magnificent geekery in chicago (viii)

On the last day I was in Chicago, I was up before dawn, but by the time I got my metro ass groomed and out on the streets it was a little past seven and the sky was getting brighter.

As I was driving off to my meeting, I happened across this, so I quickly pulled over and took a pic:



Hee!

Then, as I was crossing Chicago River between Mag Mile and the Loop, I wanted to take a pic from the bridge, but I could only stop when I was past it. This pic isn't nearly as cool as the one looking over the river would be :[



I was out of my meeting around 1:30pm. I decided to go have a look around Elk Grove before I headed to O'Hare. This is a pic on the big open highway heading out to EG. That is, as I discovered the hard way, actually NOT a freeway. The speed limit is 45, not 65. I got pulled over by a cop >_< Fortunately, after apologizing a billion times and explaining that I honestly did not know the speed limit was 45 and thought it was a freeway because I'm from California, he let me off with a warning. I was amazed, and incredibly grateful. I already have two speeding tickets and a running-stop-sign ticket from like. THE LAST YEAR :[[[[



When I got near Elk Grove, I saw this really gorgeous little stretch of road:



However, Elk Grove itself was kind of ... not at ALL what I thought. It was, in fact, not even a residential town. It was like a giant transportation hub -- and not even the cool rundown sort. Just tons and tons of humongous warehouses, railways running through, truck parking everywhere. All very corporate and blah.





I did, however, discover that Katherine also really lives in Chicago, but is actually a street:



After Elk Grove, I pretty much headed to O'Hare. Right before turning my rental car in, I snapped this pic at the gate to the airport. This is the back side of the airport, and all that endless white expanse you're looking at is airport land. It is absolutely, mindblowingly huge. You can't even see the terminals from there -- just some hangars.



Inside the airport, there was this nifty little entryway to the American Airlines terminal:



And the last pic I got from Chicago was, appropriately enough, sunset from the terminal :] It kinda felt full circle, since I landed just after dusk on the 13th. I wanted to take a pic of the city from the air, but I wasn't sitting by the window. Anyway, we flew straight west, so we never passed over downtown Chicago. I'll just have to wait til the next time I fly cross-country over Chicago :]



All in all, awesome trip. I had a blast hunting down RP locales and snapping pics. I think at some point I might take some pics from around the Bay, too! But don't hold your breath for them -- my updates are slow and sporadic as hell *LOL*