Chicago

The "Windy City" exceeded my original expectations by far! Although it's a large, bustling city, I was continually impressed by how calm and inviting it proved to be. I'm accustomed to the extremely fast-paced and always in a hurry daily life of Dallas so this was a welcomed change. There is so much to do and see here! In Grant Park, you can visit the Bean (pictured top right - inside of the Bean) then take a short train ride to Willis Tower, formerly known as Sears Tower (pictured top left) all in a day! Along the way, be sure to stop at Navy Pier to see the boardwalk and take a water taxi over to taste some Chicago deep-
dish pizza!

I also got to experience my first huge music festival, Lollapalooza! It was incredible, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys

lots of good music with an awesome city scene backdrop for three solid days! We got to see Muse (my personal favorite), Flogging Molly, Explosions in the Sky, Arctic Monkeys, Foster the People, Noah and the Whale, Two Door Cinema Club. One of the best parts was catching up with a few old friends and meeting new ones. Can't wait to pack up my DSLR and head back to Chi-town!