Chicago is...

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My dad and I flew to Chicago with Oliver so the family could finally meet my little man. We're staying in Palos with Uncle Mike and Aunt Pam. My mom, meanwhile, is also in Chicago. She's staying downtown with her sisters for their first annual "sisters' weekend."

Over the last decade, I've warmed to my home near Denver. I've grown to love the mountains and the arid, rocky land. It's really starting to feel like home.

That is, until I come back to Chicago. We come back nearly once a year, and every time, I feel so at home and in love with the city and its people. After landing at Midway, we drove downtown to drop my mom off at her hotel on Grand & State. We drove by Grant Park and Millenium Park. We drove along the Miracle Mile and Lake Shore Drive. The sheer number of pedestrians walking the streets of Chicago at all times of day can't be described here by me. They move like a river, and there are professionals, young hipsters, day camp groups, tourists, and on and on. The architecture of Chicago is the most impressive in all the country. I love looking at the details of the old, stone buildings as well as the tallest skyscrapers. The sculptures are forever changing, and every time we return, there's something new to see (I tried to snap a picture of a giant eyeball as we drove by it on Wabash).

From the city, we drove to Palos. I always remember the green oak forests, yet I don't. When I first moved to Denver, I remember griping over the lack of trees. I still tell people they wouldn't believe how green a large city like Chicago can be. However, it amazes me when I come back. There are rivers and creeks and streams and lakes that run through the Chicagoland area, and countless forest preserves. Even the water towers, barges, and trains make me wistful.

As soon as evening sets in, the sound of the cicadas grows loud. The buzz can be heard inside through the windows. If you venture outside, mosquitoes and lightning bugs greet you. As a kid, I'd have mosquito bites up my legs like chicken pox. The idealization of childhood allows me to look back on that fondly; I contrast it to the fact I get bit by a mosquito once or twice a year in Colorado, and I have yet to see a lightning bug here.

It's good to be back, Chicago--mosquitoes and all!

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Photos

Driving to the City
Sweet home, Chicago!

Water Tower
Driving past the Water Tower.

Family in Chicago
My cousin, Heidi, stands with Oliver and me for a photo op in Chicago.

Lake Michigan
I love all the sailboats that dot the lake.

Where City Meets Forest
We're driving on LaGrange Road. As kids, any time we'd cross over the bridge, we'd be promised a quarter if we could spot a barge.

Swallow Cliffs Area
Still driving south on LaGrange, this is the Swallow Cliffs Forest Preserve area. There are oak forests and preserves almost everywhere you go in the southern Chicago area. Towns are named for them, too, and you can go anywhere from "Oak Park" to "Oak Forest" to "Oak Lawn."

Oliver Checks Out the Rain
We don't get rainstorms like this in Colorado! It rained and rained and rained while we were in Chicago. Oliver loved the sound of it hitting the glass.

Rain Filling the Pools
The rain filled my aunt & uncle's pool to the brim, and my other uncle got about six inches of rain water in his basement!

Birds and Wildflowers
Beautiful birds were drawn to my Aunt Pammy's wildflower garden.