A Quick Chicago Post

It is hopeless for the occasional visitor to try to keep up with Chicago – she outgrows his prophecies faster than he can make them. She is always a novelty; for she is never the Chicago you saw when you passed through the last time.

-Mark Twain "Life On The Mississippi," 1883

Another picture of the Second City skyline

It seems I've been called out by a regular reader of this blog (possibly the only reader, I must concede), who shall remain nameless. He contends that Chicago has some serious competition from San Francisco. I don't want to start a war between the Great Plains and the West Coast -- mostly because I'm now a resident of the later -- but I have to counter that whereas San Francisco has several perfectly adequate medium-sized buildings situated amidst some spectacular natural endowments, Chicago has done a hell of a lot starting, simply enough, with several miles of swamp and prairie grass running into a large lake. The name of the City itself -- Chicago -- is evidence of its unspectacular origins. It is a rough translation of a Native American word meaning "smelly onion" (it's where the satirical newspaper, "The Onion," gets its name). Perhaps it is because of these humble and vertically-challenged beginnings that Chicago was dubbed "The Second City," second to New York in that original phrase and yet  somehow that second rate feeling remains a pervasive one in the ethos of the city to this day. Perhaps this is what pushed it to its overly grandiose excellence.

So let's not squabble John . . . er, I mean, Anonymous. Both cities have a lot going for them: Chicago has the Sears (or Willis) Tower at 1,451 feet, The Trump Tower at 1,389 feet, The Aon Center at 1,136 feet and the John Hancock at 1,127 feet, as well as 17 other buildings between 700 and 900 feet. San Francisco, no slouch itself, has the Transamerica Building at 835 feet, the Millenium Tower at 645 feet and Coit Tower at 210 feet. Anonymous, you've been served!

And now that I've alienated and quite probably lost my only regular blog reader, here's a few pix from the pool at my brother's apartment complex:

My nephew Noah Ka'ulu La'au in the pool . . .

. . . and drying off

Noah and his mom, my sister, Kristen

My bro' Esteban

Enough for now. I must go to sleep and have sweet dreams of Chicago's greatness. . . .

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .