River North Chicago

Mid-March found me taking a weekend trip to Chicago. I met a friend there and thoroughly enjoyed an early spring visit to this bustling metropolis. I stayed on the 14th floor of the Royal Sonesta Hotel overlooking the Chicago River. This gave me a phenomenal vantage point to see and photograph everything happening on the river below. The pictures that follow show several facets of this adventure.

Architecture

Chicago is world famous for its outstanding architecture. In River North, skyscrapers line both sides of the Chicago River. Here are some of the buildings that caught my eye.

Green River

Since 1962, the City of Chicago has dyed the Chicago River green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. In 2021, the annual tradition took place unannounced, to limit crowding along the river due to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic. Normally, thousands of people line the river banks to watch the river turn green as “Leprechaun Dust” is sprayed into the water. I was able to shoot both photos and video right from my hotel room. 

• Video: Chicago River Turns Green! (16 sec.)

Tour Boats

Commercial tour boats are very popular in Chicago. Here are some of the sightseeing boats taking people on architecture tours or dinner cruises on the river.

Street Scenes

Just walking the streets of River North is part of the fun of being there. Everywhere you look, there’s something of interest for us shutterbugs.

Amtrak

Taking the Amtrak Hiawatha train to Chicago for the first time since the 1980s, I arrived in Union Station on Friday morning to kick off the weekend. Sunday afternoon found me back there for my return trip. Sunday also brought another new experience, my first Uber ride.