Observations from a train trip to Chicago

I took the train into the city last Thursday morning to attend a CSO rehearsal (Mussorgsky Pictures, Rouse Rapture and Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with Joshua Bell). It was my first train trip into the beautiful city of Chicago in perhaps several months, and gave me a chance to make some observations.

Such as...

1. The Fox River has apparently warmed up enough to stink. If the Fox River stinks at the train station, then what good could come out of spewing more stinky water into the air with a fountain in the river? The fountain that Councilman Kaptain is suggesting may force us to roll up our windows as we cross the Kimball Street Bridge. I'd rather keep my window open.
2. Just about every city/village along the train route has one or more new condo developments recently completed or under construction.
3. Of all cities between Elgin and Union Station, Elgin looks the best and most liveable. (Of all places, Elgin is the second most liveable--the most liveable place is the Mars chocolate factory!)

While I was in the Loop, I made a stop at the Prairie Avenue Bookshop. They have an outstanding collection of books on urban planning and design, urban renewal, etc. Definitely worth a visit for ideas about what we can do in Elgin.