Chicago is such a marked contrast from Ann Arbor. This is the Big City personified, with high rise buildings everywhere, and old buildings standing next to the swanky new ones.
When I got here, the temperature was 24°C, a little unusual for this time of year. I even complained that I didn't get to wear my warm clothing. Me and my big mouth because the next evening, it plunged to 7°C with rain and winds. And it's the wind that gets you, cutting into you like a blade. I understood finally why they call Chicago the Windy City.
I love the old buildings here, like The Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago.
I also made my pilgrimage to the Vivian Maier exhibition at the Chicago History Museum. She is one of my favourite street photographers, and she captured people and the cityscape in her photographs, most of it in Chicago.
And of course, I found a little time to cycle my Bike Friday Tikit in Chicago. One fine afternoon, after lunch, I rode along the 18-mile-long Lakefront Trail that hugs the coast of Lake Michigan.
From my hotel, a short ride on the street took me to this funky tunnel to the trail.
Then it was just 18 miles (or 29km) of sweet bike path with a most gorgeous view.
At the south end of the Lakefront Trail is Navy Pier, a major tourist attraction.
At the north end of the trail, there are other parks, small harbors and scattered sculptures.
I cycled with my jacket, gloves and wooly hat, and found it warm enough for riding in 10°C temperatures. You generate heat once you ride a little harder.
By the time I headed back to the hotel, I could see the blinking lights of other riders, making their way home by bike as the sun set. I wish I had more than two days here to explore more of the Windy City. I shan't wish for cold winds next time though.