skymark

8/16

Today was my last day in USA. My flight was 11:45PM. So, I have every belongings with me today. It’s quite heavy. I decided to visit a museum because I can check my bags there.

 I paid a visit to a meditation center in Queen at morning. Then, in the afternoon, I went to downtown and planned to visit MOMA (museum of modern art) .Unfortunately, the museum was closed today. Instead, I went uptown of course with my heavy baggage to another museum—Guggenheim. I paid 10 dollars to get in. They are now having a human figure photo exhibition. Besides, there are also some sculpture displays and some modern painting. However, many of its exhibition room were closed due to installation. So I just stay inside less than 2 hours.

Later, I went to Time Square for dinner. Then, took subway to JFK international airport to catch flight back to Taiwan and drew an ending point to my journey in USA.

8/15

I had planned to go to the biggest outlet in the east coast of USA—Woodbury. First, I took subway to Penn Station then transferred NJ transit to Harriman station in New Jersey. When I arrived at the Harriman station, it’s almost 11. As I got off the train, I could only see a large parking lot. How about Woodbury? I randomly asked a guy, he gave me some direction and I followed by walking. I don’t know how far it is actually. I walked on a country road for about 5 minutes, and then the guy I asked for direction drove a car and stopped by. He said he would like to give me a ride. Wow! I was too happy to utter any words. Thanks to his help, it only took less then ten minutes to get to the outlet. This is the only time I would be willing to become a free rider.

The outlet is located in a valley (it’s surrounded by mountains, now you have to believe your eyes, but this place is really weird for an outlet). Tthere are more than 200 stores such as Burberry, Gucci in this place.

I spent whole day in the Woodbury for sure. I hang out lots of stores such as Tommy Hilfiger, J-crew, Polo Ralph Lauren, Timberland and Nautica over and over again. But finally I just bought two clothes in Tommy. After all, Window shopping saves money.

I left at almost nine and I had to walk back to Harriman station. This time, no more free ride. It took me almost 50 minutes to get to there. During this 50 minutes, I walked by the dark, no-people country road by myself. It really scary to walked alone. I’m glad I survived!

I took the train at 10:30 and returned to the hostel at around 12:30.

8/14

I got up early to catch flight to New York. It only took me 1 dollar (unbelievable!) and 80 minutes by bus to get to the airport in Fort Lauderdale. I arrived early and took an early flight to NY. The airline I took has personal TV for each seat. It displayed some common TV series and some commercials just like the TV we watch at home.

I arrived at NY at 1 pm and took subway to uptown Manhattan where my hostel is. After taking a little rest, I set out for Time Square to have dinner at Yoshinoya. I had a ticket for a musical at 7. It’s Mamma Mia. It’s about a Greek girl, Sophie, who is about to marry but doesn’t know who her father is. Her mother had 3 boy friends when she was young. Sophie intended to invite all of her mother’s boy friends to the wedding. Lots of songs in this musical are based on the ABBA. One of them is Dancing Queen, which left me a vivid memory. This show is not only quite popular in Broadway in New York but also in many cities around the world, such as Sydney and London. I can only say this musical is really terrific in many aspects! I did enjoy a lot in the theater. I guess this show marks a perfect ending for my trip in USA!

8/13

I signed up for a trip to the most southern point of Florida—key west. I got up really early and took a bus going there. The transportation time is 4 hours. We arrived there at noon. I joined a snorkeling group there. (it cost me almost another 50 dollars!)

The boat departed at 1 pm and took us to a shallow water area then we snorkeled. This was my first time. With excitement, I was equipped with basic stuff (a mask and a pair of flippers) and immersed myself into the ocean. Oh my god. I didn’t expect it to be this difficult. The instructor told us to breathe with mouth. It’s not hard but I just had no idea how to make this happen. At first, I almost drown myself in the water. After struggling for couples of minutes, I finally learned how to make it. (it made me think of the scenario in the movie “Cast Away,” in which Tom Hanks tried to get out an isolated island and failed to fight against tide at first.) (I had lots of salty water, besides, the tide kept flowing up and down, I am glad I didn’t kill myself in this strange place.) Then I had half an hour to really enjoy the fun of snorkeling. But, to be honest, the coral here is not beautiful at all. The scene under the water was not colorful. It’s plain. I did see some fish but not more than 3 types. But one thing special, I saw some jellyfish. I was terrified. I was too afraid they are poisonous. In conclusion, I felt a little bit disappointed. But I still had a good time. After the snorkeling, everybody was just like having a small party on the boat before we returned the pier.

