last night saw a foggy, hazy, mist rollin’ something fierce through Chicago, due to a temperature spike causing sublimation of snow and ice on a massive scale.

Perhaps partly because it was Boxing Day, and I was still basking in the Christmas Spirit; and perhaps just because it was frickin’ awesome — I really have to say that it was likely my favorite evening ever of just walking through the streets of this great city … and if I’d had my camera with me, I probably would have taken somewhere in the neighborhood of 8,000 photos.  Walking out of the Davis Theater after seeing Benjamin Button, and stepping out into this murky glow — it really felt like I’d just travelled backwards through time.  

(obviously, channeling my inner-Ray Kinsella, I looked back up at the marquee hoping to see that “the Godfather” was now playing, and then spent a good quarter-mile walking along, hoping to run into Burt Lancaster-as-Doc. Graham.)

I’m not gonna lie to you, kids — there was magic in the air.