Sunday, May 19, 2019

YSEALI PFP Day 16: Cinco de Mayo

5 May 2019

It was our last morning in Springfield.

Wefie with the house


And a wefie with the pond

Had waffles breakfast at IHOP

May 3, 1865 - At this site, countless mourners stood in solemn witness as the Chicago & Alton Railroad Engine No. 58 arrived pulling the funeral train carrying the remains of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States.

We had loads of fun and learnt a lot from our interactions with our hosts, Angel, Scott and Chris. If not for Angel who asked Chris to host the four of us, we would not have been introduced to such a warm family. Our packed schedule and our eagerness for new experiences exhausted Angel day after day. Despite her being on low battery, she still brought us to places and optimised our time in Springfield. We penned our appreciations in a postcard and handed to our hosts. 

Farewell to our hosts and Springfield


On our train to Chicago, Park Rangers were on board to address queries and hand out the City Maps

On the Amtrak at the start of the 3-hour ride

Union Station

The red dot on the map artwork depicts the location of the building on the River of Chicago

After dropping off our luggages, we made our way to Birmingham Fountain to witness the launch of Switch On Summer, which we found out while jogging the other day.

The Bean

Butler Field



We were slightly late for the launch, but hey, the Fountain is on!

A huge carnival on the day of Cinco de Mayo



Great weather = Happy People



Magic shows








They literally switched on Summer


A vessel of the Chicago Park District


Had late lunch at Shake Shack


Didn't make it in time to catch the Shake Shack in Singapore so experienced it here

The City of Chicago forbids property developments along the lakefront, keeping the scenic view accessible to everyone. 

Switch on Summer really did switch on the sun



Brian and Andrea invited us for Mexican dinner at El Tapatio to mark Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo marks the anniversary of Mexican's victory over France during the Franco-Mexican War. Interestingly, Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated in Mexico as much as it is in the United States, where people get to know about Mexican culture and heritage, as well as providing a good reason to party.

 
El Tapatio @ 9707 N Milwaukee Ave


Margarita


Plantains



Brian drove us around some neighbourhoods, including Glenview and Park Ridge.


There are new things to be learnt each time we speak to Brian. Although the struggle of African Americans was very well documented, the struggles and harships faced by the other communities were not as salient. Chinese immigrants built some of the major railroads in the United States. At the end of the 19th century, Chinese Americans started to assert their rights and achieved them through lawsuits.

A dedicated TV channel for telecast of meetings of Cook County Board and Forest Preserve District of Cook County



#talkedagoodgame #drivesafetakesthefunaway

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