- Indian guys with ear pads and who don’t smile back.
- Freezing fingers.
- Uniformed Chauffeurs in front of really tall buildings.
- Two second eye contact.
- Puerto Rican Salvation Army volunteer who doesn’t get annoyed when he insists that he’s not from Mexico.
- Busy-looking pedestrians with carry-ons, heading nowhere, heading somewhere.
- African-American Salvation Army volunteers who dance, who ring bells, who sing while selling two dollar leaflets.
- Tall building that block the morning sun.
- Two jokes from a street vendor:
- 1. “Here’s the secret to playing golf: Wear two socks just in case you get a hole in one.” Ah-ha!
- 2. “Q: What’s Beethoven’s favourite fruit? A: Banananana.”
- An Art Institute with endless exit corridors that lead into one another.
- An art institute with exits that pass through a gift shop.
- Museum officials who speak French.
- Bennigans Grill and Tavern with 15 mins waiting time.
- Senseless arguments on the differences in champagne and white sparkling wine.
- Exhilaration on the Sky Deck overlooking the famous city.
- Problematic calculations on tipping.
- Slow Africans at traffic go lights.
- Grant Park.
- Traffic lights.
- Tourists with the slowest feet.
- Impatient Africans at traffic stop lights.
- A city that never stops demanding.
- The Magnificent Mile.
- Cold Wind
- Fast-moving feet.
- Pedestrians that keep walking even when the sign says “stop”.
- Road signs that read “West” when it means to read “East”.
- White working-class women with iPods earplugs who text while crossing the road.
- Tax on food purchased at restaurants which doesn’t include tips.
- Waitresses who smile.
- Old white men who don’t acknowledge greeting nods.
- Old black men who seek eye contact.
It’s Chicago, the windy city. It’s Chi-town, birthplace of Hillary Clinton in the land of Lincoln.
It is Chicago, a city on the Michigan Lake. It’s Chi-town, home of the president. A city of lights and lightening warmth. A city that sleeps with its eyes wide open.