I took 4-hour bus to go back to south beach. When I got back to my room, Derek invited me again to join them to chat outside the room and had some beer. We had some chat and took some pictures. I also met another roommate from Dominica. We talked a little bit about the baseball. Ha! He is really crazy about that. We also shared some traveling experience before I went to bed. I am really appreciated I had this chance to talk with lots of guys from many parts of the world.

8/12

Actually I didn’t have any plan on this day. I just randomly picked a market at downtown to idle away my time.

I walked southward along the beach then 5^th street. I tried to cross the bridge (MacArthur Causeway) between south beach and Miami downtown by walking. It’s a really crazy idea! The weather was really hot. Besides, the causeway is just for car. (I walked along shoulder) I at last hopped on a bus that went to downtown. The market I intended to visit is just next to the American Airline Arena (home of Miami Heat).

When I arrived at the market, I just directly walked in a restaurant near harbor called Hooter. I order a chicken burger and a cup of Heineken. It cost me 14.19 dollars. But the waitresses are really hot there. (with shorts and huge breast!) The one who served me was a black lady. She kept coming asking if everything is ok. Oh! It’s really hard to keep my eye off her body. After the meal, I decided to walked around the market. I  bought some souvenir at a shop. Before leaving the market, I went to the Starbucks to enjoy a cup of green tea Frappuccino. It tasted really good.

After the market, I walked around the park nearby and decided to go to a “beach” near downtown. I took free metro to Financial District, walked for a long distance and found out there wasn’t any beach. I was cheated by the map. (the map showed a brown color in this area.) I was gradually getting tired of the life in Miami. Actually it’s really nothing here. The beach is not beautiful. The public transportation is not convenient. Disappointed, I decided to go back to the hostel.

I had my dinner at a Japanese restaurant near my hostel. I ordered woolong noodle with shrimps. It cost me 13.5 dollars for this meal but the owner was really hospitable. She deserved the tip!(by the way, there are lots of Japanese restaurants here, most of them are sushi lounge bar)

After dinner, I went to police station to report a case. The police said he couldn’t help me because he couldn’t find any fingerprint on the envelope. I finally gave up.

I returned to my room, seeing my roommate, Derek, form the Netherlands. He said he wants to go swimming at the beach (hey man, are you kidding? it’s 10pm already). So crazy! He invited me, but I rejected. But he also invited me to hang out at a night club just right across the hostel after his swimming. I said yes! Suddenly I got something to do! The place I stayed was a very bustling area.—Washington Ave. in south beach. Lots of bars and pubs are gathering here. It’s a paradise for night life.

We arrived at the night club in midnight. The admission is 15 dollars. I had a bottle of Budweiser and danced a little bit. Then, at 1am, there were lots of models wearing bikini showing up. Also, I saw lots of hot and sexy things in the club. I guess that’s the real life of Miami. And I was experiencing it! I guess it worth my money even though the price was high.

After the night club, Derek and I returned to the room. I had a little chat with him. I felt this guy is really easygoing. It’s really lucky to make a friend like him here.

8/11

I spent whole day at south beach in Miami. The weather was good. This beach is said to be the most famous beach in Miami. But actually it was just so so. The view is really nice. But the water is not clear. Besides, there are lots of grasses or something lying along the beach. But as expected, you can see ladies topless here. This scene is of course something I’ve never seen before. I stayed here to watch beautiful scene and ladies, listened to music whole day. Also, I walked a lot along the beach. Though I did apply sunscreen to my skin, it still got dark seriously.

