Millennium Park in Chicago with Dru...

We had a very early flight to Chicago. We opted to stay in Evanston for convenience getting to Northwestern. We planned to meet Dru, who I served with on the AWC Board for two years; her brother generously offered to pick us up to bring us to meet her at Millennium Park. Little Leah was an angel while we took a ridiculous number of photos of the Cloud Gate, otherwise known as “The Bean.”

I must confess that the below two photos were taken by Veronica, who has a better sense of composition than I do. 

Afterwards, Dru led us down Michigan Avenue, otherwise known as “The Magnificent Mile,” to Lake Michigan. It was great that she could join us for dinner at the infamous Pizzeria Uno, original home of the Chicago deep dish pizza. We did a little shopping, then caught a train back to Evanston.

Final Afternoon in NYC...

Jimmy and Ashlynn got up early to go on a major run across Manhattan to watch the city wake up. It was the longest run Ashlynn had ever been on and she loved it!

We spent much of our final afternoon in NYC shopping. Of course, Veronica still had her camera along.

We got a bit soaked when an afternoon storm blew through. We had an early flight the next morning, so we had a relaxing evening with a picnic at our apartment with Peter and Sophie.

Veronica’s NYC Night Shots...

Veronica captured some very cool shots, including this reflection of the Empire State Building,...

...several shots of and from the Brooklyn Bridge...

...and, of course, Times Square.

Veronica & Jimmy at Night...

After a delicious Chinese dinner with Peter, Sophie and the boys, Veronica and Jimmy set off on a photo safari. Here they are on the Brooklyn Bridge.

And here is their selfie from Times Square.

Veronica also posed with Woody and a surprisingly short Buzz Lightyear in Times Square.

Ashlynn and I also made our way to Times Square that evening, but never ran into Veronica and Jimmy. We did a little shopping and were amazed that it was crowded enough at H&M at midnight that we actually had to stand in line for the dressing rooms.

Veronica Photographs Peter’s Family...

We really enjoyed meeting Sophie and the boys, which also includes 10-year-old Luca. It was so nice to see for ourselves that Peter is truly happy. I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive about taking the family out for dinner, but the boys were really well behaved and we all had a great time.

Hanging Out with Peter...

After our college visits, we met back up with Peter at Sophie’s apartment. Little 3-year-old Alessandro was adorable as he put on a fashion show for Ashlynn by modeling each of his dress-up outfits.

Peter and Sophie are starting a natural fruit juice business together. We drank some of their creations, but started the evening with a bottle of bubbly.

Eight-year-old Iain enjoyed climbing a tree in Washington Square Park with Veronica after she photographed his family to thank them for hosting us.

Visiting Colleges in New York City...

Veronica figured it didn’t make sense to visit just one women’s college, so she decided she wanted to see Barnard College in Manhattan as well. It was surprisingly compact covering just four acres. We weren’t impressed with the dorms, but the rest of campus was quite nice.

We first saw this innovative drinking fountain, which fills water bottles at quick speeds, at Barnard but later saw them at several airports.

While Veronica took a class, we walked over to Columbia University, which was across the street. Once Veronica rejoined up with us, we decided that we should tour Columbia as well since Barnard students can take classes on either campus. Not surprisingly, this Ivy League university was quite impressive. Veronica liked what she saw, but is unlikely to apply.