First Day in Chicago: I See the Bean

Since I am yet again stuck in an airport for hours on end, I thought I'd post a few things about my time in Chicago. The whole time I was there, I had no desire at all to blog. Some times are just meant to be lived rather than written about. But I did collect a few cool photos.

My first day, I went to work in the morning with Pocket of Bolts, who had to teach. I sat in a cafe and prepared for a little interview I was to have on Friday. Of course I was feeling pretty jet-lagged, but not unbearably so. It was such a gorgeous day, really sunny and bright and cool, with a lot of moisture in the air. When Pocket of Bolts got done with his teaching, we had a grand lunch at a Greek restaurant called Artopolis. It was so delicious to me, salad so especially fresh and crisp, spanakopita. (My mouth is watering just thinking about it.)

Then we went out to walk around and try to keep me awake for the afternoon. Chicago is a city full of architecture, as you can see from the above picture--practically THICK with architecture, both functional and decorative. It's not an art I have ever particularly appreciated, but when thought has been put into something, it always shows in some sense, and I was disposed to see beauty everywhere.

Our destination was a funny bit of sculpture called "The Bean." It is a highly reflective bean-shaped shell, hollow inside so you can walk into it. Here are some pictures of it, ending with the extreme distortion you get when you look up into the inside of it.