At night, I just wandered around the neighborhood of the hostel. I found lots of restaurants and bars on Lincoln Blvd. But I definitely didn’t go to any of these. I was poor! This is the so-called Miami life—suntan at day and party at night!

8/10

Got up late and spent some time packing my baggage, I arrived at Midway airport at around 12 pm (my flight was 12:20). Due to late check-in, my baggage arrived at Fort Lauderdale pretty late. As I wait for my baggage, I went to the counter of jetBlue to buy ticket to New York, I was totally shocked to find out my money was stolen. It is 1500 dollars. Fuck!!!!!!!!

Still worse, the clerk at jetBlue counter tried to deceive me. He intentionally overcharged the airfare. He said the fare should be 220.70 dollars. I had 220.30 dollars in cash. He “kindly” said he would cover the shortage for me. And he said the printer is out of order so he couldn’t print the receipt for my purchase. After that he shook my hand and I left. But I realized something weird couples of minutes later. I returned to the counter to ask him to print the receipt for me. He finally did it. (the printer wasn’t out of order at all) Then I found the price on the receipt was different from what I paid. Son of bitch! You thought I am an idiot? After I told the guy the price is different, he at first still tried to pretend he didn’t do anything wrong. In the end he gave me an excuse that he did so because he saw the price of other flight! Bullshit!!! I remembered clearly you fucking guy told me the time of the flight.

After this fucking event, I just stayed at the luggage claim to wait for my baggage. However, the airline staff said my baggage would arrive very late. They would send it to my hostel. Then I spent 17 dollars to take shuttle from Fort Lauderdale airport to my hostel located in the south beach of Miami. It took more than 2 hours to arrive there. Everything was really crazy today! SHIT! (I only had USD 440 for rest of my journey.)

I was fault to show the guy all my cash. If I had paid in credit card, I guess he would have had no chance to cheat on me.

8/9

今天是到芝加哥的第四天，也是有行程的最後一天，預定的行程是The Art Institute of Chicago、小熊隊（Cub）的比賽、Northwestern University、Blueman show。

早上睡到自然醒，十點多才起床，到了hostel附近的The Art Institute of Chicago差不多快十一點。這個美術館不用門票，進了門check包包就直接參觀，裡面很大，館藏種類很多，我先從lower level看起。我先看了一些攝影展，裡頭的作品都是照屋子內的一角，攝影師利用反射的原理把屋外的風景映在室內的牆上，牆上就像鋪上戶外風景壁紙一般，看了看覺得也還好，就直接去看另一個展。接下來看的這個就很有趣了，這個展類似袖珍博物館展出的東西，展覽廳裡面展出四五十個放在玻璃框架裡的不同室內空間，有客廳、書房、廚房等等，裡面全部的主題都是歐洲古典的屋內擺飾，看了讓人非常嚮往去歐洲旅行，不過期中有兩件作品例外，一個是中國是的廳房，一個是日式的和室，都做的非常的逼真，很讚很讚！花了一些時間在這裡駐足，因為實在是太迷人了！接下來我直接就殺到二樓去，先看到的是一些建築的展覽，展出的模型是在美術館旁的Millennium Park和美術館本身，其實芝加哥市中心就是一個活生生的建築美術館，各式各樣的摩天大樓林立，畫出一道獨一無二的天際線，本來是應該要進去這個展館看看更多建築設計的，不過時間有限所以只好先從歐洲畫展看起。先看到的是中古的畫，很明顯地主題是以基督教為主，我大略的看一下就直接去看近代的畫展。先看到的是印象派的作品，毫無疑問地莫內（Claude Monet）是這個畫區的主角，他在色彩搭配這一方面真的很厲害，不過莫內在這裡的作品沒有很多。接下來，時間點來到二十世紀，像是畢卡索（Pablo Picasso）和馬諦斯（Henri Matisse）的作品也都有展出，還有一些更近代的當代藝術（Contemporary Art）像是超現實主義的達利（Salvador Dali）作品也有在這裡展出，在參觀完這些後，我很快的到了一樓匆匆地看了一下他們掠奪來的中國文物後就拿著包包離開了（這個美術館真的很讚，可惜我只在裡面待三個小時），準備去下一個點，在市中心以北的Wrigley Field—芝加哥小熊隊的主場。

