End of Chicago Trip

Whenever I go to trip, it always feels like it was all a dream. Especially for Chicago, the days went so fast that I almost don’t remember what I did! Time flies fast, doesn’t it? But Chicago was definitely a very different city. To me, it isn’t as loud as New York, but still thrives with vibrant energy that comes from the people and buildings. I also felt that the buildings are not as intimidating despite its rocket high height.  It wasn’t simply blocks of packed sky towers. There was a place for air. Perhaps it’s because there much more opened areas in between them? Anyhow, this kind of atmosphere (relaxed yet still sharp) was the most iconic impression I had about this city.

3 days is such as short time to go around places…especially when you’re planning to spend the entire day in an art museum. I must come back to Chicago to explore this city further! Until then, let me dive into my bed to avoid my home works throughout the rest of the semester. :’)

Chicago Day 2: Museum Campus & Adler Planetarium

This morning I woke up with a stuffed stomach…gosh, the deep dish pizza is delicious but also addicting. I can’t stop eating them!

It was such a beautiful day to go out (though a little bit windy) and with over three months of freezing cold winter in Columbus, I enjoyed walking around the park so much. I really needed this!

With a warm sunny weather, we decided to go over to Museum Campus and Adler planetarium. I didn’t have any idea how the Museum Campus looks like prior to arrival, so it was quite a surprise to see the area used for sports (like running, biking, jogging and such). I’d imagined that it was built mostly for tourism purpose, especially because you can see the entire downtown buildings from here. But seeing many locals utilizing this space was great to see. It is a place for both the locals and the foreigners.

On top of that, the amount of educational institutions within the area, like the Museum of Science and Industry, Field Museum, and Shedd aquarium, was astonishing. I’m very sure that you will never ever get bored in here. There are so much to see and learn! Ah, I am so jealous.

New Trip

It has been a long long long time since my last post in the winter. To wrap up that trip, I want to say that my mind was refreshed and refilled with energy from the warm sun and blue azure sky in Los Angeles. Ah, how I miss warm places in the cold dooming winter.

Currently, my school is on a week spring break, and this time, my friends and I are on a very short trip in…Chicago! This is the first time I’m visiting here, and along some of my research, I’ve heard many rumors about this city – it’s windy, it’s rainy, it’s big art city, it’s famous for mafia – but I’m just as excited to see it with my own eyes!

Tomorrow marks the official first day of Chicago trip. Luckily, it is also St. Patrick’s Day! I can’t wait for it!

Day 6: Balboa Park

I’m sorry for the late update (again). I’ve been trying to write blog post constantly, but all the walking drains my energy so much! I eat, edit photographs, and can’t resist the urge to go to bed right after that. Yes, yes, I should have worked out during the semester (which I totally procrastinated on). I am so weak now…

Anyhow, today, my buddy and I are in Los Angeles! We used bus from San Diego for 2 hours ride, and additional 1 hour ride to our hostel. A long day traveling, so we only went around one spot today, which is the Annenberg Space of Photography.

But beforehand, let me finish talking about yesterday in San Diego. We went for a long, long walk to Balboa Park. This park is as awesome as the Golden Gate Park, except it excels in education and intellectual interaction. There are so many museums to visit in here; Museum of the Man (which has an interesting exhibition titled “Instruments of Torture”), San Diego Museum of Art, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and more. The architecture of these museums are also gorgeous! In many of them, there are intricate floral patterns, and the arches fit perfectly with the sunny days in San Diego. Just the way sun comes in through the opening is beautiful.

Amongst all the museum there were, we decided to stop by Museum of Photographic Arts. Although half of its facility was currently under construction, I enjoyed the exhibition so much. In particular, “New Visions: Art and Invention in the 19th Century” was a great inspiration to me. With the time period in the past, it felt like going back to history of photography class all over again. But, seeing the real prints from the past was so much more different from listening to a lecture. The albumen prints in the exhibition had the sharpest, clearest resolution I ever seen amongst others, that some began to transform into an illustration. The techniques were magnificent (too bad that the clouds did not show up because of collodion), and just imaging how hard it would have been for photographers to take an image out in the wild was amazing.

We spent total of 3 hours in there. Totally worth it though!

Tomorrow will be about Los Angeles.

Day 5: Sea World

Hello to sunshine in San Diego! We have traveled down south to San Diego, and have enjoyed the warm winter today. Seriously, it is so warm here compared to Columbus, OH. I only wore a long sleeve shirt and a hoodie, and I was perfectly fine for the entire day (except the evening was a bit chilly). And no, it isn’t the weather that screwed up my head. I decided to skip to Day 5 from Day 3, because Day 4 was spent only for traveling and relaxing (….and I didn’t take any photographs that day…). Just a side note.

Today was the day to enjoy at our fullest. Home works, projects, internships, portfolio…all the words that hovers around our mind everyday were flushed out. In other words, a stress-free day! We chose Sea World as a place to do so; one, because we do miss seeing sea animals, and two, because, who doesn’t want to go to Sea World? When we arrived at Sea World, my excitement level reached its maximum – I haven’t gone to aquarium or sea animal park in years! It’s always different to see them with your own eyes than to see them through a laptop or tv screen.

I was enjoying today so much, that I almost forgot to take photographs. I was especially in constant awe with the killer whale (or Shaun) show. They are so huge, yet they move so swiftly and lightly in the water! Plus, with the amount of water they are able to splash onto the audience, it seems unbelievable that their thin tail can do it.

The emphasis on sea animal rescues conducted by many of the Sea World staffs was one fact I learned about Sea World today. I thought it was solely a theme park where sea animals are presented with some attractions to ride on. Turns out that Sea World has been rescuing many injured animals, as well as babies, and help them with rehabilitation process. At the end of the treatment, they are returned to their home in the sea. Their video, which played before the killer whale show, was full of this information. I appreciated their decision to do so; I think a lot more people should know about this. It’s their way of giving back to the Earth.

Being on a backpacker trip, we had to take two buses in order to get there. Of course, bus stops slows the speed down, so it took total of 1 hour just to get there. I didn’t think it was too bad though; the scenes passing through the bus window are always enjoyable, and tells me a lot about the local lifestyle in that region. One particular feature I noticed so far in San Diego is how low the buildings are. On top of that, the streets seem more friendly than it is in the East. I’m not sure why, but somehow it feels comfortable to walk around in empty street. I need to investigate into that.