As I look forward to this year winding down, that’s good news in terms of having a bit of time to catch up with posts to both my blogs, with loads of photos and memories just waiting, perched on my external hard drive. We’re not yet there, though, hence the intermittent nature of posts to this site lately.

As we approach Winter, it’s fun, too, to be thinking of outdoor skating. While I remember doing so in my very early school days in Toronto, and an Ottawa friend does skate the Rideau Canal on her winter lunch breaks, that concept is foreign for most Vancouverite. We do have a small outdoor rink at Robson Square, but Chicago’s McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, seen here, is generously proportioned yet snugly nestled in an incredibly inviting setting. You can see my favourite Chicago building, the Carbon and Carbide Building (with colours inspired by a champagne bottle), in the background. More on the city’s architecture and other sites will follow, hopefully soon, on Exceptional EA.

Nestled at the base of Millennium Park, just a skip and a jump down from The Bean (the crowd pleasing sculpture properly known as Cloud Gate) and across the street from the Cultural Center, here’s a peak at what Chicagoans can look forward to each Fall and Winter.