I’m not really sure what building this is...The Times? The Wrigley building? It doesn’t really matter, it’s just a cool building.

Talk about a cool building. This is about as cool as it gets. Of course they went and through up a huge mall right next door that they named after it...Water Tower Place. At least they didn’t turn this thing into a Gap or something.

All the texture in the buildings with brick and metal and rivets is what makes just about every corner of an old city like Chicago interesting to look at. I can just stand on any corner for ever there’s so much cool stuff to look at.

Chicago is full of them. I didn’t actually eat at Papa Milano’s. If they had hot dogs maybe I would have, but that didn’t stop me from appreciating their cool sign.

We didn’t eat at J’s Dawg ‘N Burger either, but they had a cool sign. Maybe next time.

Didn’t eat here either, but we did stop in. A real delicatessen that was like walking back in time. It was in this cool old German neighborhood that had a main street full of old German businesses. Pam spent quite a bit of time in the apothecary buying soaps and stuff.

Didn’t buy gas here...but if I needed it this would be the place i’d go.

I would have gone here if I could have, but the place was closed up and for sale. Bummer. I wonder what went on in River West over the years. Probably some pretty good nights were had there. Chicago is a town full of so many cool old things that haven’t been fucked up and still have soul, but every day places go the way of River West...I hope someone buys it and keeps the soul, but that doesn’t seem to be happening with a lot of these old places. Pam’s friend was telling us about a cool old bowling alley a friend of theirs owned and how he sold it and the new owner had them all over for a “trash the place” type of party. Trash an old bowling alley? That should be illegal. I sure wish the dude would have fixed it up just a bit and reopened as a cool hip bar and bowling alley like they did here in Minneapolis with the Bryant Lake Bowl. But i’m sure they will reopen some new and soulless bar in the new space . Bummer.

This is my favorite look at Chicago. Walking the streets and hitting cool shopping areas in old buildings. Trendy shoe stores mixed in with ‘Barry’s Cut Rate Drugs’. And in the background the silohette of the Sears Tower. That was my favorite building in the world when I was growing up. They finished building it when We lived in Chicago when I was a little kid and I used to draw pictures of that thing all the time.

Thank god this one was just up the street from our hotel. I’d spend every morning here trying to wake up just watching people walk by.

This dude was outside the Starbucks every morning. “Don’t forget a little somethin’ for me on your way out.” he’d say just as i grabbed the door handle to head in. His technique seemed to work pretty well because I sat in the window and watched him count his coins...when he pulled out a wad of cash and started counting that I was really impressed. He seemed like a pretty cool dude, he’d pet the dogs that walked by and defineately enjoyed watching all the ladies walk by.

Ankle biter tied up while it’s owner shopped for shoes. (That’s probably the same look I had on my face while I waited for Pam to shop for shoes.)

View of downtown Chicago from the top of the ferris wheel.