Chicago icons.

The weather was very changeable in Chicago. But at least it wasn’t as bad as it was in the UK. It rained the entire time I was away.

Originally it was forecast to be the warmest day, in the week I was there. But at the last minute the rain came in. I had already decided to take the CTA train into downtown Chicago. I wanted to see some of the famous sculptures that I had always missed out on.

The Picasso sculpture in The Daley Plaza.

I popped into the Magnolia Bakery to try out their cupcakes.

From there it was just a short walk to the Millennium Park. It was lovely and empty, due to the rain. I also started to walk towards the cancer survivors gardens in Grant Park. I had been told it was a place worth visiting by some of the other students on Karen Russell's Workshop. But as I walked over the BP twisting walkway. I realised I was all on my own, with a man walking behind me. So I stopped and walked back to where all the people were. I didn’t want to risk it. I’ll see it another day.

The Cloud Gate sculpture is one of the most famous icons of Chicago.

I also popped into the Cultural Centre to see the largest Tiffany glass dome.

Then it was back to the hotel, to find Hubby had bought some of my parcels home. The majority of the items were freebies. You would never get the offers here in the UK. I only had to pay for the shipping, which again is dirt cheap in the States.

I also bought some more bits to fill our suitcases. I had wanted a Smash book for ages. But as I haven’t been to any scrapbook shops in ages, I had never seen any here in the UK. It took me over an hour to decide which versions to go for.

I have bought one to put some of my photo-shoot work in to show prospective clients, and the other will be perfect as a mini album for my India trip later in the year.

We had a great week, catching up with friends and stuffing ourselves with all the beautiful food Chicago has to offer.