其實我為了在美術館待久一點已經遲到了很久，偏偏這時候又搭到express的快車居然沒停Addison那站，害我到了球場已經是六七局了。今天小熊出戰的是紅人隊，我到的時候小熊好像落後一分，接下來好像各有一支陽春炮，到九局3:4，小熊落後，我其實不太CARE誰贏誰輸，只顧著在球場內照相和吃東西。我稍微看了一下比賽，覺得小熊今天表現真是太離譜，尤其在九局上，只落後一分竟然一局讓紅人得四分，就三個出局數一直拿不下，守備還失誤，結果小熊九局下也沒得分，終場三比八輸球。球賽結束後我還不急著走人，到處逛逛，到外野看台照幾張相，之後才去位在更北邊的Evanston—西北大學（Northwestern University）的所在地。

到了Evanston大概五點半，到了校園第一個看到的熟悉標誌就是這所學校最有名的的管理學院Kellogg，接著，就開始在校園亂逛，由於學校就位在Lake Michigan旁，所以往東走一下就可以看到一片汪洋，更讚的是，還有一大片金光閃閃的海灘，真是太吸引人了，之後我又沿著Church St.往西走到了人煙比較多的Chicago Av.，想找校園裡的書店買個紀念品，不過問了個人才知道書店在校園北方，我就放棄了，去逛了一家Barnes & Nobles，然後又去買個四塊錢的Ben & Jerry的冰淇淋吃（實在是太滿足了~），就差不多七點了，所以趕著去搭車前往下一個地方。（  在Evanston有個很特別的地方，就是這裡有蟬叫，這可是我在美國第一次聽到蟬叫。）

BLUEMAN的秀在晚上八點，先買一杯兩塊美金的熱茶然後才入場，我坐的位置在舞台右側的上方看台，坐在我左側的是一對母子，媽媽超嗨的，我看全場就他最嗨吧，右側是一對老夫妻，他們看不到舞台的表演，然後也不爽我左邊那個媽媽坐在地上看秀，結果後來就走掉了。BLUEMAN一開場先是三個在布幕後面的影子打鼓作為開場，接著有吞”彩蛋”、和大字報（有點類似機智問答）的表演，但是說實在的，我覺得一點都不好笑，不懂美國人為啥笑點那麼低，甚至覺得這個劇團也太好賺錢了吧，這樣的表演要收我快五十塊美金真是有點說不過去，不過之後他們開始跟觀眾互動，譬如爬上觀眾席找一位觀眾跟他們共進晚餐，拿迷你攝影機當場把他放到一位觀眾的嘴裡，讓大家直接從銀幕看到嘴巴內部甚至是食道，還有把一位觀眾拉到後台漆上藍色的顏料讓他成為現場第四位”BLUEMAN”，還有皮影戲表演和Rock的Dance，其中我認為最有趣的是他們用指揮棒的那一段，先是用指揮棒叫大家拍手然後就拿著指揮棒到外面去把計程車攔下搭車離去（個人感覺這是事先錄影的），整個表演充分利用聲光及視覺效果再加上一些無厘頭的演出，讓整個表演非常精彩。（在表演的過程中我被抓到使用照相機，後來他們就把我向機沒收了，並且把我照的照片刪掉，超不爽的～）

