Chicago-Philly-Boston! October 11, 2016 A whirlwind 6-day tour of Chicago, Philly, and Boston -- 5 of those days for work. View fullsize ANA not only gives slippers, but also a shoe horn (and a pouch for the slippers). How Japanese! View fullsize Sunrise over the farmlands outside of Bangkok. View fullsize The business class of ANA's 777-200 is, well, a bit dated. View fullsize The approach to Narita - Japanese farmland looks different than Thai farmland! View fullsize In the lounge: hope you weren't in a hurry to print! View fullsize The comfy cabin of ANA's 777-300: buckle in for the 11.5-hr flight to Chicago! View fullsize Amazing presentation. Looks like an Indian food court meal. View fullsize Hello, Chicago! View fullsize The Peninsula Chicago: far and away the best hotel I've ever stayed at! Unrivaled attention to detail. View fullsize A few hours of daylight left - let's explore Chicago! View fullsize The Wrigley Building, completed in 1924. View fullsize Looking down the Chicago River, Trump Hotel on the right. View fullsize Looking back across the river, Wrigley Building still looking great. View fullsize How picturesque! View fullsize Found the giant bean! Turns out it's actually called Cloud Gate. View fullsize It's been there for 10 years now! View fullsize The bean, by Anish Kapoor, is made up of 168 highly polished stainless steel plates welded together, so there are no visible seams. So cool! View fullsize Up close, it ain't so blemish-free. View fullsize Looking back at the skyline from Grant Park. View fullsize A very cool playground in Grant Park. View fullsize Lake Michigan! View fullsize And the boats of the Chicago Yacht Club. View fullsize Canada geese enjoying the sunset. No need to migrate! View fullsize Long shadows of patient tourists waiting to cross Lake Shore Drive. (Do all cities-on-great-lakes have one?) View fullsize Buckingham Fountain - which was cordoned off, in preparation for the Chicago Marathon. View fullsize Looking north, over the tracks. View fullsize Chicago feels like a clean NYC! View fullsize The L! View fullsize The L is fascinating! Too bad I didn't ride it. View fullsize Stumbled upon the Chicago Theater, open since 1921. View fullsize What a picturesque marquee! View fullsize The city looks great at night, too! View fullsize Marina Towers: two truly peculiar buildings - where cars park on the edge! View fullsize The city is really well-lit at night! Highlights the grand old buildings. View fullsize Returned to the hotel to find that the housekeeper had tied up my headphones. View fullsize BCG Chicago: a beautiful office in the clouds. View fullsize My office for the day - can't complain! View fullsize Overlooking the fork in the river. View fullsize The office's swanky new snack area. View fullsize Evening rush hour! View fullsize Reunion dinner with (former) BCGers now at Kellogg. View fullsize The dinner was a bit too late in the evening for some of us who'd just flown in, though. View fullsize Nicer weather the next day! View fullsize Chicago: flat as a pancake. View fullsize Nope, still can't beat the jet lag! View fullsize Chicago's famous deep-dish! The only drawback: it takes an hour to prepare! View fullsize Good morning from the city of brotherly love! This is Logan Square, perhaps better renamed Logan Circle. View fullsize The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul. View fullsize Thank you, team, for remembering! View fullsize What are the odds? 2 birthdays among our team of 5, during this 5-day trip. View fullsize A quick visit to Logan Square before dashing off. View fullsize Looking down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. View fullsize The grainy cathedral. View fullsize We made it! End of Day 5 in Boston! View fullsize Time for some refreshing exploration of Boston! View fullsize Blue skies over the financial district. View fullsize The massive Rowes Wharf. View fullsize More perfect fall weather! View fullsize The backside of the aquarium. View fullsize Someone at the Parks Department has a sense of humor. View fullsize The wharf in front of the aquarium. View fullsize View from the Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park. View fullsize Blue but chilly! View fullsize Not quite fall foliage season here yet. View fullsize Quincy Market not quite open yet. View fullsize A few shops in Faneuil Hall were open... View fullsize ... like this souvenir shop selling tribute shirts for Big Papi... View fullsize ... and this cafe, which sells muffin tops!! View fullsize A narrow escape. View fullsize Exchange Place, the home of our Boston office. View fullsize These lucky ducks have a pretty nice view! View fullsize Overlooking the North End and East Boston. View fullsize The Paramount Theater is looking pretty good since its reopening in 2010. View fullsize A bit more fall foliage in Boston Common. View fullsize Great day to be out with the family! View fullsize Beautiful colors! View fullsize The Soldiers and Sailors Monument. View fullsize And a carousel - I don't remember this having always been here! View fullsize Plenty of roses in bloom at Boston Public Garden. View fullsize The garden is as beautiful as ever! View fullsize Make way for ducklings! View fullsize More picturesque park. View fullsize All the squirrels were out, preparing their steals for winter. View fullsize George Washington - who also just made an appearance on The Simpsons. View fullsize No swan boats at this time of year. View fullsize The willows are weeping at the prospect of winter. View fullsize That same writer at the Parks Department is at it again. View fullsize State House. View fullsize Park Street Church. View fullsize And a final view of downtown Boston, because... View fullsize ... we're off to Cambridge! View fullsize The eyesore of a new building on MIT's campus. View fullsize The good ol' Metropolitan storage building, which apparently closed last year! View fullsize Things still look the same! View fullsize MIT is celebrating 100 years in this location this year! View fullsize Looking along Mem Drive. View fullsize Famous shot. View fullsize Half way to hell, indeed. View fullsize Had never noticed this plaque at the start of the Harvard Bridge before. View fullsize This local was sunning himself on the docks of the Charles River. View fullsize Looks pretty content with his back to the view. View fullsize Hello over there, MIT. View fullsize Trying not to block MIT with my head. View fullsize Panorama from the Harvard Bridge. View fullsize Recognizable view! View fullsize What a perfectly clear day for a visit! View fullsize This was the best I could do. Seriously have to work on my selfie skillz. View fullsize The Green Building is still not green. View fullsize Bunny spotting! View fullsize Two new food trucks! View fullsize Have they renamed Kendall Square? View fullsize The Stata Center is still holding up. View fullsize Acorns galore! View fullsize No wonder the squirrels are so happy! View fullsize Athena terminals still exist! I wonder if students still use them though! View fullsize Infinite Corridor looks the same. View fullsize As does Lobby 10. View fullsize Pano of 77 Mass Ave, with banners highlighting key events of the past 100 years. View fullsize 100 years at 77. View fullsize Down in Pappalardo, some evidence that I left at a good time. Like these customized chocolates. View fullsize And these customized beaver hard hats. View fullsize Woody with Boon - a photo we took in 2006! View fullsize With Steve - truly a trooper! View fullsize With Santa -- I mean David. View fullsize Hey, I'm still on the wall, 9 years later! View fullsize Central Square still looks the same. View fullsize The hardware store is still there. View fullsize Halloween must be coming! View fullsize Here's our City Hall! View fullsize The moon rises over Central Square. View fullsize Rodney's Bookstore. View fullsize Pumpkins and boxes. View fullsize Hmm. Cross-cultural bagels. View fullsize Really scary kiwis! View fullsize Bye-bye, Boston! It's been fun! Onward and northward!
