Chicago - Day 2

10 8 09 Thursday

As we did not want to drive, the motel clerk told us how to take the train to Chicago. The station was in a very nice neighborhood called Golf. The train ran only once an hour by the time we got there. It took us to Union station. Once out on the street I tried to figure out where we were going by studying the map. A young man came up to me and helped me. I thanked him but he wanted money. Jalil took off in a fury and I tried to keep up with him so the guy did not get anything. We took the bus - exact change only $4.50 for the two of us- to the McCormick Freedom Museum in the historic Tribune Tower. Once there we discovered that it had closed this year!

So we walked in the mild rain to the Millennium Park - a 24 acre park. The focal point is the Frank Gehry designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion with its distinctive band shell framed by huge folded ribbons of stainless steel. A trellis made of interlaced steel pipes supports the sound system where 11,000 can enjoy outdoor music. Another remarkable feature was "Cloud Gate" - a sculpture made of mirror like stainless steel. You can see your reflections as you pass through the arched space beneath this 33 foot high and 110 ton artwork by British artist Anish Kapoor. After checking out the Chicago Cultural Center, we walked back to the Union Station to take the train back to Golf. Big Cities are tiring!