With the Arches and Gates

Sort of a Wodehousian title but its not a couple of fogeys I invited for tea.  Instead its the summation of our five state Independence Day holiday break.  America celebrated its July 4th - its 237th birthday with fireworks everywhere you looked.   Including humanity everywhere you looked, looking at the fireworks.

For us it was another 4,000 miles of flying coupled with 2,000 miles of interstate driving to gape at man made wonders - including amazing fireworks exploding all week long - the turbulent weather in the region made for cities firing up to keep ahead of the impending storms so we enjoyed the displays almost one a day - in different towns - I guess we knew how to chase off the storms (as opposed to chase them).

The little one put a list together - this time wanting to check out a few sights in the midwest including the 'Saint Louis Gateway Arch' and the relatively recent addition to the Chicago skyline - in the form of a stainless steel sculpture that looks like a giant bean but is branded as 'Cloud Gate' by its Indian English creator/architect.

'Cloud Gate' by Anish Kapoor in Millenium Park, Chicago IL

We flew to Chicago Midway Airport which is within the city limits and provides easy access to major interstate highways to head out of town.  In a week we literally went in all four major directions that you could from Chicago to see variety of places including Detroit, MI to the east - home to the once mighty auto industry;

Ren Center - GM Headquarters on the banks of Detroit River

Saint Louis MO to the south on the banks of Mark Twain's Mississippi.  This was followed by visits to a friend west of Chicago in the local burbs as well as a trip north to Milwaukee, WI on the western coast of Lake Michigan.



 

View from the Saint Louis Gateway Arch of the Old Courthouse (looks like the capitol building but isn't since the capital city is few 100 miles to the west).

 Mid day sun over the Gateway Arch - was a warm afternoon with fireworks on tap later that night
 

Milwaukee Art Museum in the shape of a Sail Boat heading out to sea sits on the shore of Lake Michigan

 

Basilica in Milwaukee WI - as impressive as the Dame in Paris but with less marketing so much cheaper foods in the vicinity.. below stained glass, one of many that adorn this so called minor basilica (nothing of its splendor seemed minor to me)