Chicago

by Jill W

Our son and daughter in law lived in Chicago for nearly 10 years before recently moving “back home” to rural northwest Illinois.  Even though Chicago is only a few hours away from where we live, making the journey there was not something I looked forward to.  There is always SO much traffic … going and coming … and, it seemed like four times out of five, we would make a wrong turn and we’d be LOST!  Even so, once we (finally!) arrived in the city, it was always a very neat experience!  During our visits, we barely touched the surface of everything there is to see and do there!

Here are a few interesting facts about Chicago:

The metro (suburb) population is 9,157,540 and the city population is 2,896,016

Chicago is home to over 40 museums, more than 150 theaters and over 6,000 restaurants (our son is a chef, so checking out some of the unique places to dine was a treat!)

Chicago contains three of the world’s tallest buildings, Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), Amoco Building and John Hancock. Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin can be seen from the top floors of the Willis Tower

Chicago is home to one of the last free zoos in the world, the Lincoln Park Zoo

Today I’m sharing photos of the big city that I’ve taken over the years …

A partial view of the city from a boat in Lake Michigan.  We took the Architectural Boat Tour of the city – which goes out into the Lake and then back through the city via the Chicago River.  It was sunny when the tour began – but by time we were half way through the tour it was pouring!  Still, it was very interesting to see the city up close and personal in a unique way!

John Hancock Center

The design concept allows only five to eight inches of sway in a 60mph wind; tested to withstand winds of 132 miles-per-hour.

Marina City – the bottom 19 floors form a parking garage – floor 20 is a laundry room and floors 21 through 60 are unique apartments that offer panoramic views

The Trump Tower (building in center of photo) – a LUXURY downtown hotel

The Chicago River – The first bridge across the Chicago River was constructed over the North Branch near the present day Kinzie Street in 1832.  Today, the Chicago River has 38 movable bridges spanning it.

View of the Chicago River from the Michigan Avenue area

Michigan Avenue – A major North-South Street in Chicago.  As the home of the Chicago Water Tower, the Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park, and the high-end shopping on the Magnificent Mile, it is a street well known to Chicago natives as well as tourists to the city.

The Ferris wheel on Navy Pier. The Pier’s Ferris wheel has 40 gondolas, each seating up to 6 passengers. In the evening, the Ferris wheel’s 40 spokes, spanning a diameter of 140 feet, are illuminated by thousands of sparkling lights.

Lake Michigan along Lake Shore Drive – We were very surprised to see people swimming along the cement shoreline!  You can see a swimmer at the right hand bottom of the picture.

View of the city from the Lincoln Park Zoo.  Lincoln Zoo was founded in 1868, making it one of the nation’s oldest zoos.  Admission is free and it sets on 34 acres.  It is sort of crazy to know there is a zoo right in the center of the city!!

Here are a few views of the city from the 103^rd (the Skydeck) floor of the Willis Tower.  The tower is 1450 feet high (including the twin antenna).  It is the 8^th tallest building in the world – and has a total of 110 floors.

This is the view of city from Walton Ave, just off of Lake Shore Drive.  I do enjoy visiting Chicago and all it has to offer … but truly, there is no place like HOME!

Hawaiian Memories to Conquer Cabin Fever

After months and months of research and preparation, my husband decided to take a trip to Hawaii. We opted to visit the island of Kauai, the 4^th largest Hawaiian island, also known as the Garden Isle.  After seeing photos posted online we were even more excited to get there!

Because we live in rural Northern Illinois, getting to the airport can prove to be a task all in its own.  We had been on the move for four hours before we finally made it to O’Hare.  Once the plane took off, we were in for an eight hour flight to Lihue Airport.  We arrived at the condo we were staying in at 9:30PM – needless to say, all we wanted to do was get to our room and fall into a nice comfortable bed! And, that is precisely what we did!

The next morning we were greeted by splendid sunlight peeking through the drapes.  We had no idea the view that awaited us – but it was glorious indeed!!  Honestly, it took my breath away.  Of course, we immediately opened up the patio door to hear the wave beating against the beach … it was like heaven on earth!

We spent the next week enjoying the sights and sounds of the island and we quickly learned that if there was inclement weather on one side of the island, we could easily travel to the opposite side and find the sun shining.   It really was paradise for me – warm, sunny and beautiful.  I will let the following photos tell the story …

Kilauea Lighthouse

 The island’s North Shore

Opaekaa Falls

Salt Pond Beach

Sprouting Horn

We took a sunset whale watching cruise that was amazing.  Whales and spinner dolphins surrounded our boat – and the food was incredible!

I was really excited to take a helicopter tour of the island – it was better than I could have ever imagined.  I actually had tears in my eyes when we flew over the Na Pali’ Coast.  I just kept thinking that God sure was an awesome artist!!

Na’Pali Coast

Opaekaa Falls from the air

Waimea Canyon (The “Grand Canyon” of Hawaii)

But alas, all good things must come to an end, and I have to say I was really bummed when the day came that we had to pack up and leave.  Taking a trip to Hawaii isn’t something that we will be able to do again for a long time … but when the winter days are long and I am getting caught up in cabin fever, I am very thankful to be able to look through photos of our awesome trip and smile …