Rather belated account of flaneurie in Chicago

[oursin]

I spent a couple of days in Chicago after Wiscon, which would have been a lot more pleasant and productive of urban strolls and photos if had I not come down with the Cold From Hell which afflicted just about everybody I know following Wiscon.

I did manage a rather slow and unambitious stroll around on one day:

I was staying near the Water Tower, which I love for its sweet incongruity amongst all the soaring hyper-modern skyscrapers.
The Water Tower and Pumping Station

Then I walked up the Magnificent Mile of Michigan Ave, where I thought the raised planters were not quite so amazing as last time I was there.
Planters on the Magnificent Mile

I had one specific errand to fulfill on my travels: going to Union Station to ascertain whether the machines would print out my train tickets if I waved a bar code at them. This turned out to be true! No problem!

From the station I walked along by the river (I'd planned on doing one of the architecture from the water boat trips but wasn't feeling up to organising or doing this):
River and bridges

I then walked down to 200 W. Madison to gaze upon Louise Nevelson's Dawn Shadows, with which I spent some quality time, but didn't take photos as it is in the atrium of a business building and I'm not sure how they would feel about photos.

And then managed to negotiate my way back to my hotel by public transport, which at one point involved exiting the elevated railway, going round the corner, and descending into the subway.