這個晚上，此趟旅行的悲劇才開始上演…

8/8

Got up pretty late and spent couple of time writing and sending postcard, my trip began really late today. The first place I visited was Sears Tower, which is the tallest building in Chicago. The ticket cost me 11 dollars. Before going to the observatory deck or Skydeck, we had to watch a short film called “Over Chicago,” which shows the downtown area by overlooking. Then, we took elevator to 103^rd floor where the Skydeck is. The sky was not so clear today so I couldn’t see something far away! Lake Michigan, Field Museum, Soldier Field are on east side, John Hancock Center, UBS building, Chicago River are on north side, United Center are on west side and some railway system on the south side. Wow! Everything is tiny below me. I am just like a giant! But during my visit in the tower, something crossed my mind. I’ve planned to go to Cub’s game this evening but suddenly I realized the ticket I booked says the game begins in the afternoon. I really got shocked! I quickly picked some souvenirs and asked a clerk whether the game is in the afternoon. She said the game probably begins at 2 or 3 but she was not quite sure. (but actually she was wrong) I hurried to the subway and saw couples of Cub fans. I asked them what time the game begins. They said at 7 pm. Damage! I guessed they were right and gave up going to Wrigley Field.

The next place I went is United Center, the home for Chicago Bulls. It’s located on the west side from downtown. I just rode couples of minutes to get to the center. A Michael Jordan statute erected outside the center. Of course I seized this opportunity to take picture with “God of Basketball” though it’s just a statute. There were some people gathering outside the center. I asked one of them what they were waiting for. She said “American Idol” will take place here.

After United Center, I returned to downtown. Next spot is Magnificent Mile. This is “the 5^th Ave” for Chicago, where lots of boutiques anchor. I just did some window shopping because I got to go to Wrigley Field at 7pm for Cub’s game. Here, I quickly visited two landmarks of Chicago, Water Tower and John Hancock Center. I returned my bike at around 6:30 and walked through Millennium Park, which was opened in 2001 to celebrate 21^st century. I took red line train to Addison station. I felt quite strange during the ride because I only saw one or two guys wearing Cub’s clothes. I started to wonder the game might actually start in the afternoon. However, before arriving Addison station, I saw the field was glowing. I was finally 100% sure the game begins in the evening. With some excitement, I went to the ticket box to get the ticket. Now, the terrible thing happened. The guy behind the window told me I actually booked the ticket for tomorrow. (Please tell me you are KIDDING) That means I had TERRIBLY made a BIG mistake. The game I should go should begin in the afternoon but not for today! Stupid! Before I returned to downtown, I just fooled around outside the field. I discovered one interesting thing: there are lots of people can enjoy the game without tickets. They can just watch the game on the roofs of houses near the field. The walls in two parts of  the field are really low. I asked a vendor if I can join them. He said these are a private parties, not everyone is able to join. Though I couldn’t get in the field, I still had fun outside the field. Finally, I took subway back to downtown, had pizza as dinner before going back to hostel.

8/6

I spent most of time moving out and searching for the traveling information. Left Penn campus at around 5. Took 7:15PM flight to Chicago Midway airport. (Actually, the flight was delayed.) The carrier is Southwest Airline, which is famous for its low fare. Also, it is a very interesting airline. The flight attendants wear polo shirts instead of formal uniforms. Besides, the way they broadcast on the flight is really funny (not in formal way).  What’s more, you can choose whatever seat you like on the plane. The airline won’t assign for you. There was one thing I was really impressed: the flight attendant can tell jokes by broadcasting. It’s just like having a party in the air. They are really good at creating a hilarious atmosphere!

8/7

Got up around 9 then went to Millennium Park for bike rental. After breakfast, I decided to replace my road bike with mountain bike. Afterwards, I set out for Navy Pier. This place used to be a military wharf for navy training during World War Ⅱ. Now, it’s a nice place for recreation. When I arrived there, I was TOTALLY impressed by the beauty of Lake Michigan. I stayed there for a while, then went northward along the lakeside. Shortly after I left, I found a beach (Ohio Street Beach) just right beside Navy Pier. After taking some pictures of skyline, I decided to take off my shoes and join the guys on the beach. Oh My God, I hadn’t expected Chicago could be so beautiful! Beach, sunshine and a great lake explain the beauty of this charming city. I tasted the lake water. As expected, it’s not salty at all.

