Hello from Chicago! Here visiting Mom for the holiday.

We spent much of the afternoon walking around downtown, both on our own and as part of the Tiffany on Wednesdays tour at the Chicago Architecture Foundation. We had a beer and a sandwich at some little Italian place and looked at the Christmas windows at Field’s Macy’s. We didn’t get over to the Sheeler exhibit today; will do that Friday.

Sitting at lunch, I realized just how content I was to be in the city again. The trains rumbling overhead. The people on the sidewalks - some moving fast, some moving slow. The buses and taxis and their attendant smells. I love all the noise, all the people, all the buildings. It just feels good to me, it feels like me, it feels like home.

I wonder if I would feel this way if I lived here or in another large city, or if this is just the pleasantness of the unfamiliar. My suspicion is that I would enjoy it, even if it was my permanent environment.