Chicago Style

I love this City.

Every time I visit, I’m just awed by how much there is to do (and also by how expensive things are, compared to my little rural city (small “c”, as opposed to Chicago’s big “C”).

I’m in town to attend Louis Rosenfeld & Steve Krug‘s seminar on IA and Usability. But that’s tomorrow. First thing’s first: Wear out feet walking around the blocks surrounding the hotel.

I pretty much stayed on State Street, up to cross the river for a brief poke-my-head-in at the House of Blues, Chicago. Jake and Elwood greet arrivees at Midway

So here’s what greeted me from my hotel room window:
Skyline across from the Burnham
I’d show the whole view, but there’s a big tree across the street that blocks some of it. Don’t worry, you’re seeing the good stuff.

Turn your head to the right, and here’s Marshall Fields. I know green is their color, and it looks pretty cool on the columns but I also noticed that “Wicked” (the untold story of the witch sisters of Oz) is playing at the Oriental theater on the other side of the street… same colors. It sure does make the whole theater area look cool.
The view of Marshall Fields from my window

I scoped out the Gene Siskel theater where my seminar is located tomorrow. And across the street? This architectural gem:

I took a few more pictures, but as you can see, the Treo tends to wash them out at night, plus, at this point I was more hungry than interested in taking pictures. And then I saw it: the classiest McDonalds I’d ever consumed a quarter-pounder in.

Thank the Lord, too.. it was after 10pm and every restaurant I’d seen was closed at 10. Mickey-D’s saved me from buying a 14 dollar omellete back at the hotel.

It’s getting late now, so I’m signing off, but I’ll snap some more pictures during daylight and get them online too.