Two weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of heading to Chicago for the first time in my life. My girlfriend Cindy at the time (and currently still is) studying Vietnamese at the University of Madison-Wisconsin, and after being away from one another for a month, decided to meet in Chicago. I flew over from Los Angeles and Cindy took a bus from Madison and we both rendezvoused at the airport. After that, we were able to spend an entire wonderful day in Chicago, while eating at the “Taste of Chicago“, which is one of the largest food festivals in all of Chicago which happens once a year. We also met up with my cousin Holly who lives in Chicago, and she was able to show us around Millennium Park as well as some local food places.
Anyways a quick rundown of my impressions of the city: It reminded me of a mini-Manhattan, except with more greenery and better-tasting food. I got a great vibe from the city, as it felt alive, dynamic, and full-of-soul. Also it was great to visit a place where two of my favorite rappers (Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco) are from. I can truly see where they got their inspiration from in creating their music about the city (Chi-town) that they love.
Didn’t have too much time to take photos, as I was busy eating the amazing food (the deep-dish pizza is not hype) as well as taking in the environment. However I was able to grab a few snapshots which illustrates my impressions of the city.
Meeting Cindy at the O'Hare Airport after a 1-month hiatus
Chicago Subway
Elevate
Downtown Chicago
Rappers hustling music in the streets
America the beautiful
The Chicago Skyline Juxtaposed
Street Chess - CHECKMATE!
Light shining through the Downtown Chicago Buildings
Fresh cat from the streets
Shadows
Chicago's Millennium Park
Chicago's Famous "Bean"
Interactive water-spewing screens
Closeup
Downtown Chicago in Monochrome
Downtown Chicago in Monochrome 2
A Random Eye
Picasso's "Flamingo" - a gift to the city of Chicago
Chicago's "Al's Beef"-- the best Italian Beef in Chicago
The next day Cindy and I headed to Madison, where I stayed there for about a week. Photos to come…
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