Autumn in Chicago: guest post by Paper Armour

I love Chicago.

I love autumn.

I love the real people I know who blog.

So I combined all of these things to create a lovely series of real, Chicago, falltime celebration happiness!

My final guest post for you comes from a dear friend and (now) neighbor! Jake and I have dinner with Elspeth and her husband almost every Sunday. Our conversations are usually about something creative, and I'm so thankful for that. It's no surprise to me that these two made a video. Welcome to our world!

I lived my entire life in Massachusetts before moving to Chicago for college and my family goes back way way way back in the history of New England. So a love for Autumn runs in my blood. It's no surprise to me that Autumn is most people's favorite season, it's so beautiful! It has been hard to adjust to Chicago Autumns though (this is my fifth Autumn away.) They're different and make me more homesick than any other time of year. I have been told that Graceland Cemetery has beautiful Autumn foliage, but haven't ever made the trip to see it. What I do instead is take refuge in the Lurie Garden in Millennium Park. 


The garden is surrounded by seriously tall evergreen trees that do their best to block out sound, but you still know you're in a city. I love the contradictory nature of the Lurie Garden, they're a refuge and a haven, yet not quite. It feels small and huge at the same time, because it's designed in such a way that you feel enclosed, and then you turn a corner and expect to be walking out of the garden, and OH MY! There's more garden! It's called a "garden" but it rarely has big swaths of colorful flowers. Instead it usually has many varieties of decorative grasses and wildflowers that look manicured and overgrown at the same time. It's even beautiful in the winter, which is quite a feat for any garden. Bring a book and a hot beverage, wear a sweater, and enjoy the haven you've just found.

I wanted to fill this post with photos of the garden, but my husband did me one better. He made an awesome video of our trip there! Don't worry, it's short and sweet.

 
Lurie Garden from Zach Harris on Vimeo.

photo credit via