Chicago

It's about time I posted some photos from Chicago, so here they are.

But first, before that trip, there was one Sunday afternoon where we had a particularly heavy downpour and my street flooded. So that was a bit exciting...

Now, Chicago. The experiments worked really well. And because of the delay between asking the travel agent for a quote, and securing the funds to go, it meant that by the time it came to book the tickets it was either pay an extra $1000 or stay an extra day. So on that extra day we went into the city - something that despite having been to the lab half a dozen times before, I haven't managed to do. We only had 5 hrs or so, which was enough time to have a drive through the Loop area (I was driving so I don't have any pictures of that), then pay a visit to the John Hancock building and then wander over to Navy Pier and have something to eat. Then off to the airport and back home. Which was also good - there were two Air NZ flights to Auckland from L.A. that night (one having come from London), and the one I was on was so empty that everyone was able to have a row of 3 seats all to themselves. I think I got 7 or 8 hours' sleep, which was more than I'd had in one night since arriving in Chicago...

Anyway, here are the pictures.

I really liked this building. I don't know what it's called, or even what it is (offices? apartments?) but I think it looked really cool.

I was there. This is (one) view from the John Hancock Observatory, on the 94th floor...

... this is another...

...and this is yet another. I think the thing that struck me the most, being up there, was seeing just how flat the countryside around Chicago is. As you can see, we had great weather and were able to see for miles.

A view of Madison Avenue ('the magnificent mile'). All the spring bulbs were just starting to come out and there were these flower beds everywhere. With all the skyscrapers and concrete, it's nice to have some living colour around the place.