Photos: The Art Institute, and clouds over Lake Michigan
Day 3 of my 30-day JetBlue Adventure. Thursday, September 9, in Chicago.
Check-out time was at noon, so I decided to catch up on some sleep and sleep in! hurray! Because this hotel room was like an apartment, with a full kitchen, and a coffeemaker with coffee, I took the opportunity to save on some restaurant meals, and had picked up some essentials for breakfast.
The local 24-hour Walgreens seemed to have many travelers inside, picking up essential grocery items for their hotel rooms. I had some cereal in a ziplock bag (it was just going to go stale at home, and if I finish it, maybe my luggage will get slightly lighter!) With some yogurt and milk, breakfast is set! Check my email on the hotel's wireless system, and start packing up to move on to the next stop.
Does anyone else walk around their hotel multiple times, checking for stray personal belongings that are trying to stay behind? Everything out of the bedroom? check. Everything out of the bathroom? check. Wait, let me look one more time.
The Seneca Hotel and Suites was a good find. I had a one-bedroom apartment for a couple days, right next to the Hancock building on Chicago's north side. I found a Travelzoo deal of $109/night, which for a hotel in a big city, is a pretty good deal. I took advantage of the kitchen to save money on food, and save it for those days when I won't have a kitchen, or when I'm out with friends. They have a gym (which I never got around to using) and a nice rooftop deck (which I did enjoy). And when I checked out, they let me leave my luggage with them for the couple of hours I walked around, waiting to be picked up.
After yesterday's clear, blue sky, the morning started out clear, but the blue sky narrowed to a small strip of blue, which slowly moved out over the lake, pushed off by gray clouds. It was still nice to walk around the lovely Chicago lakefront though. It's not the ocean, but someone once told me they were surprised by the size of Lake Michigan. When they heard "lake" they assumed you'd be able to see the shore on the other side of the lake. But in Chicago, you cannot see across to Michigan. It may as well be an ocean (without the surfing).
Now I'm trying to figure out if you're on a lake shore, how far can you see across the water, to the horizon? How far away is the horizon? And how many miles is it, across the lake to Michigan from Chicago?
My Aunts Mary and Maureen picked me and my luggage up at the hotel, and we drove to the Art Institute. When I grew up in the suburbs, I spent some weekends with Mary and Maureen, in Chicago. We would go downtown to the department stores, or to the Art Institute. Their father (my grandfather) was an artist, a painter, so I had an early introduction to art. They also helped me develop my love for Chicago, and for cities in general -- So much to see and do, so much activity.
The Art Institute was wonderful, as always, and their new modern wing is beautiful.
We headed up to the northern suburbs, my next sleeping location, but stopped and picked up a pizza first. (Chicago pizza!) The first difference I find between Chicago and New York pizzas -- New York: pepperoni. Chicago: sausage. It was delicious.
Another busy day has left me tired again. Will I ever catch up on my sleep? Especially while I stay up late to write this blog? If I miss a day of writing, will the whole thing fall apart? Will I ever post any of the pictures I'm taking along the way?
The local 24-hour Walgreens seemed to have many travelers inside, picking up essential grocery items for their hotel rooms. I had some cereal in a ziplock bag (it was just going to go stale at home, and if I finish it, maybe my luggage will get slightly lighter!) With some yogurt and milk, breakfast is set! Check my email on the hotel's wireless system, and start packing up to move on to the next stop.
Does anyone else walk around their hotel multiple times, checking for stray personal belongings that are trying to stay behind? Everything out of the bedroom? check. Everything out of the bathroom? check. Wait, let me look one more time.
The Seneca Hotel and Suites was a good find. I had a one-bedroom apartment for a couple days, right next to the Hancock building on Chicago's north side. I found a Travelzoo deal of $109/night, which for a hotel in a big city, is a pretty good deal. I took advantage of the kitchen to save money on food, and save it for those days when I won't have a kitchen, or when I'm out with friends. They have a gym (which I never got around to using) and a nice rooftop deck (which I did enjoy). And when I checked out, they let me leave my luggage with them for the couple of hours I walked around, waiting to be picked up.
After yesterday's clear, blue sky, the morning started out clear, but the blue sky narrowed to a small strip of blue, which slowly moved out over the lake, pushed off by gray clouds. It was still nice to walk around the lovely Chicago lakefront though. It's not the ocean, but someone once told me they were surprised by the size of Lake Michigan. When they heard "lake" they assumed you'd be able to see the shore on the other side of the lake. But in Chicago, you cannot see across to Michigan. It may as well be an ocean (without the surfing).
Now I'm trying to figure out if you're on a lake shore, how far can you see across the water, to the horizon? How far away is the horizon? And how many miles is it, across the lake to Michigan from Chicago?
My Aunts Mary and Maureen picked me and my luggage up at the hotel, and we drove to the Art Institute. When I grew up in the suburbs, I spent some weekends with Mary and Maureen, in Chicago. We would go downtown to the department stores, or to the Art Institute. Their father (my grandfather) was an artist, a painter, so I had an early introduction to art. They also helped me develop my love for Chicago, and for cities in general -- So much to see and do, so much activity.
The Art Institute was wonderful, as always, and their new modern wing is beautiful.
We headed up to the northern suburbs, my next sleeping location, but stopped and picked up a pizza first. (Chicago pizza!) The first difference I find between Chicago and New York pizzas -- New York: pepperoni. Chicago: sausage. It was delicious.
Another busy day has left me tired again. Will I ever catch up on my sleep? Especially while I stay up late to write this blog? If I miss a day of writing, will the whole thing fall apart? Will I ever post any of the pictures I'm taking along the way?
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