Give me liberty to know

One of the things that made me stop in my tracks over and over were the elevated trains snaking in, around and out of downtown. I loved them. They seemed alternately futuristic and cool retro. Made me realize something about myself.

I am fast approaching 49 years old. If life is a hill I am headed back down from where I started. But despite the years and miles, the dusty and the shiny, I have never lost my sense of wonderment. Like a large child, I suppose. No matter how many trains I have ridden, I stared anew and thought, "How cooool!", like I was seeing one for the first time. No matter how many fishing trips include an alligator sighting, I still smile and snap yet another picture. They are so primeval. For me, everything cool is necessarily timeless. And nearly everything is cool. Maybe that's why I love living.

I think you will see from the below pictures, which simply must be enlarged to appreciate the expansiveness of some of them, that skyscrapers had my rapt attention. I loved walking in the canyons they made. In Chicago, they were so strong and imposing, so powerful and reassuring. I would stop, sit, and look up at them all, my imagination in overdrive.

Tampa has no skyline to speak of. Not like this, anyway. We used to have the Big Sombrero, where the Bucs played, but it has been replaced by Raymond James Stadium. Ray Jay, as they say. Raymond James is a financial outfit, so it might actually be Ling Xiu Stadium now.

Anyway, we all evolve. I love Boston, LA, Chicago, and Dallas. Baltimore has a charm and Minneapolis is as quirky as they come. Time was when my little redneck self, living on wooded acerage in rural Virginia or Northwest Louisiana would scoff at the idea of even visiting a large city. I'd puff all up, country proud, and expalin as how "I didn't lose nothing up there." Now I know better. Now I let myself really live and enjoy. Why deny yourself half of the experiences our great nation has to offer? Do I want to live in the big city? No, not really. But there is a difference between living there and visiting. Now when I am in the city I go looking to find what needs getting done. And what needs getting done often includes tavern food like burgers or pastrami.

Here's the pics from my 3 weeks in the windy city. My next destination is New Orleans and/or Baton Rouge. I have always LOVED New Orleans. This time, I'll do Bourbon Street with an expense account. That's gotta be better, right?

First building I passed on Michigan Ave. Whoa factor pretty high on this one. Git biggerize it and look at all the detail work on the facade. You, also, will say "whoa."

The Chicago Tribune building.

Me and Orland, god of windy sidewalks.

The buildings in the background were awesome. This whole photo screams, "Git bigger! Git bigger!"

Shiny building along the river, also screaming out "Git bigger! Git bigger!"

Yeah, Buddy. And where else can I go to a HoB? Why, New Orleans of course. Won't be there on a Sunday morning this trip, but the N.O. HoB has a fun Sunday Gospel Brunch.

Ummmm, yeah. Not gonna pay that for a bottle of water. French or otherwise.

Ooooooh..... a train!!!

Looking out my hotel at Grant Park where Obama was to speak election night. I was so close that every time on election night that another set of polls closed and the delegate count was announced, I'd get a simultaneous cheer wafting in my open window. I was asleep when he passed 270, but the roar that went out woke me and I knew that he'd just sealed the deal. I went back to sleep. I still had to work in the morning.

Lights. Camera. Idiot.

Ooooooh..... a train!!!

Good googly moogly! How'd I get all crotch level like this? Well, they say sometimes you feel like a nut.

Looks like a bunch of buildings, but that was the Chicago Hilton where I was staying. This is election night and the folks on the hill are looking down and going to try to get a picture of Obama later.

This was all romantical, I thought.

The bridge to get in to Obama's rally. Had a real rock concert vibe to it all.

It's about 4 or 5 PM and the crowds are starting to gather. They gave away 70,000 tickets, but then decided that everybody who wanted to could go in. That was cool of them.

Youngins. Gonna be a part of history. From right here on the curb. Yep.

Pick your opponent, the sign said. Street chess. Obviously.

Yeah, right. They weren't getting any attention to speak of. I stopped briefly, mostly to get this picture. I don't recall that the guy with the microphone was levitating, but he sure seems to be. Damn communist levitators. Anti-government and anti-gravity.

Now with 30% more friendliness, out

Ramblin' Ed