Wrapping Up Spring Break

I have now been back from  my trip for four-odd days now, but I have yet to recount my last couple of days away, so I feel I need to do that before I can move on. I got into Dayton on Wednesday and stayed until Saturday, during which time we visited the U.S. Air Force Museum, the University of Dayton, and a mini-golf course. Of this time however there is one story in particular that I would like to recount, and it requires a bit of a preface. 

I am a skyline addict. A fanatic. Skylines get me excited. When I'm sitting at home, procrastinating before starting my homework, I look at pictures of skylines. If I visit a city, and I don't get a quality picture of the skyline, well, I would rather have not even went. Soooo, when we were in Dayton, one of my goals was to get a picture of its skyline (a modest one, but sizable considering the small population). Now, think about it for a second. Where was I supposed to take a picture from? There are no hills in Ohio. But alas, we spotted the perfect vantage point: a parking garage. On the outside of the parking garage it said private, no trespassing, but come on. The first rule of extreme sightseeing is that you don't pay attention to that rubbish. So, we took the elevator to the top floor of the garage, and proceeded to get some great pictures of the skyline. We took about ten photos, and then stood around a bit to admire the view and applaud our whit. Then, just as we were about to leave, its the 5-0! A squad car pulls up to the top level, stops, and two cops step out of the car, telling us to come over immediately. The second rule of extreme sightseeing, I assume, is that you run from the cops, and thats just what we did. We broke for the elevator, and the cops got back into the car and started driving down to the bottom floor. The elevator was faster however, and we sprinted out of the garage and made for the car, parked a block away. So there you have it, the only thing I really wanted to talk about in regards to Dayton. You can view the hard-earned picture above, as well as a menagerie of other pictures from Chicago which I couldn't post while I was away.   

The Rest of Chicago

Well this post is happening a bit later than I planned, but this is the first steady internet connection I've gotten since my last post, so I have to go with it. Monday was a fairly relaxed day by my standards, as we had crossed off most of the stuff on our attractions list the first two days, so that all we had left (excluding the things we planned on seeing with my parents when they arrived in Chicago that evening) were a smattering of historic churches and buildings in the North Side, and the mystifying Batha'i house in Evanston, far north of town.

After failing to gain entry into nearly all of the churches, legitimately sneaking into one, and walking down the tree-lined Astor Street, home to some old rich people I'm guessing, we hopped on the CTA and took a twenty-minute ride to the Batha'i House of Worship. This structure reminded me a bit of the Pennsylvania Memorial in Gettysburg, because you never realize how massive it is until you are right next to it. This particular temple is one of only seven on earth, and by far the most impressive, so I was insistent on seeing it. No matter how much of a hassle it was, I do believe that it was worth it. And to give a little background, if your wondering, the Batha'i faith encourages unity among the religions of the world, and the temple itself is a place of prayer and silent meditation for anyone. Visually, (and here I am very frustrated that I can't post a picture) it looks a lot like the Taj Mahal. It is nine sided, domed, and intricately carved in all-white marble. It is one of the more impressive structures I have seen, and if you are ever in the Chicago area I would encourage paying a visit for its aesthetic pleasantry alone. We caught it right as the sun was beginning to set, and the effect was glorious to say the least.

The next day, after my parents had arrived and checked into their hotel, and also after we toured Loyola University Chicago, we saw the famed Water Tower and Pumping Station. As famous as it is, I hate to report that it is basically unremarkable, although the edifice of stone is fairly ornate. No, the more exciting sight of the day was the top of the John Hancock Center, which was surprisingly a much more pleasant experience than the Sears had been. The line wasn't nearly as long, the view was pretty much the same, and there was a small cafe with places to sit and enjoy the view. We also went to the Navy Pier that night and rode the ferris wheel there, which was pleasant as it was decently warm by that time, and then called it a night. In the morning, we toured the University of Chicago, which sucked I'm not going to lie, and then left for Dayton, Ohio, which is where I am now. Tomorrow we will tour the largest air-force base in the country (or the museum at any rate), and I will post on that later, as well as on the exciting "adventure" that we had today attempting to get a nice shot of the Dayton skyline. 

As always, cheers until then. I apologize for this post not exactly being my best writing, but I'm in a bit of a hurry and I'm on an unfamiliar and uncomfortable keyboard, so its not all my fault.