Walk On Sunshine ‘n Leave The World Behind

Sunday. The day when toasty breakfast is served in bed. The day when rolling out of bed entail replenishing your body with H2O only to sink under those sheets right after. It is, nonetheless, 10AM and your itinerary for this marvelous day doesn’t start 3 hours later. Add in a sliver of sunshine on the patio to amp up your Vitamin D consumption and that’s your half-day in a nutshell! So in my attempt to pay homage to the Weather God for his commendable decision to bless us with warmth and sunshine this past weekend, I decided to cross off breakfast in bed (wheat toast with orange juice; did someone say protein?) and catching up on my zzz’s (sleeping beauty would’ve been proud) to check out one of the many touristy spots in Chicago. Eminently popular for locals and foreigners alike, I’d like to bring you to one of my favorite places in the Windy City, and that is Millennium Park!

What I love about Millennium Park is not only its intricate & well-crafted architectural designs that have a spell-bounding effect on Chicago’s skyline, but also the energy generated from its diverse crowd. Whether it’d be a multitude of shutterbugs clicking away to capture “the right moment” or the street artists showcasing their talents, there is never a dull moment in sight. Take 5 steps up the concrete stairs and bask in the dichotomy of two worlds — one being inundated with the hoots and hollers reverberated through the bustling streets, and another filled with the botanical aesthetics and zenliness offered by Mother Nature. It makes you wonder how one step forward can make all that difference in your perception, you mood, your state of being (the red or the blue pill is your call, Neo).

Past the white marble steps and within the vicinity of the flower garden is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, which is this state-of-the-art sound system that was designed to mimic the acoustics of an indoor concert hall by distributing enhanced sound equally over the lawn and 4000 seats. The Pavilion is known for hosting various free concerts and events, one being the Grant Park Music Festival which is an annual ten-week classical music concert series (June 11, 2014 commencement, mark the calendars y’all). In the pictures the metal pipelines criss-crossing above me are stainless steel ribbons that are intertwined to support the sound system, which I will eagerly blog about once it kicks into gear this summer. To match my enthusiasm in visiting this grandeur boom box, I decided to put on my favorite crop top and embellish it with my red ivory necklace from Thailand. Distressed shorts, cat-eyes, and a mini cross-body come in handy when sight-seeing at a tourist hotspot — one being to able breathe in light clothing as that would minimize the sun-kissed weather’s effect on your body, and two (for the ladies out there) being able to carry the essentials in a small purse so YOUR KITCHEN SINK OF A BAG WON’T BOGGLE YOU DOWN.

So big purse no-no check. Sun check. Festivities check. Well well summer flair is in the air! What are you most excited about this summer? 🙂

Xoxo~ Lena  

Credits: Jason J Photography http://jasonjphotography.zenfolio.com