We got back from Chicago a few weeks ago and I’ve been rather slack about updating the blog. To make up for it, here are pictures from not only Chicago, but older ones from Iceland and London as well, which we never posted up 😛 Links to larger photo sets – Reykjavik and London + Chicago

Chicago’s also known as the windy city. It wasn’t as windy as Reykjavik for sure, but it did make the place seem colder than what the temperature would imply. I’d been bracing myself for rough streets with hobos after Marty’s experiences in San Fran but service in Chicago was the best I’ve ever experienced anywhere else. We ate good food and the portion sizes were pretty massive.

Some standouts:

• The Atlantic Crab was just amazing. I’ve never felt full eating crab before till I ate that crab. And the pincers weren’t even included! So succulent and plump without any seasonings at all, just butter on the side.
• Breakfast was often served with a side of pancakes. Which is somewhat ridiculous because the main breakfast was usually more than enough for both Marty and me
• Popeye chicken was such a welcome sight because there is no KFC in Sweden. You read it right, _there is no KFC in Sweden._ One of the sad, bleak truths about Sweden 😛

We didn’t venture beyond the city limits but the city itself was really pretty; much of Chicago was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, and the city’s skyline is consequently dominated by skyscrapers of the period built to replace the older buildings.

• We were lucky enough to get lvl 37 in our first hotel, so the evening view of the river was taken from our window 😀
• Millenium Park where the Cloud Gate (a.k.a. metallic jellybean) resides was used in The Weatherman and Source Code
• We even managed to squeeze in a viewing of a Blue Man Group show. It fell somewhat short of expectations, though we did get discounted tickets for the observatory where we took the night city shots.

And since Marty was there for work, here’s a few shots of the famed CBOT pit trading floor and the Tesla on display at the conference she was at. And yup, she did get to ride in the sports model Tesla!