Of wonderful Chicago
28.06.10, 10:08 pm

So I'm back from the Land of the Midnight Sun. It's really weird being back, to be honest � it felt like I was away for two months, not three weeks, and then my first week at work seemed to take forever too. If I'm honest, I really miss it. It was nice coming back and seeing everyone again, and catching up on Doctor Who and watching a bit of the tennis and reading all of your entries, but now I really wish I was back in the wilderness, with the mountains and rivers and freedom.

Anyway, I figured it'd be a bit too much to bore on about the whole three weeks in one entry, especially as I'm going to photograph the hell out of the experience, so I'm going to cover Chicago this entry and Alaska next entry. Apologies if there�s excess reminiscing.

The first day was pretty horrific, as we'd gotten on a plane at 7am, having got up at 5am after one hour's sleep (don't ask), and then got into Chicago at 4pm, only for it to magically turn into 10am. We got through immigration (not as scary and intimidating as it once was) and managed to get to our apartment after much gawping during the taxi journey at the huge skyscrapers. The apartment was AMAZING � beautiful wooden furniture, rugs everywhere, huge bathroom with a massive shower. Only downside was that the apartment came with 50 rules, telling us not to open windows or wheel suitcases on the wooden floor, to clean down the shower with the special squeegee thing, to only bake if every surface in sight was covered in foil, etc etc. Anyway! We managed to get out late afternoon and had a wander along Lake Michigan and saw the downtown skyline.

Skyline with boats.

And from the other side.

Managed to stay awake until about 8pm, when I suddenly couldn't go on any more and fell asleep on the bed with all the lights on and the TV blaring. For the record, American TV is horrific. I dunno how anyone can watch it and not go insane with the bloody knobbing ad breaks every 7 minutes or so. Plus, it's all ads for prescription medication! Talk about ethically suspect, plus you just breed a nation of hypochondriacs.

The bloody enormous Sears Tower.

Looking down Michigan River. Sunburn was starting to threaten at this point.

Some more beautiful buildings.

Anyway, Chicago was amazing. The buildings are huge � I just wandered about with my neck permanently craned upwards, and the river is fantastic. We took a water taxi down river for a bit, mainly because it was only $2 each and we couldn�t afford the tour boats, and I nearly fell overboard doing more insane neck craning. We went to the Field Museum, which is similar to the British Museum, and they had a big dinosaur display and I nearly had a geeky orgasm at all of the bones about. We also went to the Museum of Contemporary Art, and I can safely say that I still do not understand what the hell contemporary art is all about. Why is a wheelbarrow full of popcorn and plastic baubles considered art? Why?!

On the bridge, just before we climbed aboard the water taxi.

Friends for life.

Messing about in front of the Bean, which is a huge metal sculpture in the shape of a kidney bean.

Dicking about with the Legs Sculpture.

We also went to see a baseball match is the scary drugs-and-murder south part of the city, and the amount of food and drink that they try and flog you throughout the game is actually insane. There�s even a man with a little pack on his back trying to sell you marguerites, with a special little connecting tube to dispense them out of. Ooh and we went to the Planetarium too and saw a Night�s Sky show narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, and if that isn�t exciting then I don�t know what is.

Sue the T-Rex!

After the mother of all storms.

Utterly bewildered by the art, like usual.

So yes, Chicago was totally ace. Baking hot and filled with endless eating, but we also did shed-loads of walking so I guess it all evened out. There was also a storm one day as well � a proper storm too, with forked lightning, not like the rubbish puny ones you get in the UK.

Off to the baseball and not really knowing where to go.

The White Sox against the Texas Rangers.

In non-holiday news, work�s a little more bearable but very quiet as everyone�s currently on holiday/pretending to work at home so that they can watch Wimbledon. However, Ju�s back at work tomorrow after being in Tunisia, so that�s a big yay. The insane pollen levels are also making my life a misery, as I�m plagued by awful sinuses and headaches. Not that I want it to rain or anything � this is the first time in ages that I have a proper watch mark on my wrist.

I�m off to the Yorkshire Dales this weekend with James and his family as it�s his mum�s 60th. Hopefully I�ll be able to bang the Alaska entry out before then. You never know.

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