The Esplanade

"An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns. In modern usage the space allows people to walk for recreational purposes; esplanades are often on sea fronts, and allow walking whatever the state of the tide, without having to walk on the beach. Esplanades became popular in Victorian times when it was fashionable to visit seaside resorts. A Promenade, often abbreviated to '(The) Prom', was an area where people - couples and families especially - would go to walk for a while in order to 'be seen' and be considered part of 'society'."  

Thanks, Wikipedia....I feel smarter now...

Today, since I have nothing else to do, I decided to go to the Chicago Botanical Gardens to kill, oh, about three hours of time.  Best three hours of my week.  Hands down.  Walked over 6000 steps.  Took some awesome pictures (see below)  Was attacked by a bird.  Saw a naked man.  Ok, it was a statue, but still.

Back to my Esplanade.  This was a very cool part of the Gardens, and it made sense.  You walk through the CBG's, and all you see is people looking down.  This part asks people to sit on the benches and look up.  Look out.  Enjoy the view.  Relax.  And so I did as I did.  For about 20 minutes.  I popped my earbuds in and just relaxed and it was wonderful and very warm and there was this delightful breeze that was misting the automatic waters making it next to blissful to sit there.  Seriously, thought I was in heaven, and then the bus loads of what I am assuming 6th graders showed up and the peace and quiet was all over.....

Oh...and the diet and stuff....what this blog is suppoed to be about....blech....it's there....maybe there will be better news the next time around.....