I am apparently vacationing in my own city. Which is the only explanation for taking a picture of the bean at Millennium Park like we're in town for a week from Japan. I never took much notice of the bean before. What is it and why is it plopped smack dab in the middle of downtown Chicago? It looks like an alien laid an egg, but I gather it's some kind of architectural marvel or similar. As a resident, I usually avoid the touristy parts of our city. But in the last 48 hours, in addition to visiting Millennium Park, I've paid $20 for a carousel ride at Navy Pier, strolled down Michigan Avenue and walked along the lakefront eating an ice cream. Our place has the feel of a hotel, and not having all of our stuff adds to the vacation aura of it all. Here is our view of Navy Pier at night:
It's a nice view. It's not $4600 worth of nice. Which is what people who are living here voluntarily and not on insurance's dime pay every month. I'm trying to think what view would be worth five grand a month to me. Maybe one directly into Daniel Craig's shower. And only maybe.
Lest you get too envious in the manner of cursing why your place can't be doused mercilessly with water, I have no washer/dryer in our apartment. We have to lug our dirty wares 47 flights to get to the laundry. Which was particularly upsetting when one of the girls decided to puke, rendering all of her sheets, blankets and stuffed animals chock full of undigested peas and raisins. Yum.
If I start talking about going to the top of the Hancock Building or Sears Tower, send in the guys with the rubber jackets.
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It's not the Sears Tower anymore. The name was changed this year to the Willis Tower or Building. Not that anyone calls it that.
ReplyDeleteWhile you're being a tourist, go eat at Mighty Nice in the Water Tower shopping center. Yum.
ReplyDeleteAs for Wal-Mart, ew, I can't believe you went. And, ew, you should check out peopleofwalmart.com. Priceless.
Yeah, so....it could be worse, right? They could have put you up in the slums or something. :-) Nice view at least...but not $4,500 nice.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you have some cranky commenters. I'll eat bananas in the WILLIS Tower with you anytime. Cheers and welcome back to the Windy City. (ps did you see the flash mob on Oprah? Ali was rockin the bags.)
ReplyDeleteHey Laura...
ReplyDeleteIsn't it interesting how the cranky ones are always "anonymous". I own up to my snarky side and use my name. Well, most of the time. Besides, who's to say my real name is Diana anyway.
I like playing tourist in my hometown! Maybe it's because I don't really pay that much attention. Here in the Twin Cities, some years ago they went around putting up statues of "Peanuts" characters all over, all done by different artists and doing all kinds of different things. (Charles Schultz grew up here.) And the fun thing is that they're not in touristy places, so I tend to run into them randomly, often when I'm lost. And it's fun to feel like a visitor to my hometown who just discovered something cool. But they're no giant metal beans... or whatever that thing is.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your view; mine is of a backyard covered in dog poop because I am seriously lazy. But I don't have to pay 5 grand a month or travel 47 flights to do laundry. You think you could convince insurance to cover the cost of paying someone else to do the laundry--or at least to carry it? "Pain and suffering" and all that?