This place really gets me.

I’m really enjoying the ability to post links, text, photos, and podcasts while moving through the city. Micro.blog is excellent.

My first visit to an iconic Apple Store. Not super impressive.

I love all of these monuments dotting the city. Small spaces to tell big stories.

City Hall

I really thought Apple Maps would be better for walking directions in the city. GPS is having a heck of a time keeping up.

Swung by the Chicago Fed and checked out their museum. Pretty wonky, but fun!

Historic financial district. I love the ornate lobbies in all of these buildings.

Great visit to St. Peter’s. So cool to have a parish in the middle of the cityscape.

Cold, wet start to the day.

Trump Administration Proposes Borrowing Limits for Some Student Loans - WSJ

“The White House’s proposal is a feeble attempt to claim the Trump Administration is helping students by identifying one symptom of rising student debt, while completely ignoring the root cause—that college costs are rising exponentially,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.), the top Democrat on the Senate Education Committee.

This is a disappointing quote as Sen. Murray is clearly a smart woman. There is some relationship between high student loan borrowing limits and ballooning tuitions. Loans should be available, but we need to give these kids some guardrails.

My life as a stay-at-home dad is not particularly strenuous. I have three little ones under five in my charge, and while they do require significant maintenance and attention, I’m not subjected to the regular stresses of office life. That being said, my life is more of a constant drain on my energy. From 7am until 7pm, I’m moving around with the kids, while also working in the routine household maintenance tasks like laundry and cleaning.

My trip to Chicago is my first vacation in over a year. This is the normal frequency of my breaks, in which my kids are in the charge of one of their sets of grandparents. Chicago was an interesting choice, because while I am well travelled thanks to my upbringing in a military family, this is my first time on vacation in a major metropolitan area.

Alison and I had a wonderful afternoon yesterday walking around and enjoying some big city amenities. It was also very strange to not have any responsibilities, and to not be awoken in the night by the cries of a little one.

It’s a rainy day in Chicago, so I’m starting my day holed up in a coffee shop, writing blog posts and reading the news. I have a few more sights that I want to check out in the city this week, but other than that, I’m planning on laying low and recharging my batteries.

Starting my day with some work at a Cupitol. Nice space, impatient staff.

Nice treat!

Dessert at Molly’s Cupcakes.

Tapas time. I may be in the big city, but I still prefer to not have a bunch of people around me.

Obviously had to make a stop at Amazon Go. Very promising, needs more grocery items.

Chicago Flagship McDonald’s Review: Same food, better packaging.

Hello, Chicago.

I downloaded Tropico on my iPad Pro yesterday. It’s as good as the macOS version. The speed on that iPad makes all the difference.

Checking out the butterflies.