After the the CHICAGO TRIATHLON (en route back to the Transition Area to reclaim our gear) Tracy and I took a moment for our annual Buckingham Fountain photo-shoot! Always fun to play around with a friend… and even though I live in Chicago, somehow I turn into a total “tourist” when it comes to Chicago Landmarks! Bring out the camera…

So today was another day “playing” down on the Chicago lakefront! Another CHICAGO TRIATHLON under my belt. I went once again for the full International distance… basically a one mile swim in Lake Michigan, followed by twenty-five miles of biking on Lake Shore Drive & Lower Wacker Drive & ending with a six mile run along the lakefront south to 31st Street Beach and back through the Museum Campus towards the Finish Line near the Art Institute.

It was a fun day overall. I felt pretty confident & strong… even though the conditions were less than ideal. The second half of the swim was so choppy it felt like a washing machine! Riding south on Lake Shore Drive all directly into the headwind. And the run was very sunny & humid… so excited to make it to the Finish Line!!!

Kind of a sticky humid morning with lots of clouds along the lakefront… and a crazy-cool “cloud” of fog that rolled through the city as I was pedaling through. By the end of my ride, the skyline was practically gone… shrouded from view!

Early morning sunrise from the rooftop of Chicago’s Navy Pier…
well before the racing begins…

A dark & cloudy start to the day… not much of a sunrise as the clouds move out over the lake… luckily no rain, just clouds. Kinda glad this darkness is moving through early this morning. Hoping that it clears up a bit more for Day Two at the HINSDALE FINE ARTS FESTIVAL. C’mon by… 10:00am-5:00pm in Booth #69.

While the inside of the Nederlander Theater was painted with red light for MOULIN ROUGE, the lobby architecture is equally impressive. Our friendly usher Nancy told us some history about this statuesque & landmarked theater that was built back in 1926. This place is so incredible… even more lavish & over-the-top at every turn. The sure don’t make ’em like they used to!!!

After the Shamrock Shuffle, Tracy and I wandered around Millennium Park taking in the beautiful day. Too many people all around Cloudgate… so I was more enchanted by these floating nuggets of blown glass by Christine Tarkowksi. A perfect way to enjoy today’s blue skies… with a little art along the way!!!

A beautiful day for Shamrock Shuffling through downtown Chicago this morning… a perfect way to kick-off the first day of Spring with my friends!!! Sure, some people were running the race… while others (like me) were “shuffling” and enjoying the sights along the way for a fun photo tour of the downtown route!

A dreary morning downtown… but always cool to see Buckingham Fountain before they turn it in for the summer. All of the pipes & valves are exposed as they prep it for the season ahead.