The wind will change...

We've all heard the saying/idle threat directed at young (and not so young) 'uns whilst pulling a face, "the wind will change and you'll stay like that". Well, today (last Friday) it did.

Since we arrived, whatever wind has been blowing, has been blowing from the west. Today it decided to come in from the north, bringing with it clouds that made the view across the lake this morning look more like Morecambe bay than lake Michigan.
The main thrust of our plan today was to visit the Art Institute of Chicago. Before setting off, we had flirted with the idea of taking public transport. I had found out that day passes only cost $5, though, to be honest, after trekking around yesterday, monetary reasons weren't the only reason to take the bus. My feet were still killing me, and public transport seemed like a sensible option.

We started off with very good intentions... We left the hotel before 9am and went for breakfast at the Water Tower Place (Mall) just down Michigan from the hotel. During breakfast I was flicking through the floor plan leaflet we had been given earlier in the week and realised that on Friday, the gallery didn't actually open until 10.30am!

As in London, most of the high street shops don't open until 10am the malls are open but the shops aren't), so we didn't even have the option of an hour's intensive shopping before jumping on the bus to whisk us to Millennium Park for a bit o' culture.

So, we lingered over breakfast, and when we set off, we decided to walk down to the institute, dodging into open malls as (below) freezing temperatures necessitated and arrived joining the end of the queue just as the doors were opened.