dragonsblog

Flying down the shore of Lake Michigan on Saturday morning was spectacular! The air was smooth as can be, there was no other traffic, and the morning sun was perfectly illuminating the skyline of Chicago. Conditions were so perfect that it didn't even bother me that all I could see when I looked straight down was water. Lots of cold, deep water... (Click on the images to view larger, 1280 pixel images)


Although this zoom view of downtown from near Evanston looks hazy, it was a perfectly clear morning. Montrose Beach and Harbor are in the foreground, then Belmont Harbor and then Diversey Harbor closer to downtown. For a similar view at night, see my April 12th post.


This is a view of my home neighborhood, but I really like it because in the distance at the top of the image you can see the main east-west runways at O'Hare, almost twenty miles away. The planes approaching those runways were just a couple thousand feet above me.


Of course I had to take a shot of the friendly confines of Wrigley Field as I flew past. Waveland golf course in Lincoln Park is in the foreground. It was fun to see Lake Shore Drive and the lakefront trail from above, the routes of which I have become so familiar on the ground.


I like this view of "Big John" and the Mag Mile/Gold Coast area, mostly because of the reflections in the lake. The Museum of Contemporary Art is visible in the green space along Lake Shore Drive near the center of the image, and the historic waterworks and water tower are just visible beyond it.


Navy Pier looked quiet before the daily onslaught of tourists and visitors. I was just down there on that patio outside Festival Hall...


This is a good view looking up the entrance of the Chicago River. The lock into the lake is visible at the bottom of the image. The building under construction at the bend in the river in front of the black IBM Building is the new Trump Tower, which will be about as tall as the Aon building on the left.


This is a view of the Loop, Grant Park, Millennium Park and Monroe Harbor. The Sears Tower dominates the view, but on the left you can see Buckingham Fountain and the green roof of the Harold Washington Library, and on the right you can see the Pritzker Pavillion designed by Frank Gehry. The large white tents at the Petrillo Band Shell are temporary structures for the "Garden In A City" show. Just above them is the Art Institute.


Here's a view of the Loop north to Navy Pier.


Here's a view of just the main part of the skyline. Notice how the antenna masts on top of the Sears Tower extend just above the horizon, a little higher than I was flying (at 2500' above sea level).


This image shows the Museum Campus, Soldier Field, Burnham Harbor and Northerly Island (formerly known as Meigs Field).


I didn't take any more pictures as I headed south because I lost interest and had to prepare for my approach into Griffith-Merrillville Airport, sneaking past Gary Airport's airspace along the Illinois-Indiana border.