After the beach, I kept heading north. More and lager beaches kept appearing in front of me. I just couldn’t believe people living in the central United States can also enjoy the privilege of people living in Miami. To fully appreciate the beauty, I decided to ride as northward as I could. There were also lots of small piers along the lake. Due to weekend and nice weather, lots of people gathering here sunbathing, cycling, playing volleyballs, BBQ etc.. Still, some guys just sailed their boats and cruised on the lake. It is what the life should be, isn’t it? I returned to Navy Pier at around 2PM and had my lunch.

After lunch, I started to go southward. The view in south was beautiful as well. I just followed the bike tour guide to Chinatown first. There was a gate with 天下為公 on it. To quench my thirst, I bought a bottled water and 泰山仙草蜜 (quite weird to buy this thing here, besides, it’s banana flavor.) at a bakery. Keeping heading south, next stop is US cellular field, the home for Chicago White Sox.(It’s near Illinois Institute of Techonology) As I just arrived, there were already some guys coming out of the field. The guest today seems to be Mariner (not sure). I didn’t spend much time here for the mass crowd. The next stop is The University of Chicago. I quite admire this school though it does not belong to Ivy League. I accidentally discovered the campus bookstore but it was closed. I parked my bike and decided to walk around the campus. The buildings in this school consist of both modern and traditional types. After the campus tour, I went to next destination: Osaka Garden. It’s a small garden in Jackson Park. It took me some time to find the garden.(I almost gave it up.) When I entered the garden, it didn’t impress me a lot. The garden did show some Japanese design, but it’s quite simple. I also took a picture of Museum of Science and Industry which is close to the garden. After a brief visit of these two sites, it’s almost 8PM. It’s time for me to go back. I rode northward and enjoyed the sunset scene of Lake Michigan. (On my way to downtown, there was an episode. There was a boat stranded and some fire engines and ambulances gathering at the riverside park. Also, a helicopter was flying above the lake.) I took some time to take pictures of skyline in the evening then hurried to Sears Tower to find out its Skydeck was closed already. Maybe I have to come earlier tomorrow. I finally bought a big bite and muffin as my dinner at 7-11 and ended my today’s trip!

8/8

Got up pretty late and spent couple of time writing and sending postcard, my trip began really late today. The first place I went was Sears Tower, which I couldn’t get in yesterday. The ticket cost me 11 dollars. Before going to the observatory deck or Skydeck, I had to watch a short film called “Over Chicago,” which shows the downtown area by overlooking it. Then, we took elevator to 103^rd floor where the Skydeck is. The sky was not so clear today so I couldn’t something far away! I could see Lake Michigan, Field Museum, Soldier Field on east side, John Hancock Center, UBS building, Chicago River on north side, United Center on east side and some railway system on the south side. At this time, something crossed my mind. I’ve planned to go to Cub’s game this evening but suddenly I realized the ticket I booked says the game begins in the afternoon. I really got shocked! I quickly picked some souvenirs and asked a clerk whether the game in the afternoon. She said the game probably begins at 2 or 3 but she was not quite sure. I hurried to the subway and saw couples of Cub fans. I asked them what time the game begins. They said at 7 pm. Damage! I guessed they were right and went out of subway to continue my trip. The next place I went is United Center, the home for Chicago Bulls. It’s located on the west side from downtown. I just rode couples of minutes to get to the center. There is a Michael Jordan statute erected outside the center. Of course I had to take picture with “God of Basketball” though it’s just a statute. There were some people gathering outside the center. I asked one of them what they were waiting for. She said “American Idol” will take place here. After United Center, I returned to downtown. Next spot is Magnificent Mile. This is “the 5th Ave” for Chicago, where lots of boutiques anchor. I just did some window shopping because I got to go to Wrigley Field at 7pm for Cub’s game. Here, I quickly visited two landmarks of Chicago, Water Tower and John Hancock Center. I returned my bike at around 6:30 and walked through Millennium Park, which was opened in 2001 to celebrate 21^st century. I took red line train to Addison station. I felt quite strange during the ride because I only saw one or two guys wearing Cub’s products. I started to wonder the game might actually start in the afternoon. However, before arriving Addison station, I saw the field was glowing. I was finally 100% sure the game begins in the evening. With some excitement, I went to the ticket box to get the ticket. Now, the terrible thing happened. The guy behind the window told me I actually booked the ticket for tomorrow. That means I had TERRIBLY made a BIG mistake. The game I should go should begin in the afternoon but not for today! Stupid! Before I returned to downtown, I just fooled around outside the field. I discovered one interesting thing: there are lots of people can enjoy the game without tickets. They can just watch the game on the roofs of houses near the field. The walls in two parts of  the field are really low. I asked a vendor if I can join them. He said these are a private parties, not everyone is able to join. Though I couldn’t get in the field, I still had fun outside the field. Finally, I took subway back to downtown, had pizza as dinner before going back to hostel.

