Pardon my looong hiatus from this blog. I was again swamped with work (yeah, I know, it’s always my work). But then, it is also sometimes because of my work that I get to travel.

This month, I was sent to Chicago to attend an event. Though I was there mostly for work, I extended my stay to accommodate discovering Chicago at my own pace and for leisure.

Here are bits and pieces of what I discovered about and experienced in this interesting city.

I watched an amazing show featuring beluga whales, became fascinated with a “cloud” that looked more like a bean, got drizzled by spews of water from a gargantuan fountain, spent some “me” time just looking out the lake, captured night shots from the pier and met a T. rex named Sue.

I also went to Willis Tower (formerly Sears), which is the second tallest building in the USA and the eight tallest freestanding structure in the world. In 2009, it opened its Skydeck with all-glass boxes that allow visitors to look through the floor on the street 1,353 feet, 412 meters and 103 floors below. Whew!

I also enjoyed watching the pastel sky turn into a riotous shade of yellow-orange at the Navy Pier.

And here’s a collage of the Chicago River, the Water Tower (I was told this was the only surviving structure during the great Chicago fire of 1871, but Wikipedia disagreed), and a view of the city’s skyline as viewed from the penthouse of Lake Point Tower, which is the only skyscraper in downtown Chicago east of Lake Shore Drive.

Lastly, here is a photo of what I saw at the Adler Planetarium and of Chicago’s skyline as seen from the John Hancock Observatory. And though I was there during the summer, I did experience Chicago’s punishing cold when I ventured out early in the morning to visit the museums. Even with my jacket on, I felt chilled and couldn’t stop my teeth from chattering. And oh, I went to the Chinatown too (there is always a Chinatown somewhere!) and just can’t resist sharing what my fortune cookie foretells.

You will spend your old age in comfort and material wealth.

Now, that’s something to look forward to. Te he.

More detailed posts later. For now, I have to catch up on some work that piled up while I was away (I just dropped a note since I felt like I needed a break.)

Till next!