On The CTA

Chicago has a pretty good public transit system. The CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) trains run in a hub and spoke pattern, in and out of the the famous Loop downtown. Mrs. C and I are supporters of public transportation but it was a bit of a schlepp to get from our hotel on Michigan Avenue back to the Loop and out again to O'Hare Airport.

Most of the system is elevated above ground (hence The L) but there are parts underground. The first shot was taken at the Blue Line stop at Lake Street. Several stops later I got the second shot on my phone of two of the runners.

Bottom, what Jon Stewart on The Daily Show calls your moment of zen. Red Line, Chicago Avenue stop.        

Alliance For A Healthier Generation

Many runners in marathons affiliate themselves with a charity. Even though son Andy, the tower in the first picture, wasn't able to run we met up with his team, the Alliance For A Healthier Generation. Its cause is to fight childhood obesity, a serious problem in this country. Andy raised a significant amount of money. (You can add to it if you want.)

We were standing at the halfway point of the race, looking for members of the team running by. As I took the top picture Andy spotted one of them and pointed. I whipped around and, with the exposure set for bright sunlight, took the bottom picture in the shade. The photo has been sandblasted in Photoshop.

By the way, that's Mrs. C in the on the right of the first photo..                      
         

2013 Chicago Marathon

Although we were disappointed that our son had to withdraw from the Chicago Marathon it's still quite a spectacle. There were more than 40,000 runners and innumerable spectators.

Back home now. What a difference in the energy of that city and this one. Well, the traffic, too.