Chicago

Before I came to D.C., I flew to Chicago to stay with my cousins, Ben and Sarah, and their ridiculously cute little boy, Eli. I was there for about a week and was so excited to fulfill my My Boys/Ferris Bueller fantasies. I had some ideas for places I wanted to see, mostly from this show. Sadly, most of them were either not real places, or bars where a pregnant woman and I would feel very out of place. Sarah was a great tour guide though and took me to fun places around Evanston and Chicago. I took a ton of pictures, so here's just a highlight.

On a travel/food show I love, Giada's Weekend Getaways, they featured Chicago's Architectural Boat tour which looked so fun, so that was a must. I love love love architecture, which I owe to my BYU humanities class, and since Chicago is known for their architects and beautiful buildings, this was one of my favorite things.

I don't remember the names of all of the buildings because there were so many, but I was able to look most of them up on Google images and find out.

I just wrote a caption about how this is the Hancock building, only to realize later that this is definitely the Sears Tower. So embarrassing. Moving on...

This is 333 West Wacker Drive. This picture is harder to tell, but the front side of the building is totally curved. The back side is normal-shaped, but I like the idea of a building that bucks tradition and looks so pretty.

Ok, Mom, this one's for you. It's where PJ works! And everyone else, this is the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper building.

This is an apartment building that I just loved. I think it looks a cross between a honeycomb and a flower. I would have loved to see the floor plan and how the apartments are set up.

I just liked this because I love anything covered in ivy. Some people think it's gross and that it's harmful to buildings, but I just can't resist.

This is Lake Point Tower, a high-rise residential building. It's like a curvy triangle and I imagine from the sky, it looks like a clover or something like that. I remember learning that every apartment has a view of Lake Michigan. Also, Sammy Sosa and Scottie Pippen have lived here. (That's for you, Dad.)

The tour guide talked about the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that spurred a rebirth for Chicago and how architects from all over the world wanted to come help rebuild the city. I learned a lot about Chicago history and tons about the architecture. I highly recommend it for any visitors to the Windy City. Just don't forget a camera, there's a lot to see.