Chicago at its best again!

hmmm.....you all wont believe that we are still not come out of that super -super holiday hang over even after a completely maddening, totally chilling and fiercely enjoyable, fun and entertainment packed long weekend.

We landed Chicago on Wednesday, late at night...so just slept...to wake up late in the day on thursday...Had a sumptuous breakfast of Capsicum and tomato omelets and then along with two of Shanu's friends set out to visit the famous Lake Michigan which is just near by Shanu's apartment. Chicago sits on the shore of this Great Lake. Oh my God!! what cold out there...The weather was fiercely -8C. We just had our hair washed ...and by the time we reached our car to start off ...we were like having long black sticks on our scalp...the hair gets frozen in seconds... and we had a new hair-do altogether....The lake out there shows all the different colors and different moods at different times and complements with all the seasons and climatic changes. On Thursday morning the lake, apparently was very angry and almost had the shade of brown with the tides beating fiercely at the shores. We could not take the cold and the chill so ran to the car to save ourselves from the almost occurring frost bite...Our cheeks and noses were almost red and frozen with waters of kind dripping from the nose and the eyes ... coz of the chill!!...No sensation on hands... even after wearing gloves...We came back home again to secure, load and layer ourselves with more warmer clothes as we could.

Later we drove to "Sears"...the famous Sears towers. Tall buildings are man-made. Towers have historically been not only the pride of their temporary owners, but of their cities as well. So the Sears Tower, one more mountain, is a creation for this city on the plains. At 1454 feet and 110 stories, the tallest building in the United States. Until recently the world's tallest building, and still has the highest occupied floor level in the world. The structure is formed from 9 bundled square tubes, each 75 feet wide with no columns between the core and perimeter. Two of the tubes are 50 floors high, two are 66 floors, three are 90, and two are 108... The two antennae on the roof give the tower the highest "tip height" of any skyscraper in the world. The observatory elevators are among the world's fastest at 1600 feet per minute. The Sky deck occupies the 103rd floor, the highest non-mechanical floor in the building. It has its own entrance and attracts approximately 1.5 million visitors per year. These facts are a few of the numerous statistical data given...On a clear day they say you can see to Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana. The view from the tallest structure....what to say....needless to say...IT MUST BE EXPERIENCED AND BREATHED moment by moment....IT WAS RAVISHINGLY AND BOISEROUSLY FANTAFABULOUS!! The view from the Sears Tower Skydeck was just amazing. You are so much higher than all other buildings in town that you actually see the rooftops of the Aon Center and Hancock.

No visit to Chicago is complete without a stop at one of its towering titans. Coming home from Chicago without visiting the Sky deck would be like visiting Paris and not going to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Later we went to a Hindu temple on Lemont Road ...came back home watched a Hindi movie Viruddh... ate noodles and slept.

Next day being Friday got up late again... to brunch on a lovely Upma...All set to go and visit the 'Shedd Aquarium'. Shedd Aquarium is the World's Aquarium. Opened in 1930,this aquarium houses both seawater and freshwater exhibits and is the largest and oldest public indoor aquarium of its kind in the world. More than 650 species inhabit Shedd Aquarium's galleries and offers visitors the unique chance to explore and learn about marine life. The Shedd aquarium features a wild variety of marine plants and animals and currently has a new exhibit on wild sharks and coral reef from the Philippines. There are lots of marine animals including sharks, eel, sea turtles and numerous rare and colourful varieties of fish... it's also the site of "aquatic theater." There's a dolphin show several times a day, more promoting conservation than a Sea World type show. The wall of windows in the Oceanarium creates the stunning optical illusion of connecting with Lake Michigan in the background. There are also several beluga whales that seem to enjoy posing for pictures, playful sea otters, seals and penguins.The belugas at Shedd Aquarium have learned to mimic several distinct sounds, including the deep, raspy breathing coming from scuba divers maintaining their pools.Animals and plants live within complex, connected systems. They are dependent on one another and the conditions of their environments for food, shelter and survival. Anyways a colourful feast for our eyes all through!! While coming back from the Shedd Aquarium it started snowing.....Oh my God!! A reason for us to act crazy again! We played all through our way to our car parking which was quite far off.

Later at nite we took over to the "BIG BOWL"- A restaurant on the busy Michigan Avenue.....This inexpensive noodle shop is frequented by young crowd who return again and again for the tasty Asian cuisine. Everything is served fresh, and there are a variety of healthy options... coz you can select your own veggies and give at the counter to be tossed with the sauce and topping of your own choice. Serving Asian, Chinese and Thai cooking, this is a café. The place has a colorful and contemporary décor. The interior is accented by warm tones, and the lighting is moderate. The place is small, and is cozy and comfortable and cheerful....we had a ball of a time at the BIG BOWL! I like the fortune cookies they give us there which carry small notes in them which predicts goodies for us!! We retired home to watch 'Roman Holiday'(I had watched that for the third time in my life) before we slept.

