have synchronized walks with other 43thingers and post pictures here

while walking back to the car from visiting John Deere Pavilion with Snicks, I realized I could get a shot of this column flanking the alley near one of my favorite little shops which I’ve always admired and never had time to stop and photograph. There’s a matching one on the other side of the entrance. Though the picture doesn’t do it justice, it’s awesome in person.

very dear to me has a real penchant for clock towers, so I just had to snap a few shots of this one in the old Rock Island depot. This building is no longer used as a train station, but has instead been remodeled into a gorgeous banquet hall.

(well, most of Saturday) was a good time to be in Millenium Park. Though it poured down rain later, I was able to enjoy these fountains that intermittently squirted from their mouths. Wish I’d dressed differently; I might have joined those kids! :D

in Chicago is so much fun! Here is the Bean

Walter Payton’s Roundhouse This is a mural on the side of the building, which turned into a real pilgrimage for me. I have always idolized Walter Payton – “Sweetness” of the famous Chicago Bears team that went to the Super Bowl (there was even a video – the Super Bowl Shuffle!). So upon hearing about the roundhouse he had restored into a magnificent entertainment facility in Aurora, IL – I knew I had to go.

There is a microbrewery & restaurant, comedy club, banquet rooms, a game room with arcade games, gift shop, and a room crammed full of Payton memorobilia – even his super bowl ring. While writing in the guest book provided for leaving messages to Walter’s family about what he meant to you, I actually started crying! He died at the age of 45, which was so tragic.

The courtyard is spectacular, with large stone ovens, a gazebo stage, a stone bar area, and outdoor dining tables, which I had lunch in. I took back some beer and root beer from the brewery, which my fam loved (there’s a great little gift shop, too, of course).

is for you, Croptilldawn – if I recall, your favorite number is 8, so when I saw this above a door on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, across from Millenium Park on Sunday, I just had to snap it! :)

A large part of what I love about travel is soaking in the great architecture.

this one is for you, Unc – you think your foot is fucked; just take a look at this poor statue dude at the art institute. His right foot is gone entirely! :D

This is a mural on a building in the Lincoln Square district of Chicago. Walking through that district, both commercial and residential, was great!

on my way to the courthouse to file a petition, I went past the old YWCA building, which is now sporting a new mural I was unaware of. Though it’s a gray, icky day here, I couldn’t resist snapping a quick shot of it anyway.

A new mural painted on the back side of Maria’s Mexican Restaurant.