Chicago

I spent most of my early teenage years being obsessed with tumblr. Anybody who knew me back then will remember the amount of times I spent scrolling down my dashboard looking for photos to reblog during class. I posted a lot of generic photographs; mainly cityscapes, landscapes and whatever else was "tumblr worthy" during 2008-10. I distinctively remember stumbling across a black and white photo of the Chicago River one day which completely caught my eye. This led me to do some further research (and by that, I mean Google Images #visuallearner). The skyscrapers that make up The Loop, as well as The Bean, Chicago River, Lake Michigan and Navy Pier were enough reasons for me to add the Windy City to my future travel destinations. 

In late 2016, roughly 7 years after I had discovered what this bustling city in the Midwest of the USA had to offer, we flew into Chicago to explore for a bit before heading off to New York City for Christmas and New Years. We stayed on Michigan Ave, also known as "Magnificent Mile" and spent one of the nights wandering around the quiet city taking photos of the undisturbed streetscape. Walking through The Loop and the Riverwalk made my inner twelve year old self; who wanted to become an architect, literally beam of happiness and excitement. During our trip we tried Chicago's famous Polish hot dogs which came with a side of pickles (?!), visited the 360 Observatory, walked around Millennium Park, The Art Institute and The Field Museum, admired the remarkebly clear Lake Michigan and the skyline from Alder Planetarium.

Chicago, you have been great and lived up to the picture-perfect image I admired and reblogged back in the day. You have improved my tolerance to cold temperatures and wind chills, because I mean, it is not every day you are frozen to the point your distal limbs are tingling with warmth. You have also improved my ability to take photos in the middle of a busy road without being a threat to public safety. Till next time (although most likely not in the winter again!)