Chicago Part II

Chicago has a fabulous skyline but if you look down a little lower there are more wonderful things to be seen. We took a bus tour to get a feel of the city and I realized that I'd need to cover the same ground three or four times to see everything. But with my camera clicking continuously and my head spinning round like an owl's, I managed to capture a few special images.

The image at the top contains a great sign from a famous piano bar, and I was lucky to catch the theatrical McDonalds sign as the bus drove by.



I'm sure there were more of these beautiful clocks around the city but these were the only two I saw. I was also looking out for lamps and managed to get these two images. I would've loved to go on a tour of just fabulous timepieces and lamps.

These buildings almost blinded all of us on the bus, there was so much glass reflecting the sunlight.

Looking straight up provided and interesting skyline.


The two pictures above are of my favorite building in Chicago called Aqua. This link shows the preliminary images before it was built and really show its beauty. I was also impressed to discover that it was designed by a woman, Jeanne Gang, and it is her first skyscraper. This is one high rise residence I'd love. It looks like it's covered in ice.

The Chicago Theater was built in 1921 and is a famous landmark, often used in films and documentaries.




The photos above are some that I managed to capture from the bus. If I had walked the tour, I'm sure I would've filled my 8GB card and been looking for another.

The Navy Pier was a few blocks from our hotel and houses the stained glass museum, along with boat rides, bars, fun fair activities and tourist souvenirs.

I found this very vain seagull who was more than willing to pose for some portraits, but he is very cute, isn't he?


Initially, I thought this humongous boat was privately owned and was coming into port for the night until I saw it berth up alongside a sign offering lunch or dinner cruises. It made the lighthouse look like a toy.

I was very pleased with this photo of the same boat using the skyline as a backdrop.

As we left Navy Pier, we came across this unusual sculpture of a group of children playing.