Gobsmacked
I have never used that word before. It means utterly astonished. Yesterday four of us experienced an architectural tour of Chicago, narrated by Joe, our tour guide, progressing on both the south and the north branches of the Chicago river on the Wendella tour boat toward Lake Michigan. The word describes the wonderment that I felt observing the multistory steel and glass clad edifices. The application of various design and engineering solutions to the challenges of building a city on what was originally marshland, by the side of a river, and a large freshwater lake is a tribute to our human ingenuity. Here are just a few of the photos that I brought back with me. Our tour guide was passionate about the magnificent expressions of architecture which he pointed out to us. Somehow I felt more human while of hearing the enchanting story of the great, continuing, improvisational project of building a world-class city.
