
city plan of 1909 that preserved a huge amount ofStates a few years ago. We hadn't seen each other
green space right on the shoreline of Lake Michiganfor 2 years and this was the time to reconnect.Linda
was a brilliant decision, and visitors and local residentsarrived a few minutes late and after a heart-felt
alike benefit from the huge green zone between thegreeting we headed off to the Chicago Cultural
Loop and the lake. Grant Park's beginnings actuallyCenter to try to pick up a 3-day transit pass. Much
date all the way back to 1835, when foresightedto our surprise we were told that the closest location
citizens, fearing commercial lakefront development,for multi-day transit passes was the Marriot Hotel at
lobbied to protect the open space. Burnham's vision549 North Michigan Avenue, about 20 minutes
of the park as a formal landscape with museums andwalking north of where we were. We were a bit
civic buildings became reality: today Grant Park holdssurprised that it would be so inconvenient for visitors
3 of the city's most distinguished museums: The Fieldarriving in the Loop to purchase transit passes, but
Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium andoff we went with Linda's suitcase in tow and we
the Adler Planterium.The Buckingham Fountain is thewere finally able to pick up our coveted 3-day transit
centerpiece of Grant Park, the city's grand "frontpass at the 2nd floor gift shop of the Marriot
yard," and it is set within a handsomely landscapedHotel.We decided to get rid of Linda's luggage and
garden, one of the city's finest examples of aheaded north towards the youth hostel on the bus.
Beaux-Arts-style landscape design. It is an exactBy that time it was about noon and we were both
replica of the fountain in Versailles, just twice asvoraciously hungry. So we plunked ourselves down at
large, and with those measurements it is one of thea cozy spot called the "Pasta Bowl" on Clark Street
largest free-standing fountains in the world.At theand I had a really delicious gorgonzola pasta that I
north end of Grant Park is Millenium Park, at anabsolutely devoured.From there we went back to
investment of $495 million Chicago's most ambitiousthe Arlington House, dropped off Linda's luggage and
public undertaking. Unsightly railroad tracks andrested for a bit since we were both pretty tired
parking lots were turned into a multi-media outdoorafter this hefty lunch. At 4 pm we got going again
entertainment area during the last few years. Amongand headed down to the Golden Mile, Chicago's main
Millennium Park's prominent features are the Frankshopping area along Michigan Avenue, north of the
Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the mostChicago River. The place was absolutely hopping with
sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in thepeople. We picked up a little gift for Linda's daughter
United States; a winding mirror clad bridge overat H&M and then headed up into the John Hancock
Stetson Street, designed by world-renownedCentre, Chicago's third highest building.The view from
architect Frank Gehry; and "Cloud Gate" ("Thethe John Hancock Centre was amazing and the sun
Bean"), a hugely popular sculpture inspired by liquidwas just getting ready to set. Chicago's skyline is
mercury, designed by British artist Anish Kapoor. Onimpressive, crowned as it is by the Sears Tower.
this beautiful sunny morning, the reflections of theAfter our high altitude excursion we strolled along
city's skyscrapers had an almost surreal feel toMichigan Avenue and for dinner we headed back into
them.I still had about an hour and a half before mythe Lincoln Park area where we had a very filling
friend Linda would arrive at the Randolph StreetMexican vegetarian burrito dinner on Lincoln
Station, so I decided to head north on MichiganAvenue.Exhausted from all this exploring and eating,
Avenue towards two of my favourite buildings: thewe went back to the Arlington House to crash in our
Wrigley Building and the Chicago Tribune Tower. Thebunk bed...Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a
Wrigley building serves as the headquarters of thewebsite called Travel and Transitions( Travel and
Wrigley (chewing gum) company and was built inTransitions deals with unconventional travel and is
1920 by the company's founder, William Wrigley Jr. Itchock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences,
was the first of a series of landmarks at theinterviews with travellers and travel experts, insights
southern end of the Magnificent Mile.The design ofand reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and
the Tribune Tower was the result of an internationalmany other features. You will also find stories about
competition for "the most beautiful office building inlife and the transitions that we face as we go
the world," held in 1922 by the Chicago Tribunethrough our own personal life-long journeys.Submit
newspaper. The various competition entries provedyour own travel stories in our first travel story
extremely influential for the development ofcontest( and have a chance to win an amazing
skyscraper architecture in the 1920s. The winningadventure cruise on the Amazon River.
entry, with a crowning tower with flying buttresses,