Art Walk through Chicago

After taking the Goethe A1 test near Millennium Park (and The Bean!), I walked around downtown in search of street art and sculpture gardens.

I was in a great mood after passing the exam and planned on making the most of my trip up north by doing some exploring. Jutta, my test proctor, expressed joy at the fact that I had time after the exam to walk around Chicago on such a beautiful summer day.

I love the architecture of Chicago and the way it contrasts new and old, artificial and natural. It's easy to walk around and has plenty of interesting things to see around every corner, whether that be a better view of the line of skyscrapers or a giant street mural.

Indiana University?

While walking through a sculpture garden, I noticed a twisted piece of red metal lying in the grass. My immediate reaction was, "IU?" The sculpture looked just like two on my university's campus. I checked out the informational plaque and discovered that the artist who created this particular work of art was the same who constructed the sculptures in front of the art museum and music building at IU.

I found a similar sculpture in the middle of the city next to a farmer's market. Every point of view showed me a different shape, a different form.

Yes, this is the same sculpture as the photo on the left

Good views and good food

To those of my readers who do not know, I am allergic to gluten and dairy (yes, I know it's sad, but it also forces me to eat healthy). Depending on where I visit, it can be difficult for me to find tasty food that I can eat. Luckily, large US cities have done a great job so far accommodating the small percentage of the population like me. I appreciate it so much when I type in "GF/DF restaurants" and several options pop up. Thank you, Chicago, for providing me with Celiac-friendly crepes and ice cream.

Where the sauce at, though

Stop 1: Flip Crepes

Crepe rating: 7.5/10

I got a chicken curry and veggie crepe with horseradish aioli. The crepe itself was the best part; the insides were good but definitely needed more aioli.

I got there just before the line!

Stop 2: Jeni's

Ice cream rating: 9/10

Well done, Jeni! I ordered a scoop of GF/DF peanut butter and strawberry jam. It was perfectly creamy with a subtle pb flavor and sweet strawberry notes. I highly recommend checking out their other flavors as well - some of them looked incredible (Texas sheet cake? Yes please).

Yes, I did some tourist-y things

Such as, taking photos of The Bean - though my photo was probably less than conventional.

Adding to the thousands of other fingerprints, wondering how often (or not) they clean this thing

Much prettier than its owner

I also took a photo of Trump Tower, which I happened to stumble upon on my way to the crepe place.

But no, I did not pose in front of a pizza-angel-wing mural, or in front of The Bean, or take a kayak or Segway tour (yes, I did see a whole family on Segways rolling around). My best city visits involve walking around, constantly craning my head to see the tops of the buildings, peeking around corners of alleys hoping to see some weird, new art, park hopping, and people watching.

I was lucky to get to see a street artist in her element

Classic angsty, obscure phrases

More about architecture

Like I mentioned above, Chicago has some great architecture. I especially enjoy the view I get when craning my neck when different forms are contrasted against one another in the same line of sight.

Here are some of my favorite buildings I saw:

Great contrasts here.

Love these old buildings.

Overall, it was a very successful day in Chicago (albeit expensive, due to the test and $38 parking???). I wish I could've seen every mural and wall art splashed upon bricks around alleyway corners, and drank chai tea lattes at every little cafe along the way. Sometimes, however, it can be best to get a little glimpse of a place so that you will want to return to see all the things you missed before.