July 12th, 2020 

It’s a quiet Sunday in Chicago.  At 5 am, Jeremy and I were watching the sunrise at the Lake Michigan.  Morning risers were running by the shore and a few sunrise fans were waiting for the sun to show up.  The Lake was quiet, small and short waves were slowly rocking all the Canadian geese that were gliding on the water.  A cluster of boats were parked next to the shore but two of them were tied together aside a little further away. It seemed that a few people spent the night on one of the boats.  We were wondering how many beds that boat had and how many people were on it.   

At the horizon, we could see rain clouds moving south and a few rain walls, slowly bend by the wind, moving in the same directions as the clouds.  A sharp strip of lightning connected the sky and the earth for a brief moment.  Little orange sun-rays were trying to peak though the dark and mysterious clouds barely managing to protrude, offering us, the viewers, an exceptional view.  Within an hour we were entertained with multiples change of scenery.

We sat on the bench quietly thinking about our last day in Chicago, trying to remember all the best moments it offered us in the past ten years.  This is the place where we have met and started our journey together with ups and downs, constantly being occupied with either being work or leisure.  Now, we  have decided to continue our journey somewhere else, closer to our families, closer to nature, and closer together.  

The place we are staying for a short time, offers us a view of the Willis Tower, the South Loop, and the West.  Building blocks of white, red, black, and gray color, are spread as far my eyes can see.  Some of the roof tops have gardens and pools rewarding Chicagoans with little escapes from their high rises.  In the era were wearing a mask in public spaces and social distancing  is the new normal or staying at home as much as possible is highly encouraged, the city vibe changed tremendously. 

It is so much quieter than I remember it, and it is uncanny to see so many store fronts closed and just a few people on the streets.  The city is still very cautious to keep the rate of Covid-19 infections down and it is very obvious.  In the past few days, we have strolled around the city, using Divvy bikes to visit some of the places where we used to hang out just to get a last good memory, where we did notice people out but not as many Chicago is used to host during summer time.  

The rain wall was chased by the sun-rays to the South, predicting a nice day ahead.  We packed out belongings and left the bench for others to enjoy the wide range of the lake scenery. Our time is up and we are ready for a year of adventure ahead of us.  We are embarking into a one year adventure throughout the country and, maybe abroad, (if the Covid-19 situation, hopefully, calms down) to explore new places. So farewell Chicago, until next time…