Chicago

Wow! What a day I have had!! As I sit on the red line on my back to my hostel and reflect back on all I was able to take in today, it truly is incredible.  I figured I owed myself a ride on the red line since it sits right outside my bedroom window and I heard it running all night long.  I woke up fairly early and headed downstairs for the free breakfast provided by the hostel.  I laughed because it was pretty pathetic, not that I expected much.  They had bagels, croissants, a variety of cheeses, and cereal.  Then there was a comical sign that said if you have a gluten intolerance we have cheese.  If you have a dairy intolerance we have fruit.  Needlessness to say I took an apple and headed to the Sears tower, now called the Willis tower.  In general I was amazed how beautiful Chicago's buildings were.  The river running through the city, reflecting off the large sky scrapers a turquoise green, I felt like I was in the Emerald City or something.  It seemed very futuristic.  I wish I could say I planned out this day perfectly but I just seemed to stumble upon all the biggest tourist attractions.  After Sears tower I walked over to Millennium Park which is where the famous "bean" is.  I then decided instead of going to the art institute because it was so beautiful out to take the architectural boat tour.  From there I headed to Navy Pier which to be honest I didn't see what all the hype is about.  It reminded me of a lesser version of Baltimore's Inner Harbor but they had a Ferris wheel.  Of course I had to try Chicago deep dish pizza being a Jersey girl through and through.  Can't really compare the two.  I couldn't even finish two pieces and all I had all day was that apple that's how filling it is, I still feel full.  I think I will always pick a NY style pizza made right over Chicago pizza, but I definitely enjoyed it.  Got a chance to check out Wrigley field, Cubs were still up when I decided head back.  Long day of driving tomorrow.  I need rest after all the walking I did today.

Song of the day "Bridgeless" Umphrey's McGee

Umphrey's McGee, although originally from South Bend, Indiana, is considered from "Chicago" so I figured a day spent in the Windy City should be dedicated to them.  They were one of Chris's favorite bands.  We last saw them live in Baltimore right around his birthday in 2014.  The reason he liked
them so much was that unlike other "jam bands" Umphrey's has a lot of progressive rock and heavy metal influences, two genres Chris also really liked.  The reason I picked this particular song is because of its significance in my life right before Chris died.  I don't have any experience with it, but there is an application called garage band on Mac computers where you can do all kinds of music editing and looping.  Chris spent hours and hours, while I was slaving away at Target pharmacy, recreating this song "Bridgeless" by playing the instruments and looping the sounds together.  It was incredible!  He constantly amazed me with his ability to learn just about anything and excel at it.  Honestly, take some time to listen to the song and imagine...aro wooooo!!