8/6

I spent most of time moving out and searching for the traveling information. Left Penn campus at around 5. Take 7:15PM flight to Chicago Midway airport. (Actually, the flight was delayed.) The carrier is Southwest Airline, which is famous for its low fare. Actually, it also is a very interesting airline. The flight attendants wear polo shirts instead of formal uniforms. Also, the way they broadcast on the flight is really funny (not in formal way).  Besides, you can choose whatever seat you like on the plane. The airline won’t assign for you. There was one thing I was really impressed: the flight attendant can tell jokes by broadcasting. They are really good at creating a hilarious atmosphere!

8/7

Got up around 9 then went to Millennium Park for bike rental. After my breakfast, I decided to replace my road bike with mountain bike. Afterwards, I set out for Navy Pier. This place used to be a military wharf for navy training during World War Ⅱ. Now, it’s a nice place for recreation. When I arrived there, I was TOTALLY impressed by the beauty of Lake Michigan. I stayed there for a while, then went northward along the lake. Shortly after I left, I found a beach just right beside Navy Pier. After taking some pictures of skyline, I took off my shoes and took some time walking along the beach. Oh My God, I hadn’t expected Chicago could be so beautiful! Beach, sunshine and a great lake entitle this city to be so charming. I tasted the lake water. As expected, it’s not salty at all. After beach, I kept heading north. More and lager beaches kept appearing in front of me. I just couldn’t believe people live in the central United States can also enjoy the privilege of people living in Miami. To fully appreciate the beauty, I decided to ride as northward as I could. There were also lots of small piers along the lake. Due to weekend and nice weather, lots of people gathering here sunbathing, cycling, playing volleyballs, BBQ etc.. Still, some guys just sailed their boats and cruised on the lake. It is what the life should be, isn’t it? I returned to Navy Pier at around 2PM and had my lunch. After that, I started to go southward. The view in south was beautiful as well. I just followed the bike tour guide to Chinatown first. There was a gate with 天下為公 on it. To quench my thirst, I enter a bakery and bought a bottled water and 泰山仙草蜜 (quite weird to buy this thing here, besides, it’s banana flavor.). Keeping heading south, next stop is US cellular field, the home for Chicago White Sox. As I just arrived, there were already some guys coming out of field. The guest of today seems to be Mariner (not sure). I didn’t spend much time here because of crowded people. The next stop is The University of Chicago. I quite admire this school though it does not belong to IVY league. I accidentally discovered the campus bookstore but it was closed. I parked my bike and decided to walk around the campus. The buildings in this school consist of both modern and traditional types. After the campus tour, I went to next destination: Osaka Garden. It’s a small garden in Jackson Park. It took me some time to find the garden. When I enter the garden, I guess it didn’t impress me a lot. The garden did show some Japanese design, but it’s quite simple. I also took a picture of Museum of Science and Industry which is close to the garden. After a brief visit of these two sites, it’s almost 8PM. It’s time for me to go back. I rode northward and enjoyed the sunset scene of Lake Michigan. (On my way to downtown, there was an episode. There was a boat stranded and some fire and ambulances gathering at the riverside park. Also, a helicopter was flying in the sky.) I took some time to take pictures of skyline at night then hurried to Sears Tower and found its Skydeck was closed already. Maybe I have to come earlier tomorrow. I finally bought a big bite and muffin as my dinner at 7-11 and ended my today’s trip!