Windy Chicago, Part 1

One day in October about a year ago, I walked out of a hotel at 5:30am. Immediately, I was met by a strong gusty wind blowing from just about every direction. No kidding, it WAS windy in Chicago.

There were several theories that tried to explain the origin of Chicago's nickname - the weather, the World's Fair in the late 19th century, and even the rivalry with Cincinnati had something to do with the reason why Chicago was called the "windy city". But as I was making my way along East Balbo Street on that chilly morning, I was most certain that weather must be the main reason.

Obviously I had a goal when I made that journey at that ungodly hour under such ungodly weather - I was planning to snap a few pictures of the sun rising over Lake Michigan. The hotel that I stayed in was within walking distance to the Chicago harbor due east. A decent view of the sunrise was probably. I hopefully packed for the trip with a set of simple camera gears and a light tripod to do the job.

As I left the hotel, I immediately crossed the street and entered Grant Park. The eerie corridor of autumn trees in the park was lit up by the incandescent street lamps. Crispy fall leaves on the ground were also glowing in that artificial orange hue. The distance sky in the background was turning from the obsidian black to a grayish shade of blue, signaling the inevitable beginning of a new day for many city dwellers. The contrast of warm street lamps and the gray blue sky helped set up the picture quite nicely.

Braving the cold and fighting to keep my fingers warm, I set up the camera and took the shot.