Remembering 9/11 Ten Years Later

Today is the ten year anniversary of 9/11.  I can't believe it's been this long.  A decade is amazing.  I think the country changed profoundly on 9/11 and it's something for those of us that were alive will never forget.

I recall I was in school on 9/11 in the library. One of the teachers heard the news and turned on the TV, which showed the images of the Twin Towers burning.  I remember how shocking it was.  My young mind never really thought that those burning towers were an important historical event.  It also did not occur to me that the images I saw meant that a significant amount of people were dead.  I remember leaving the library and asking other students if they had heard the news.  To my surprise most that hadn't, because a majority of the classrooms did not have TV's.  I was probably one of the few students at my school who was actually watching what had happened.  Some had heard but were not aware of the enormity of the event and were not concerned.  A picture is worth a thousands words.

Thank You to all those Firefighters, Police Officers, and other service members wherever you are.  You jobs are difficult and sometimes thankless.  We all appreciate what you do everyday.

Day 8 Chicago Continued

Pritzker Pavilion

I stayed in Chicago an extra couple of days because of Hurricane Irene.  When I would have been driving back would have put me in the middle of the storm.  Baltimore apparently did not get hit that bad, but the power outages are wide throughout the city.  You can always look at the positive, since this enabled me to explore and do more in Chicago.

First I went to Millennium Park and saw the famous bean, Pritzker Pavilion, and some other cool art pieces.  There is an area with glass structures that have water coming out of them.  Kids play in the water and people seem to really enjoy themselves in that space.  After that I went to the Art Institute.  I saw some very interesting and cool art.  None of which I remember the name of!  After walking around there for a little over an hour I headed to the Chicago Architecture Foundation to do a walking tour.  We went to the Marshall Field building, a hotel, Millennium Park, and few other places.  The tour guide was ok and not quite as good as I had expected.  My relatives here in Chicago said the tours usually are very good.  Supposedly the legend is if you have a Firefighter give you a tour that is the best person to get a walking tour from.  They know building construction in and out.  After the walking tour was over around 3:40 I went back to get lunch at a place called Al's Beef.  It was a very Chicago place with hot dogs and sandwiches.  I got a Buffalo Chicken sandwich that was good but a little gross.  After my late lunch I went back to The Art Institute until it closed around at 5.

I am glad I got to explore Chicago more.  It's a great city.