We departed Chicago this afternoon and are now back in Atlanta. We were there for business so we didn’t spend as much time as tourists as we would like, but did get around a little bit and really enjoyed the parts of the city we did get to see.
Chicago is right on the south end of Lake Michigan and has a wonderful view and cool shores. It is very much like a beach in some areas with sandy shores, volleyball nets, people on bikes, etc. The city also has a huge park between downtown and the water with great gardens, sculptures, and water features including a huge beautiful fountain and kid play area, etc.
I remember thinking how cool it would be to live right there in that area. While walking down a sidewalk toward the lake we saw several teams playing softball in fields off to our right. The lake was ahead. The city was behind us. It was nearly perfect; the city, the water, and green space full of summer activity. The fact of the matter though is that living in the city could get real old real fast. Traffic is a nightmare, there is always noise, road construction, and of course inner city crime and riff raff. If you lived in the burbs it would be cool to have a small place downtown for weekends perhaps. But, I am sure there are some people that would absolutely love it year round.
All in all we enjoyed the trip but I am very glad to be back on my couch!