Chicago is...

(Cloud Gate, sculpture by Anish Kapoor, Millenium Park, Chicago)

My kind of town, Chicago is...

At least that's how Frank Sinatra felt, and I'm hoping the same will be true for me because that's where we are off to. In just a few short months we will be relocating from New York City to Chicago (or, more accurately, the Chicago suburbs). That leaves me just a few more months to enjoy life as a resident of New York City to the fullest, and to prepare myself to embrace a new hometown.

With that in mind, I'm creating two lists. Because who doesn't love a good list?

First, a list of things I must do before leaving NYC. Places to visit or re-visit. Sights to photograph. Restaurants to enjoy. Parks to picnic in. Museums I have yet to explore.

Second, a Welcome to Chicago list. What are the sights, sounds and tastes that every resident of Chicago should experience? How should I go about getting to know the Windy City? As you can see, I have already visited at least one Chicago highlight, a dazzling sculpture affectionately nicknamed The Bean. So one down, many to go.

Those of you who have loved, lived in or visited these two beautiful cities--help me say goodbye to one and hello to the other. What do you think should be on my lists?

Portrait Practice

When you feel like taking a few portrait shots but have nobody around to pose for you, it's okay to improvise, right?

Dawn

Light seeps through our shutters this morning at dawn.

A Quintessential New Yorker

Wearing black, drinking coffee, sporting a bag from The Strand, and utterly uninterested in the fact that someone is taking his picture.

Uncommon Grounds

Last night we took advantage of the lovely spring weather to take a walk around the neighborhood. We ended up at Uncommon Grounds, a new coffee shop down the street, for drinks. Tea and root beer were our beverages of choice. I will not bother with a review of the place as this is not that sort of blog, and it has already been done here by a far more adept blogger than I, but it was a great spot for shooting some odd items. That worked out perfectly as I was experimenting with the manual settings on my camera (largely uncharted territory thus far). This spooky deer lamp was my favorite curiosity.

Hydrant

They opened the fire hydrant in front of our building the other day to respond to a fire across the street. The plastic sheet protected passersby (and their cameras) from getting an unexpected shower.