Wealth on both sides of Michigan Avenue in Chicago. It’s only a 10 minute walk from the Driehaus, a beautiful and quaint house from the 19th century, to the new Apple store on the other side of the street.
The Driehaus is a place I would not have necessarily associated with Chicago. It is an anachronistic aspect of the town though and worth visiting.
The Apple center. With walls of glass it is practically invisible except for it’s logo on the wall which faces Michigan Avenue. Almost invisible as it is, it still invites you to walk in. The view of the city and the river is breathtaking, especially in the evening; and the very comfortable cushions on the steps invite you to sit and enjoy this tremendously beautiful view. Nothing cries “buy something”. No fancy gadgets, no nothing. Only a screen at the bottom tells you in a very laid back way, that there is something going on downstairs, which you won’t know or see yet.
Sitting and enjoying, the town and its marvellous view, practically given to you as a gift from Apple.
Of course, you eventually walk downstairs and then it is all about the company’s gadgets and people trying them out. The atmosphere is calm with soft music in the background; the entire set-up breathes “special” and rubs off on buyers, making them “special” as well. Practically soaked in and blessed by Apple, each of them.
Back on Michigan Avenue one cannot miss the homeless: old, young, black, white, academics, veterans and unemployed ones. “The town does not really know what to do with them”, a friend told me. “So they shove them from one place to another”.
And yet, to me Chicago is a wonderful town.
Proofreading: Becky Colton
© 2018, admin. All rights reserved.