Changing Seasons

We're back in Chicago tonight for a quick visit, so we decided to stay at the scene of the crime: Hotel 71. It's strange coming back to the place where we were married only a year ago. They finally completed all the renovations, and updated the lobby and downstairs restaurant. It was a beautiful hotel last year, but it's even more elegant this year. I kinda can't believe we got married here. It just all seems surreal.

Walking through downtown earlier, it felt like we were visitors to the city, no longer locals. I noticed new stores opening and old stores closing, and plenty of details on buildings that I hadn't noticed before on State Street. It's a strange notion in big cities, always changing, ever evolving, so much so that a street you use to walk down all the time, looks and feels completely different. I guess that's how you measure how time passes in the city: changes in store fronts are equivalent to the changing of the seasons. Driving through Michigan and Northern Illinois today, it was evident that summer is coming to a close. The trees aren't as bright green and light hues of yellow can be seen across the landscape. Ready or not, in the city or the country, fall is just around the corner.

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. I didn't get to experience it a lot in Los Angeles, where the trees stayed green all year round with the exception of that one maple tree down the street that would lose its leaves. But, for the most part, LA didn't have a fall season. Around this time of year, it would get extremely hot, and by the time the end of September came, the brush fires would start, and fire season came.The next thing you knew, the holidays were upon you. But, it's quite different in the Midwest, where the temperature starts to cool and the leaves change from green to yellow to orange and red. It's a beautiful time of year when you can buy fresh corn from the farm, drink apple cider at the orchard and pick your own pumpkin at the patch. I'm looking forward to celebrating autumn in the countryside, it's a nice change that I'm anxiously awaiting.

Autumn scenes from last year in Northern Michigan