A perfectly warm & breezy afternoon for a sweaty run around the harbor.

The sunrise was pretty incredible this morning. And I loved how it perfectly “lit up” the new Centennial Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier. Sometimes timing is everything!

After camp, I had a wonderful bike ride down to Promontory Point and back. Such a beautiful day along the lakefront. Always fun to find a little “creative energy” being expressed on a small beach along the way!

Fun to see the huge Grandstand being built down on the east end of Navy Pier in preparation for this weekend’s America’s Cup World Series boat racing! The first time EVER on fresh water!!! Blue skies, brisk winds and great scaffolding silhouettes.

A band of low dark clouds hovering on the horizon this morning.
Blocked a lot of the sunrise… but made the final reveal so much better!

And the City look incredible once again! This time from Fullerton Beach.

A cloudy morning makes for a beautiful sky show. Love the colors. Love the reflections…
and how beautiful the City looked with the morning sun. What a difference a day makes!

Today was the Grand Opening of the new Centennial Wheel at Navy Pier.
Celebrating “The First Ride” with all the pomp & circumstance it deserves.
Including a speech by Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and a group of adorable school kids with perfect school attendance to get it started. A quick “flip of the switch” and there were fireworks, kabuki steamers and a large rotating Ferris Wheel!!!

I was lucky enough to be invited to for the Big Event!!!
Huge thanks to my friends at Navy Pier for the invitation… Jen, Jared, Erika, Sue, etc.

And for the record… I was on the very first ride of  “The First Ride”
… ahead of all those other people! First one at the head of the queue I might add.

The view from above is pretty amazing too. This new Ferris Wheel is larger than the previous one… so the view seems that much larger too! Unfortunately the clouds had moved in… but still cool to see the Chicago Skyline and rest of Navy Pier from above.

With souvenir cookies at the end.

And a pretty cool view from inside the adjacent Crystal Gardens.

By the time the sun was shining, I was down at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Perfect timing as the new Centennial Wheel opens to the public later today!… and I’ll be there for the festivities! Yeah me.

The wheel is cool… but even cooler with the moon still hangin’ out!

It was a beautiful day on Navy Pier…
with anticipation of the new Centennial Ferris Wheel.
Bigger & better than the one before. An oversized upgrade for Navy Pier.
Opening Dedication Ceremonies just over a week away… Friday, May 27th.
Just in time for some Memorial Day Weekend fun on the Pier!!!

And my favorite shot of them all…
A groovy reflection in the new glass & mirror elevator shafts that take you up to Pier Park.

Soon enough the sphere at Chicago’s Solder Field will again be covered with vines.
But on another cold & rainy day… not so much.