Blizzard of 2011

The Blizzard of 2011.

Living in the MidWest all of my life has taught me one thing. 

Never expect normal weather. 

After accepting the fact that the weather will always be strange, the only thing left to do is take advantage.

The morning of February 3, 2011 Alex and I bundled up and headed out to conquer the tundra!

Being the explorer I am and photographer Alex is we documented our entire day.

Intro.

To some up the city........

Correction. City Closed.

Chapter 1

Before making it 10 feet we couldn't find the bench near our door. Oh! There it is...

Alex lost his foot.

It sure is a good thing we don't drive.

Below are the cars around town.

Chapter 2

We then headed for the main road.

There wasn't much of a road left.
Not for cars anyway.

It was non other than a sidewalk.

Only snow today.

Chapter 3

During the day we met many friends. 

The first being...

A man loving the weather with his dog.

SNOW BALL FIGHT!

Chapter 4

The trip down town.

Our mode of transportation.

State Street.

I am 5'6". The snow pile...6'???

That dot in the center....A HUGE piece of ice coming straight for alex!

Hard hats required for crossing.

Hard to see...a small boy lost in the snow with his dad.

Chapter 5

Heading toward Lake Shore Drive.

Left a little love for the next explorer.

Ben and Kelsey before we met.

yumm!

SMASH!

Happy Travels on your snow shoes!

Chapter 6

Buckingham Fountain.

For those of you that have never had the magical experience of visiting Buckingham Fountain...Please do in warm weather. The experience is beautiful. 

Unfortunately no one is allowed inside the fountain to enjoy the water.

Unless.....There Is a BLIZZARD!

Destination: Buckingham Fountain.

Is this really happening?

YES!!

Kelsey and Ben after meeting.

Kelsey and Ben. A very adorable couple out enjoying the day. Kelsey is a student at Columbia. We noticed them debating whether or not to come into the fountain when I screamed, "IT IS WORTH IT!" They then proceeded to jump in and became our first acquaintance of the day.

If you look at the first non snowy picture you will be able to see where we are in the fountain.

Kelsey.

Chapter 7

Lake Shore Drive. 

Most people know it as a beautiful highway to travel on. This was not the case after the blizzard. Lake shore was shut down to everyone that wasn't driving a tractor.

The snow is going on a road trip!

Man + snow = Snowman

Lake Shore Drive.

Tractors only.

Chapter 8

Lake Michigan.

Finally made it to the lake!

THAT ^^^ Is the storm.

The lake was not melted and the cracks made the lake look like it was breathing when the water moved. 

Don't worry. It wasn't yellow.

Dog catching snow balls

Not so smart people standing on the NON frozen lake.

I forget to mention...I had a growth spurt.

Chapter 9

Grant Park.

Skipping ladies. "It's Like We Are In A Fairytale!"

READY.

SET.

GO

GO

STOP! 

L

O

V

E

This was another Unexpected act during the blizzard. I LOVE leaving creations behind for others to find.

Everyone heading to play in the snow.

This is Kevin.

Kevin was the second official person that I met during the Blizzard. I did talk to many people but only got a few names from people that made a difference in my day. I met Kevin after leaving Grant Park. I wanted to cross the street, but there was a HUGE pile of snow (to the left of the picture) that was about 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide. I was stuck in the middle when Kevin walked by and helped pull me out! Thank You again Kevin! He is a resident of Wrigleyville and was out and about taking pictures just like us! 

Chapter 10

Millenium Park.

The ice rink with a GIANT HELLO!

This is what it normally looks like...

The Bean

Chapter 11

Heading back home.

Someone else spreading the love.

A Homeless Man trying to stay warm.

Jack isn't going anywhere today.

It isn't normal to see tractors on State Street.

Shovel was the common accessory during the aftermath.

EVERY fire hydrant had to be dug out. *that's a lot of digging.

Please don't fall. Please don't fall.

Our road.

The End.

Tell me all about your memories and exciting adventures of the blizzard!

Always,

Jayme Lynn

Photos courtesy of Flikr and AC Photography The-Wide-Angle.blogspot.com

Day #7

The "EL"

The "EL" is a great means of transportation for the people of Chicago.

Personally, I use the "EL" almost every day to get from place to place.

A tip for visiting...Don't be afraid to ask for directions. Getting on the wrong line could have you getting off at some not so friendly neighborhoods if you know what I mean.

I actually LOVE when people ask me for directions because I feel helpful. 

....And I use to not know my North from South. 

Now I am a PRO!

Lost. This was me.

Any-who...Back to day #7

After leaving class I normally go straight to the stop and wait for what seems like a life time until my train shows up.

For some reason I am exceptionally well at missing the train by only a few minutes which in turn leaves me waiting for 15.

Zoooom.

Oh well. While listening to my music and walking up the 1,000 stairs to the platform an older lady approaches me and asks for help. It is not uncommon to see others pass people by and proceed without thinking twice. I stopped mid step and paused my music.

This lovely older lady was lost and looking for the Pink line. She was currently on the Brown line platform. Lucky for her the Pink line is on the opposite side and she only had to walk to the other set of stairs. 

For some reason I felt very connected to the woman even though I had only spoken to her for a few moments. While I was waiting I wanted to document the woman that I had this connection with and share her with all of you.

(No I am not a creeper)

Black Coat. White Hat.

Only two days earlier I had met the man on the "EL" and now this woman.

Before I became familiar with using this mode of transportation I was afraid of it. I won't lie.

Yes, there may be some creepers every now and again, but use your smarts.

So far I am having some pretty awesome experiences on my commute to and from school.


Are there people during your commute that might need the unexpected?

Always,
Jayme Lynn

Photos courtesy of Flikr and my Personal Photos