While pedaling downtown this morning, I found some great rusty metal & concrete “urban decay” highlighted in the morning sun. And you know how much I LOVE rusty metal!!!

With a forecast for more rain & snow tomorrow… it sure felt great to squeeze in
a beautiful sunrise ride this morning before “the bad weather” hits us!!!

Snow?… really?! It’s mid-APRIL!!!!… in case anyone is wondering!

It might always be The Oriental Theater to me?…
but still a gorgeous over-the-top theater now called The James M. Nederlander Theater.
To some people…

And while I was at Marshall Field’s… yes, confusing, but… I decided to stop in for a quick trip through the “Macy’s” Flower Show which has an outer space theme this year! They had a few cute displays, with a couple cute aliens peeking out here & there. Unfortunately I was slight underwhelmed this year. Although I do always enjoy the color floral displays contrasting against the classic columns & architecture inside.

After the SHAMROCK SHUFFLE… and after brunch with some “shuffling” friends…
I walked past the Marshall Field’s clock on my way to the red-line “L” train.
The vintage clock is a beautiful Chicago landmark…
and yes, it will ALWAYS be Marshall Field’s to me!!!

Beautiful relief sculptures on the sides of the drawbridge houses on Michigan Avenue where it crosses the Chicago River.

Another fun day running through the streets of Chicago for this year’s SHAMROCK SHUFFLE. My first outdoor run of the year went surprisingly well & I had a great time… okay, sure there were a few photo stops along the way, but who’s counting… it’s not “really” as race, right??? Well, not for me anyway…

I always have THREE basic rules for these races…
1.  Finish.   -   2.  Have fun.   -   3.  Don’t hurt anything.
And if you can stop to take some pictures along the way… even better!!!

Some fluid replacements at the Finish Line… and bananas of course!!!

And this is what THOUSANDS of Finisher Medals look like… times ten!!! At least.

And yes, I got mine… another one for the rack at home!

After the race we walked to brunch… cause I needed more than bananas!!!
Always fun to walk through downtown as we so frequently take it for granted!

After the race & lunch, I did a little “field trip” of my own.
And then finally at home to stretch, relax and shower… and then off to the studio!

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Huge kudos to my pal Sandy who tackled yesterday’s POLAR PLUNGE into a frozen Lake Michigan like a ROCKSTAR!… quite literally!Her and her team of Elvises… or is that Elvii?… raised big money for Special Olympics with their annual plunge! And look… she even made the news!!!

Sunny Sunday Skyline… up north and still frozen.
Enjoying the afternoon & cool architecture up at the Northwestern University Arts Circle!

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Traveling is great, but it always feels good to get home again too. Fun to see Chicago through the airplane window… the lakefront, the neighborhoods, the SNOW!!! Colder than Frankfurt… with the promise of a Polar Vortex to welcome me home!