The Not-so-windy City

It was the first time I would see Chicago since leaving there in 2000. I was visiting friends I had met in my year studying in Illinois - that was six years ago. At that time I had spent some time in the city but among my friends' families and now I would be a tourist. A few of my friends had visited me in London and Paris but most I had last seen as beer-obsessed Freshmen. Now we would meet again and these young professionals would be my hosts in the big city. I mulled over how they might have changed on the plane. Would the boys still wear gigantic baggy trousers? Would we all pick up where we had left off or would it be awkward? Would I even recognise them?

I had arranged to stay with Kristin, a friend from my halls of residence, in North Chicago. She is outside her house in this photo (right) with her flatmate, Heather (left).

When I finally made it to the city after delays in New York my first impression was that it was incredibly hot. And humid. Where was the famous breeze? Luckily this is America so almost everywhere is air-conditioned of course.

The heat wave decreed much of what we did - we chose which film to see on the basis that it was the longest out (Pirates...) and I spent so many hours in the Art Institute that my eyes hurt. I can recommend the air conditioning in that museum but the art is not bad either. They have the iconic "American Gothic" by Grant Wood (left) and a beautiful collection of Homers as well as an interesting exhibit about early American decorative arts.

When we were tired of museums we visited the stunning Millennium Gardens and listened to a concert given in honour of the "Gay Olympic Games" which were being hosted in the city at the time. Ruth, my old room mate, had just won a three-year scholarship for law school so it was time for celebration too. Before leaving the gardens we went to see "The Bean", an enormous metal sculpture which is highly polished. The cityscape reflects at strange angles in the curved surfaces and the effect is powerful because it is such an angular city.

China town held a festival during my visit. There was traditional dancing in full costume and many Chinese artifacts on sale such as fans, parasols and carved jade items. I bought a bamboo flute and hope to learn to play it on my travels.

Kristin and Heather threw a party on Saturday night in a temperature of 103 degrees. The Pimm's I had brought was a huge hit "It's sooo good but what is it?". Good question. Again the weather dominated the evening - the sweaty look was compulsory and it was almost to hot to talk. Here I saw many people I had not seen since college and was relieved to recognise them easily. We chatted about our current lives and reminisced about our days in Champaign-Urbana. One friend is moving to London in a few months with his girlfriend. The huge trouser trend is over also, so perhaps boys will soon stop flashing their boxers in London too.

The guidebook said that the best way to see the Chicago skyline is from the lake. I was lucky enough to be invited out to race on a J133 on Lake Michigan by Ryan, Ruth's boyfriend. The racing was normally fairly relaxed but it was clear that the crew was tense about the Mackinac race in which they would participate that weekend. "The Mac" is the longest fresh-water race in the world at 330 nautical miles and would be the first big event of this new boat. Our race the "Round the beer cans" race was a prelude to the big even and a magical way to spend my last evening.