The last word on my recent trip to Chicago goes to a quiet Saturday morning I spent walking along Lake Michigan.  Sometimes on solo trips, I find a need to just stop running from place to place or event to event and “just be” for a bit.  In a big city like Chicago, this can be a bit of a challenge with all of its sights.  On my last full day there, I took the subway a couple of stops north of my hotel and then walked east toward Lake Michigan.  It had been a long day previous – a lot of exploring public art, an afternoon at the Art Institute, a White Sox game, then some time in a blues club.   Early morning coffee in hand, I was in need of some quiet time to clear my head, much like the early morning clouds clearing off over the water:

Maybe it’s a bit of being from a coastal town, but a walk along a large body of water always does me good.   The early morning breeze off of the lake combined with the sun starting to appear through the clouds began to lift my spirits:

I took up a place along the seawall, set my coffee beside me and had some breakfast I had brought along (luckily for me, there was one of the city’s finest bakeries in the lobby of my hotel).  It wasn’t too long until I was attracting the attention of passing dogs out for their morning walk.   That, and this view, got my Saturday heading in the right direction:

I think I’ve found my favourite time and place in Chicago – a morning on that seawall.  After about an hour of watching joggers and walkers saunter past, the skies had cleared completely, and I was ready for another day, my last, in the city.  Not sure if or when I’ll ever get back, but if I do, I’ll make time to come back here, coffee in hand to start a day.