Denver's iconic Jeppesen Terminal pre-6am on a Saturday.

I always pick a window seat, but is most rewarding flying into Chicago. Here we are looking east while making the turn towards O'Hare.

O'Hare are we? I met Pushpinder and Dhawal in the airport and we relived one of 18 moments from our 2014 Starbucks adventure!

Me with a Blue line train at Clinton. Subway selfies are going to be a thing!

Walking up to Union Station with the Willis Tower looming.

The new protected bike lane and Loop Link station on Washington Street!

Loop Link signage at Washington Street and Franklin Street.

I had read about the gap between the wall and cover of the Loop Link stations, but I didn't realize it was quite this drastic. Especially with Chicago winters. Hmm.

Macy's on State had a Chicago skyline replica made from chocolate!

And its L train was huge!

Honestly, we really just rode the escalators up and down inside Macy's on State. Public transit?

I guess I can see why the Randolph/Washington CTA station is one scheduled to be replaced by Washington/Wabash in 2017, but that doesn't mean I don’t think this is neat route identification.

After exploring Macy's and listening to me ramble about Loop Link stations, my friend Jenni and I went to the Bean!

Yep. There it is.

My favorite angle!

We discovered stones and fragments in the base of the Tribune Tower! I only took photos of those from the local ballparks (correctly oriented with Wrigley's north of Comiskey’s), but other structures such as the Berlin Wall, the Taj Mahal, and even the Pyramids were represented. Awesome find on Michigan Avenue!

I didn't think to look for a piece from U.S Cellular Field until I got home.

Blue skies at Navy Pier in February – what a surprise!

We made our way to the far end of Navy Pier salivating over the thought of cider.

Vivek joins Pushpinder, Dhawal, and I in front of the Cider Summit banner. We took a picture with this banner (same one??) in Portland last summer!

Jenni was excited for her first Cider Summit!

Purdue runs deep! Eleven total Cider Summit visits have been recorded between this hilarious bunch.

So many cider vendors in such a cool setting!

The pedestrian connectivity to Navy Pier is kind of sketchy, but it gets the job done!

I take all my friends' pictures on transit. Here, Eric is enjoying his finger-less gloves on the southbound Red line.

Jenni made a less-than-excited transit face, but eventually couldn't contain her excitement to be riding with CTA! Eric’s finger-less gloves make an appearance.

LinkedIn worthy?

CTA's Roosevelt station serves both an underground route (Red) and two above ground routes (Orange and Green). I’m a fan of the CTA branding!

The idea of a train passing through a side parking lot got me excited. This one is next to Eleven City Diner, our brunch destination.

Okay, so this is the only photo in the waffle category.

Eleven City Diner was hopping midday Sunday!

Eric found an open house near the Hancock Tower, so went checked out an urban condo! This is the view looking north from its enormous balcony.

We finally visited the sponsor of the Chicago Cider Summit, Binny's Beverage Depot!

I always enjoy looking at the Chicago Board of Trade building and how it cuts off La Salle Street. The Rookery is in the foreground on the left.

The Great Hall at Union Station goes pink!

Union Station is set to receive another upgrade, but here is a marker from a 1991 concourse renovation.

I took this photo on the Blue Line in hopes that the strip map would one day provide some historical insight. Until then, this is literally just a photo of two sliding doors.

The O'Hare CTA station always gets me excited at the beginning of my trips! And sad at the end of my trips. Maybe in a few years, I’ll be saying that about the O’Hare Express.

The view from the top of the CTA station escalators at O'Hare.

I enjoy walking down this section near the K gates of O'Hare’s terminal 3. And O’Hare’s is a weird word. Two apostrophes? Really?!

I would leave Chicago with loads of fantastic memories and one sweet CTA magnet!