WiNdY CiTy: Day 1

When we landed in Chicago it was pouring rain. We took the subway to the stop by our hotel. Ryan was sure he knew which way to go. We started walking, in the cold rain, with our luggage for blocks. After awhile he said "we should be there by now." So, we turned around and walked all the way back. He asked for directions and we had been going the opposite way! A few blocks later and we were safely in the hotel. We had to wait for Ryan's dad to check in, so we just sat in the lobby and tried to warm up and dry off.

You can't tell in this picture, but my legs were soaked from my knees down. Oh, and it was about 50 degrees outside.

The view from our room.

We walked to the Navy Pier after drying off. Here's a view of the coast from Lake Michigan.

That tall building is the Aon building, the 2nd tallest in Chicago.

There were boats up and down the pier that offered lunch and dinner cruises.

From the pier we walked across town. This is the Chicago River.

Looking across the drawbridge.

We walked through the park and there was a huge amphitheater.



Last stop of the day was the Art Institute of Chicago. It is one of the nation's top art institutions, with one of the world's largest collections-more than 225,000 works in all, shown among ten departments. Two of American art's most recognizable paintings are here: Grant Wood's American Gothic (the artists dentist posed for the pitchfork-holding farmer, and the artist's sister for the spinster daughter at his side) and Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, his famous all-night diner scene. This museum has the largest membership of any U.S. art museum.