Images of Chicago – northern Illinois, taken in August 2017.

Three hours in downtown Chicago.

After spending the better part of the last four months in the wilderness, driving into the heart of Chicago is not something you look forward to; however, I knew I wanted to get to Pullman National Monument so driving in the city was going to happen no matter what. I visited Pullman on the south side of the city in the morning and then went north straight into town. Parking is the problem, as it is with most big cities, and not wanting to spend time searching for a place to park I just drove into the first available parking garage near Grant Park. Three hours for $26! That should be enough time to see Chicago…actually that WILL be enough time to see Chicago as I vowed not spend another dime in that garage! So I was off and running, not really but that fits the narrative.

I first went to the famous Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park and then headed to Michigan Avenue to stroll…speed walk…one of the most renowned streets in this city. Besides all the old architecture and shiny new buildings there’s plenty to see along this thoroughfare. There are a number of museums that I’ve been to before and didn’t have the time to visit this time so I concentrated on some of the things I haven’t seen before, most notably Millennium Park and the very interesting Cloud Gate also known as the Bean.

I walked, swiftly, all the way down to the Chicago Water Tower and then made a bee line back to the parking garage stopping only long enough to squeeze off a few photos along the way. Believe it or not I actually had ten minutes to spare and contemplated just sitting there in my car to get my money’s worth but reconsidered when I realized that the clock was approaching the 5 o’clock hour…traffic in this town is bad enough without tempting fate by sitting around waiting for every worker in the city to leave their job!

Since the RV was parked northeast of O’Hair Airport it still took me almost two hours to get home but it was a warm clear day and there was plenty to see and do along the way so all in all I feel like I got my money’s worth in the beautiful downtown of the “Second City”!