Chicago, Illinois (09/01/2009-09/03/2009)

Chicago was another great American city that I am embarrassed to say that I had not bothered to visit until now, and only by pretext of an extended stop-over. That said, like New York City, it had a sense of familiarity and nostalgia from various references in popular culture and snippets of American history that I absorbed while growing up here in Canada.

The city also felt somewhat like the mythical Gotham City of Batman lore with its multiple street levels that get progressively darker and danker as you descend, the elevated subways, and the neo-gothic architecture of such places as the Chicago Tribune building.

The people were warm and friendly, the food was good albeit unhealthy, and the scenery and culture were both quite rich. I was also surprised at how affordable the high-end venues were when compared to similar places in Europe and Asia. One of my personal highlights was stepping inside the U-505, the first U-Boat captured during WWII now permanently stationed at the Museum of Science and Industry.