retro blog #2: chi-town

The nice thing about heading down for Lolla this year is that I got to stay with my newlywed pals Heather and Sam in Rogers Park. They were gracious hosts to myself and my friend Keiker who traveled to Lolla with me. They made us wonderful breakfast each day and on Sunday took us for a stroll around their neighborhood.

They live right by Loyola Chicago, so it was nice to check out another Jesuit college campus. I've been to campuses of other Chicago schools as well -- Northwestern, DePaul, University of Chicago -- so it was also good to add this notch.

Of course with any Catholic school, one of the most striking features was the church on campus. This one is fascinating because it's literally built right up to Lake Michigan:



My friends also live near several public beaches. Although Milwaukee just redid Bradford Beach, it's still a bit grody for us Wisconsinites to imagine people swimming in the lake. However, in Chicago it doesn't seem to worry folks:


It was definitely nice to get a glimpse of a less-visited neighborhood in Chicago. Of course, I also did take my obligatory shots at Lolla of Buckingham fountain and the crowd overall.

But this is also because the festival organizers did a great job of picking Grant Park as the spot for Lolla, as the event is so well-framed by the city itself.



And well, Buckingham Fountain just looks COOL at night:

Of course one of the most fascinating architectural wonders to me of the trip, was the repurposing of a fence for a bike rack. Ah Chicago and it's legacy of builders!