I was walking down Michigan Avenue in Chicago on Saturday afternoon when a fire truck sped by, sirens echoing off the tall buildings. A few seconds later several police cars flew through the intersection and turned right to follow the fire truck toward the lakefront. Within minutes another five trucks, three ambulances, and countless CPD cars also roared east.

It's pretty normal to witness a parade of emergency vehicles in a big city, but it's not at all typical to see fighter jets circling at the same time. Although this particular crisis seemed to be drawing a higher-than-usual number of response teams, we didn't feel alarmed until the jets showed up. Almost immediately the crowds waiting at bus stops seemed to quiet, and on every corner anxious faces looked up to the sky. A few people began walking in the direction of the activity, and I heard quiet murmurs about the Sears Tower.

After making a few calls, we learned a high rise apartment building near the lake had caught on fire, and a big air show--with fighter jets--was going on in another part of the city. Fortunately, the juxtaposition of the two events was a bad coincidence, not a terrorist attack.

Sometimes it's sad to live post 9/11.