Chicago

For our time in Chicago we were lucky enough to be able to stay with family who live in Oak Park. This meant it was a short walk to the L (or maybe it's "El" I'm not sure) which we took into the city. Compared to Boston public transportation it seemed really fast. The fact that Chicago is laid out on a grid rather than using archaic cow paths for city planning (Boston is really cutting edge for these things) made it so easy to find our way.

We started off walking to the former Sears tower, now the Willis tower, to do the Skydeck tower. It was great to get to see Chicago from the top, and we went out on the glass viewing ledges where there's just some glass separating you and a 110-story drop, eek!
Next we worked our way on to Grant Park where we enjoyed the beautiful fountain, then on to Millennium Park. I loved the Lurie Garden there, shown above, which is this great wild looking prarie garden, in the middle of the city. There was just such great use of space there and interesting contrasts between the natural and the constructed. Millennium park also has "the bean" (shown below) which is a great piece of sculpture, an outdoor auditorium, some fantastic modern sculpture and fountains, and a wonderful curving footbridge.
We made it all the way to Navy Pier, walking along the river at some points, before taking the train back out to Oak Park and ending the day with a wonderful family dinner. I had thought before that I'd experienced Chicago but R and I covered so much on foot and I was able to see so many new things. I love the architecture, the sculpture, the public gardens, and the great green space. It was such a treat to walk around, especially on a beautiful day!