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Saved: September 15th 2021
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Chicago is a city I've wanted to see for a long time, so when I got the opportunity to attend a conference there, I was excited. I tacked a couple of extra days on so that I would have a chance to see some of the city, and not just the inside of the hotel where the conference was.
The conference was at a hotel near the airport. I arrived a full day before the concert so I could have a day exploring the city before the opening night of the conference. The next morning, after a big breakfast at my hotel, I took the L into the center of the city. Before reaching downtown, the line I was on goes underground, so I emerged from underground into a forest of skyscrapers.
Chicago is known for it's incredible architecture, and rightly so. It was impressive. Once I got my bearings, I headed over to Millennium Park to see the Cloud Gate before heading into the Art Institute. On the way there, I saw some modern Chinese art installations. I swear the cold air made the colours brighter.
It doesn't matter how many pictures you see of it, the
polished surface of the Cloud Gate, or the bean, is still impressive in person. It's beautiful. The advantage of being in Chicago on a cold February morning was that it wasn't even swarmed by tourists while I was there.
As it turns out, admission to the Art Institute was free for the month of February, so I splurged on an audio guide. It was great to be able to learn more about specific pieces of artwork, and there are several different self-guided tours available too. I chose the director's tour, which takes you to some of the Institute's key pieces. It was great to see some iconic pieces of artwork, not just from the United States but from around the world. I was excited to see a few paintings by Monet, one of my favourite artists, but my favourite piece was one I'd never seen before, by a Chicago artist (Nightlife, by Archibald J. Motley Jr.). The Art Institute was a great place to get a taste of some of the architectural details I would later see as I spent the afternoon exploring downtown Chicago--along the river, on the streets, and up the Willis Tower.
A few days
later, my conference ended, and I had another half-day to see something else in Chicago, so I went to the Field Museum. It was amazing. I spent about four hours there and only saw half of the exhibits. I loved the Diamond exhibit, and the Hall of Gems. As a geologist, I was awed by the mineral collection. The Evolving Planet exhibit was amazing, with its fossils, and the digital PreCambrian aquarium. Even so, I felt like I was rushing through everything. And in a way, I was. Because I needed to get back to my hotel to watch Team Canada play in the mens Olympic hockey gold medal game.
I watched my team win a gold medal on home ice, but I was in their opposition's country. Not all of the Canadians I watched the game with were gracious winners, and I have to admit, I was ashamed to be with them. The US played a good game. And the Americans I met were gracious losers--one of the NBA refs staying in the same hotel as me even bought me a congratulatory drink.
I wish I'd had more time to see more of Chicago. I think I
could have spent a week there and still not seen everything I wanted to.
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anonymous
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This is an amazing picture!