Chicago: Millennium and Grant Parks

Columbus Day weekend I went to Chicago for a college friend's wedding. It was my fifth trip to the "second city," and while I was more than happy to return home to New York, I will finally admit that Chicago is a fun place to visit. I've always been very snobby in my attitude toward Chicago, but this trip was nothing but lovely. Aside from the wedding Saturday night, I spent the majority of my time just walking the city alone. I was occasionally joined by other friends, but like most of my New York adventures, I was by myself a lot.

I spent most of my day on Monday (Columbus Day, which I had off for the first time in my working life — thanks W. W. Norton!) exploring Millennium and Grant Parks. There was the obligatory stop at the "Bean" (aka Cloud Gate), which is pretty much my nightmare since it's impossible to get a photo of it that does not contain other people.

It is fun to step back and watch everyone else pose for ridiculous photos of their own, although I don't recommend getting too close. The shiny surface always has about a trillion grimy handprints on it, which always grosses me out a little. I want so badly to bring a roll of paper towels and some Windex with me next time and just go wild.

The face-changing fountains have always sort of creeped me out, but I did spot a rainbow through the overspray that lessened the creep factor just a bit. Grant Park was still recovering from the aftermath of the marathon, but you'll never hear me complain about an abundance of bathrooms, even if they were port-a-potties.

I visited Buckingham Fountain, which is always more gorgeous than I remember, and crossed the road to walk along the shore of Lake Michigan. I ended up scoring a super comfortable bench that I proceeded to nap on for about an hour, because I am basically a human cat. It was a perfect day, weather-wise: warm in the abundant sun, but with a chilly fall breeze. I got embarrassingly sunburnt from my outdoor adventures, and I'm pretty sure the nap in direct, afternoon sun was 98% to blame.

I was chased off my bench by a super nosy squirrel, who became extremely interested in me when I opened up a bag of caramel corn I had brought to snack on. I walked over to the Shedd Aquarium, intending to check it out, but the line to get in was absolutely insane. This New Yorker is certainly no stranger to long lines, but the line surpassed even my very high threshold of insanity. I later found out that the aquarium was offering free admission that day, but I've been a few times before so I wasn't heartbroken skipping it this time around.

I realized on this trip that everything in Chicago feels wide: the sidewalks, the streets, the people (sorry Chicago, you're Mid-Western through and through), the pizza and the parks. I still prefer the rambling trails in the Ramble, or the Literary Walk in Central Park to the wide open space of Grant Park, but it's a nice contrast to what I've gotten used to here in New York.

A co-worker of mine told me that my apartment would really start to feel like home after I had gone on a trip and returned to it for the first time, and I have to say she was right. This was my first trip leaving New York that didn't include Ohio, and that actually returned to New York. I had a great time in Chicago, but it was even better to return to my home, in the greatest city in the country.