Saturday as usual got up late again...and had mast Pulao and Raitha for the brunch....and decided to walk Chicago.....We visited the museum firstly ....One of the great art museums of the world, the Art Institute of Chicago presents a collection spanning 5,000 years of artistic expression. Paintings, prints and drawings, sculptures, photographs, video, textiles, and architectural drawings and fragments are complemented by a year-round schedule of exhibitions. The sole purpose of our visit was to see the hall where Vivekananda addressed The World's Parliament Of Religions. A kind lady opened the Auditorium only for us...switched on the lights which lit the entire place....and was glad to show us around and allowed us to spend in some time and take pictures of that hall.

Then we walked to the 'Millenium Park'...Millennium Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the east, Columbus Drive to the west, Randolph Street to the North and Monroe Street to the South. Millennium Park has hosted millions of people, making it one of the most popular destinations in Chicago.
Among Millennium Park's prominent features are the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States; the interactive Crown Fountain; the contemporary Lurie Garden; and Anish Kapoor's hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture on the SBC Plaza. A 12-foot-high arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture.The Cloud Gate sculpture -- better known as the 'Millenium Bean' is an enormous hit with camera buffs as people snapped their friends in front of it and their own reflections in it.
Later we walked the Michigan Avenue....This main downtown includes the Magnificent Mile, a stretch full of every store imaginable and several of the city's landmark buildings.
We had the Veggie Burritos in the bowl at the famous 'Chipotle'- a mexican eating bar...the food was heavenly...I loved it coz I ate it for the first time.

Then we went to the Swaminarayan Mandir.Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chicago is the largest traditional Hindu Mandir of stone and marble to be constructed in the United States. Lime stone from Turkey and marble from Italy was shipped to India and carved along with Makrana marble from India. Carved pieces were shipped from India to Chicago to build such a beautiful Mandir.

Came home and watched 'No Entry'....Oh my God ...our laughing bonanza started to end only on the Sunday evening.

Sunday was relaxing....so again woke up late in the noon ...took baths.... and prepared a late lunch of Chole Bhatura... had a good meal....relaxed and watched a recorded match.....then one by one, everyone of us indulged in predicting future and trying to find whats in store for us...started reading and interpreting our horoscopes and stuff....had good fun! Full time pass of a kind!
We went to have icecreams at Cold Stone...hogged on them and went to the theatres to watch Harry Potterand the Goblet of Fire.....Atlast the weekend Drama comes to a terrific end...Lots of Laughter and Fun.....Lots of quick humour and wit...all ended on Sunday night ...The Monday Morning fever had already begun in the guys here....
Good though....
Hmmm.... I know it would take you all lots of time to read this... Give intervals and read the mail in instalments...
Ok then ....Bye ....till I bug you all again in my next...

Cheers to all ...

-Moi

Chicago Delight!

I am doing fine in Chicago. My train reached a bit late to Chicago. It was already 6 o' clock by the time I reached Chicago. It had turned very dark and the weather was very cold and cloudy as it had rained the whole of the day in Chicago. Vaidehi had come along with one of her friends to pick me up from the station. It being a Saturday evening we directly headed towards the 'Michigan Avenue'....in the downtown of Chicago ...the poshest, busiest and the most happening places of Chicago....All along the way.....the breath taking view of the tallest buildings and heavenly structures was overwhelming in its own way....WOW!! Chicago's remarkable skyline, dominated by architectural wonders like the John Hancock Center, the Aon Center, the Tribune Tower, the Wrigley Building, the Water Tower Place and the 1454-foot Sears Tower and the still-futuristic-looking Marina City "corncobs" looked fantastic.From one end of the lakefront to the other, skyscrapers are lined up along the beautiful parks and beaches - rising higher and higher toward the center where dizzying clusters of towers reach for the clouds and beyond.

Well...I felt that Detroit is not even the miniature version of Chicago....There is a remarkable difference in the'The Motor City of Detroit' and the "City of Skyscapers' ....I was like literally welcomed in the birth place of the skyscraper!
Michigan Avenue, or The Magnificient Mile is the shopping Mecca of the Midwest.The skyline jumps out at you from every window, leers over you as you move around the Michigan Street's "Magnificent Mile". We went around the place... hopping street over street...crossing the busiest lines.... scurrying into and out of the stores ..... visiting each and every big mall and store on that wonderful Michigan street. We browsed around and window shopped in the best stores named Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Marshall Field's, Pottery Barn, Victoria's Secret and the like. We had funtime moving around and clicking pictures whereever possible....coz celebrations for Christmas had already begun and all the stores had an unique and gala exhibition and display of the festivities in thier own vibrant colour and galore....It was truly magnificient! I have already sent you some of the pictures as a link in my previous mail.

