Last weekend, I went up to Chicago to explore and get a feel for the city.  One of my good friends, Jason, has a buddy who lives up there in the Hancock tower.  On Friday night around 11:00 pm, three friends and I made our way up through the night.  Chicago is only about 5 hours away from Cincinnati, 4 if you account for the time change.

We arrived late around 3 o’clock and met Jason’s friend, Ryan.  His apartment was amazing – the view was indescribable.  We were up on the 60th floor right over Michigan Avenue and had a birds-eye view of the whole city.  The city was light up at night with hints of yellowish glow dotting the skyline.

In the morning, we explored the city, particularly the various shopping centers.  It was notably much colder in Chicago than Cincinnati.  When we woke up, snow was swirling all around us; we were up in the clouds.  On the street level, however, it became a steady beating rain coupled with relentless wind.

We met up with a few of Ryan’s friends and then went out for the night.  We went to the Gibson Steakhouse for dinner and a couple drinks before going out to the bars.  The bars were awesome – just very expensive.  All the people were very friendly.  It had a big city vibe merged with a Midwest state of mind.

One of the things that stands out most in my mind when thinking back on the trip was the ride home.  In Indiana, we drove through the Benton County Wind Farm.  There had to be close to 500 monumental fans structured in rows and columns as far as the eye could see.

All in all, I loved the city, but could never see myself residing there.  The people are friendly, but it’s simply too cold for my liking.