{"id":670,"date":"2009-08-13T05:51:26","date_gmt":"2009-08-13T09:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/?p=670"},"modified":"2009-08-13T05:51:26","modified_gmt":"2009-08-13T09:51:26","slug":"chicago-the-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/?p=670","title":{"rendered":"Chicago: The Road"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a title=\"The very first picture I took on my trip.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/001.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/001s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 15px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" align=\"left\" \/><\/a>I do not know if it is ever going to get boring or ordinary for me to see a big city skyline during this life, but I asked Will about it, because he has lived in Chicago for a year now, and he said &#8220;I&#8217;ll never get used to seeing that&#8221;.  Honestly I do not even know if I will ever live next to a big city.  I do not consider the city I live next to big at all.  I sort of feel the same way as Will about the whole thing and I wanted my last post about my Chicago trip to be what I saw from my car, some miscellaneous pictures that did not really fit anywhere else and just a little recap of the trip there and the trip back home.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"I can't hold a camera and take pictures, but maybe I should have tried.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/006.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/006s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-left: 15px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" align=\"right\" \/><\/a>I got really excited about seeing Chicago from my car when we got close.  Tom Tom took us through the city to get to where Will is, so I got to take in a lot of sites.  I was really excited and giddy and had to start taking pictures of the sites, because there was so much around me.  I actually had Jo take the pictures, because I was driving and it was sort of rush hour the entire trip in.  I think it took us almost an hour to drive the last 20 miles.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"I would love to ride my bike around Chicago.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/008.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/008s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 15px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" align=\"left\" \/><\/a>I saw huge buildings, I saw beaches with palm trees, which I am still not entirely sure why they have palm trees on the beaches in Chicago, but anyway, I saw trails especially set up for bikes and running.  Here they have miles and miles of nothing and they can not manage to have more than one crappy bike trail that goes past a sewage plant, and in Chicago they have miles of trails that go around the city and past beautiful sites like the beach and the docks.  I am a little bitter about having to come back home after seeing all that Chicago has to offer.  It makes me wonder where else I could live and what they would have waiting for me there.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Does that not look like some place that you would like to be right now?\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/015.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/015s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-left: 15px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" align=\"right\" \/><\/a>There is something so marvelous about being in the shadow of all these enormous structures of steel and cement.  Something so awesome about what man is able to create.  Looking back at a lot of the pictures now it seems hard to believe that it is Chicago, because all you see is water and trees.  It really is that marvelous to behold in some spots.  I have become a bit infatuated with Chicago.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Scooter was feeling much better while we were there.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/030.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/030s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 15px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" align=\"left\" \/><\/a>I took some pictures of Will&#8217;s dog Scooter, because he has a dog now.  The dog is a mix between something and something else.  I wish I could remember, but I have never really owned a dog and so I know that people who do know what &#8220;type&#8221; of dog they have, but I honestly can not keep it straight.  It is an awesome dog though, so it was definitely worth taking a picture of.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"It's just an awesome logo.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/031.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/031s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-left: 15px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" align=\"right\" \/><\/a>This is the hat that I bought myself as a souvenir.  I feel like it is a really awesome hat.  I really like the Cubs logo.  I might even be a Cubs fan now.  I certainly have not routed for the Indians in forever.  I bought Patty a blue shirt that says &#8220;I Love Chicago&#8221; and Eddy a Cubs shirt.  I did not want to get them shirts from any specific attraction that I went to, because that is something they will have to do sometime.  I bought my Grandma a bag of saltwater taffy from Navy Pier.  I personally cannot eat the stuff, but she loves it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">_______________________________________<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a title=\"You know when you are close to Chicago the same way you know you are getting close to any big city - you start seeing the buildings.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/002.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/002s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><a title=\"It is hard to take pictures while in traffic, in a moving car, from the passenger seat, apparently.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/003.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/003s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"Awful picture, but you can see buildings clear on the right and left of the picture.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/004.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/004s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"I remember this picture I was trying to get Jo to take it when the bus was not in the way.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/005.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/005s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"I do not actually know what that building is, because I never found out.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/007.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/007s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"See the buildings all the way in the back?  Yeah, that is where we were going, and further.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/014.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/014s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"You can see the traffic all the way around the corner.  I can not imagine what it is like when the weather is actually bad.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/013.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/013s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"I know I must have been saying something like 'we are here!' the whole time.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/012.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/012s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"All we would see for the next several miles is brake lights.  This is why I prefer night driving - no traffic.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/011.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/011s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"You can see the buildings start way before you actually get there.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/010.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/010s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"Trees, beaches, and paths to exercise on.  What more do you need?\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/009.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/009s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"In the shadow of huge buildings as the sun sets on Chicago.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/016.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/016s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"I believe these are apartment buildings.  I can not even imagine what it costs to live here.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/017.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/017s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"More apartment buildings.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/018.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/018s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"It is some building.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/019.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/019s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"I only took this picture because it had the word 'Eddy' in it.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/020.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/020s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"This is about the best I could do for getting a picture of Scooter.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/032.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/032s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"I like this one, because he is squinting.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/033.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/033s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"Scooter makes it hard to take a good picture.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/034.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/034s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><a title=\"I am getting closer to the end of my warranty, or the start of a lot of cool trips?\" href=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/151.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/pics\/Chicago\/gt\/151s.JPG\" alt=\"\" style=\"border: 3px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-right: 3px;\" width=\"150\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I do not know if it is ever going to get boring or ordinary for me to see a big city skyline during this life, but I asked Will about it, because he has lived in Chicago for a year now, and he said &#8220;I&#8217;ll never get used to seeing that&#8221;. Honestly I do not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[224],"class_list":["post-670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life","tag-chicago-envy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=670"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":675,"href":"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670\/revisions\/675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.the500footbuddha.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}