After spending three and half hour of fun packed time along the busiest and the most happening street on a saturday night in Chicago we went to dine in an Asian restaurant called the "Big Bowl"....which was just next to the Hilton and Marriott. Great crowd.....the sky kissing architectures..... the wild hustle on the streets....dazzling lights and sumptuous food marked the end of our Saturday Night's frenzy. We came back home and retired.

Next day being sunday was relaxing.....we had a good break fast of Upma....and late in the afternoon were driven to the Gurnee City which was 35 miles away from the Michigan Avenue (the place where Shanu resides). Along the drive we passed some of the great sky scrapers and most importantly, the Deloitte of Chicago catching my attention. Gurnee City had a super great mall named 'Gurnee Mills' Mall which was known for its branded stores and outlets.Gurnee Mills features hundreds of the best names in retail including Abercrombie & Fitch Outlet, Hollister Co. Outlet, Gap Outlet, Banana Republic Factory Store, Liz Claiborne and many more offering the latest fashions, gifts, or entertainment options. I had a wonderful shopping experience shopping for my winter wear in the mall.....It was just aweosme...We wandered about.... browsed...ate....and returned home only late at night picking 2 more of Shanu's friends for dinner at a nice Indian restaurant...Well it was a Birthday treat from one of her friends....Thus ended our sunday and with that a good weekend.

Shanu and her room mate left for their respective jobs....only to return at 6 in the evening. Till then I would spend my time watching movies and browsing the net.....Now having a garam methi paratha right from the tava!

Thats it till date.........will keep you informed.

-Manasi

Landing in Detroit!

Myself and Rohit had a great flight after the initial hitches at the Mumbai Airport due to our luggage....British Airways was just awesome.... we had to change into another flight in London... The Heathrow airport of London was awesome.... great and exciting stores and more than that the chilling climate....i loved the whole scenario. We reached here on wednesday the 19th.... Detroit is good too....Well, we are put up right in the centre of the city in the poshest business complex... with Renaissance center....EDS.... General Motors... Deloitte....and the like... We are put up in the Millender Centre ...which is associated with the Marriott Hotel... Its Awesome.... The apartment is greatly furnished ..... its a luxury.....its better than any of the suites of the 5 star hotels in India....very cosy.... very homely...."a home away from home"...
What I liked the most is the skywalk which leads you from the Millender centre to the GM ......Renaissance Center...it is just amazing! Rohit's office is just on the otherside of the skywalk which takes only a 5 min walk.....I went to see him off to his office yeday ...but did not go into the office...The routes and the ways to the office are real classy and glassy..!! General motors is a very huge and tall building with lots of great looking shining and glossy cars of different models and colours exhibited with a classic touch !
I enjoy the fitness centre here...it is good too...It has a huge swimming pool...a jacuzzi....a gym...sauna...and stuff... well good for me. I had a great time these two days loafing about and rambling in a new place and getting acclamatized with the area....people....climate...

People I must say are real friendly and courteous....a very happy attitude is carried by almost everybody.

The highlight of my experience till now is the panoramic view that we have from our apartment which is on the 31st floor of the Millender Center....Aah! Its amazingly awesome.....The lanscape is perfectly picturised and designed to just fit all my windows of the apartment.....tiny cars..... tiny roads ....running all over.... criss cross... lots of tiny tweeny colourful trams moving in coaster like routes...(all of this looks like toys that children carry ...those typical tracks with the electronic cars moving fast on them)...a view of Canada on the otherside of the lake with huge ships sailing across...and an abundant expanse of the sky with myriad number of aeroplanes, fighter planes and helicopters roving around..wow!! The different shades of the rising sun in the morning is a treat to watch for.... lovely ya! The sunrises after 7.30...and its so beautiful with all the possible colours imaginable! This is the beauty talked about in the day....but the beauty is just overboard when the sun starts setting in the evening and eventually the whole city being enveloped slowly with the darkess...Its like the greyish to darker shades of the night go hand in hand with the city being lit so beautifully....It appears as though the whole of the galaxy has just changed herself into a golden dress and is shining bright ...twinkling at times.... shying at other times ...against the dark background .....and this is what I'm seeing right in front of me....from my huge wall to wall window...Its nothing less than a heaven@Millenders.com
Miss you guys!