Chicago

I was in Chicago a couple weeks ago. I grew up in this area. Coming into the city was always an adventure when you group up in rural Indiana. I always think cities don't change. They have their standard and static historic landmarks and tourist attractions. The last two times I was in Chicago I never ventured downtown. I just stayed up on the North side with friends. On this trip my family wanted to meet for lunch downtown. We took the blue line into the city and I was shocked by all the changes. Millennium Park is what the area off of Michigan ave is called now. The Jay Pritzker pavillion is a building designed by Frank Gehry. It stands in stark contrast to the older buildings of the city. The crown fountain with these two video towers that spew water. The Cloud Gate (the bean) by Anish Kapoor. While I was in Chicago there was a contemporary Chinese sculpture garden with some super nice stuff. I know most people are aware of these things. The have been around for at least 5 years. In my mind I wrote off Chicago as any sort of innovator in city planning or public art. I was obviously wrong. The downtown looks awesome. I think the resulting lack of street repair in the north side neighborhoods was worth it.......... maybe not.