Chicago

CHICAGO here we come and Happy Birthday Linda.  The surprise was not to be but what a great way to start off  the wonderful fifties decade!  

Tues. August 16 

It was an excellent idea to take the train to Chicago.  It is inexpensive and removes the burden of congested city driving not to mention expensive parking!  The train leaves Port Huron every day at 6 a.m. and takes about 7 hours to get there with a few stops along the way.  We went down to Port Huron the night before and stayed at the Fairfield Inn only a few minutes from the train station.  We did some shopping and John and I got a new tent for our Killbear Adventure in a couple of weeks.  We wanted a bigger one that can hold our very comfortable air mattress bed to give our old bones a break.  Missing the RV! 

 We had dinner at Quay Brewery on the Port Huron water front.  It was good food and a very pleasant atmosphere.  Early bed for all of us since we had to be up by 5 a.m.  

Wed August 17

When we got to the train station by 6 a.m. there weren't many parking spaces left!  Looks like many people use this Amtrak.  Parking was free and we just had to trust that Keith's vehicle would be there when we get back after midnight in a few days.  We had comfortable seats and could put our feet up since it was not crowded on board at first anyway.  More people got on at every stop.  It was a warm and sunny day and I enjoyed the scenery and saw many deer! 


We arrived by 1 p.m. Chicago time, an hour different from our zone.  Many cabs were waiting and we picked  a burgundy cab which was quite dilapidated!  Once we got in the doors were stuck on the curb and had to be scraped to close.  The cabbie didn't even blink but that is not surprising.  He threw our luggage into his ripped up trunk in the most disorderly fashion and it took a few rams to shut it.  The air conditioning for the back seat was unique with a black hose running from the front through the sliding window between the seats.  Keith sat up front and chatted up the driver who had only been here from Nigeria for 9 months.  He was very friendly and did know his way around.  I was impressed with his zig zagging through bumper to bumper traffic and he wasn't afraid to lay on the horn.  Actually we cabbed a few times and all were great and cheaper than home. 

Ginos for deep dish pizza

Our room at the hotel 

Neat city views from our room. 

We landed safely at the Crowne Plaza on Huron St. and entered a modern lobby with very helpful staff.  We stored our luggage until check in at 3 p.m.  The concierge recommended 
 Ginos Pizza just around the corner.  Deep Dish Chicago Pizza was on Linda's bucket list (all our lists really) and it was a quick walk.  We were very hungry since we only had snacks on the train.  We ordered the works: deep dish with tons of sausage. The crust was fabulous.  Loved Ginos atmosphere and bustle. The graffiti on all the walls and even tables and seats was fascinating and pictures of  famous patrons were everywhere.  A good start to this Chicago adventure.  


Now back to the hotel to check in. We loved our rooms; suites actually with a living area as well as a bedroom.  The decor was modern and the views of the surrounding buildings very nice since we were on the 17th floor.  John had gotten a good deal on these rooms.  Much more economical than Toronto downtown for sure!  




We did not have much time since we had reserved a space on a water tour boat.  The concierge recommended the architectural tour and we had to be there by 4!  We walked very fast to the River Front to get a good seat on the top deck.  The guide described many of the amazing buildings and our necks were getting sore from looking around.  It is quite unique to travel by boat through the city and see so many wonderful landmarks.  It was a bit overwhelming really in the detail and descriptions of the architecture.  But this did give us some perspective and doing it early in the trip was a good idea since over the next few days we saw many of these buildings and areas again but from a different view point.  The river and canals winding through the city were a surprise to me.  I knew Chicago would have an extensive water front but I didn't realize this aspect.  It reminded me of Europe!  And this city is very clean.  They have made excellent use of the water fronts (river and lake) and it is friendly to the public in every way.  Many restaurants and cafes have patios by the water.  Bike paths and walkways are accessible to all.  Wonderful! 

