After pizza on Monday evening, D headed back to the hotel where the TV beckoned, while M and I went off in search of dessert. We walked down to where Michigan Avenue crosses the Chicago River and watched the river and the tourists for awhile, then ended up at the Big Bowl on Ohio, where we shared a couple of very interesting (good, too) Thai-influenced desserts.
There's been some sort of long-running, but not terribly logical, debate between D and I since 2005 about the existence of the Chicago River. It probably started with a 6th grade joke, long since forgotten, and now the punchline has taken on a life of its own. But whether it exists or not, I find it compelling and love seeing it in the canyon between the strange mix of old and new architecture. It also has a complex geologic history and plays an important part in the replumbing of Illinois. Most of the state drains down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, but a small strip, including Chicago, historically drained to the St. Lawrence. As I understand it, the river is now a canal carefully managed to prevent the Great Lakes from flowing out through St. Louis and New Orleans.
One of the things we didn't get around to while in Chicago was paddling kayaks on the river. I guess I'll have to save that for a future trip.
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