When we got off the tour boat we realized how close we were  to Navy Pier: a long and historic pier along the canal with  amusements, shops, restaurants, a stained glass museum and many entertaining sights and sounds.  We had a beer at Billy Goat Tavern but it was not the original one that Linda had on her bucket list.  More on that later.  We walked and enjoyed watching the boat traffic.  I couldn't believe how many tour boats and sail boats were out enjoying this beautiful evening.  It turned out there would be fireworks later, a twice weekly event at the pier!  

We saw a huge  glass structure that reminded me of the biosphere in Arizona so went up to see this lovely garden area.  We found a  Mexican restaurant and  patio up there with exquisite  views  of the sky line, the water front, the fireworks...wow!  So lovely here that we  decided to stay and eat and watch the action.  Excellent quessadillas! We walked back to the Crowne Plaza exhausted from a very full day! 



THURS AUG 18

We were up early and it was a short walk  for breakfast at the "Corner Bakery". What a great spot with lovely outdoor tables and excellent food.  We ate here every morning.   It was fun sitting at street level and enjoying the sights and sounds of city life.  There were many medical buildings in this area. I found the street scape of Chicago lovely: with  huge flowers and planters on the sidewalks and of course the gorgeous sky scrapers and architecture. 

Buckingham Fountain 

Shedd Aquarium

Many Marinas and Harbours along the Chicago Waterfront

It was a gorgeous day for bicycling.  The rentals were very comfortable and had a nice little bag on the handle bars. 

Blue Moon: A gorgeous yacht in this Harbour

Beach at 31st Street

Buckingham Fountain 

We walked back to the river front and rented bicycles near where we took the boat cruise. WOW!  Beautification abounds. We rode south along the lake shore past Shedd aquarium and other lovely buildings, parks and monuments.  It is such a well thought out waterfront. The path was 18 miles but we went as far as 31st Street. We ran into construction, I think of another marina,  so turned around.  We saw lots of great harbours and marinas including a huge yacht called Blue Moon.(AMX). 


We passed by Grant Park where we saw Buckingham Fountain a place Keith wants to see at night.  So we plan to come back later. 
   

American Gothic: a farmer and his daughter.  I did not get a good picture of this one but many will recognize this famous painting by Grant Wood.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gothic.  

We also stopped at the Art Institute on the way back.  It was on Linda's bucket list to see the painting called "American Gothic" so we went into this beautiful gallery and soaked up some culture.  I loved seeing the works of some of the greats especially Renoir and Monet, 2 of my favourites.   How they can capture light is something else!

Art Institute

Monet

Renoir

Lizzie McGuire's Irish Pub patio on the River

Our 4 hours were up so we returned the bikes and walked to lunch at  Lizzie McGuire's Irish pub.  This was another charming outdoor patio along  the Chicago River.  We enjoyed the  "Fire Fighters Memorial" which is a huge water stream spraying out hourly from the nearby the fountain.  From here we walked along the River to Michigan Avenue where we found the gigantic statue of Marilyn Monroe which resides for now in Chicago.  Well...this is quite an attraction!  

Fireman's Memorial 

No explanation needed! 

Michigan Avenue is also called "The Magnificent Mile" I suppose because of the amazing shopping.  Over the next couple of days we did lots walking along the Magnificent Mile.


The weather has been gorgeous and very warm so we went back to the hotel for a swim.   What a view!  The pool is on the roof and there are glass views all around.  We are beginning to realize how this city is laid out and what a great down town location we have.  

Roof top Pool on our hotel 

Now we need to spiff up for "The Million Dollar Quartet."  We have tickets for this musical at the Apollo Theatre in Lincoln Park, a 10 minute cab ride from the hotel.  

No pictures allowed during the performance but is you get a chance you should see this show! 

We decided to eat close to the venue.  The restaurants around here are very casual and we ended up in a local bar and chicken wing place.  Interesting.  


"The Million Dollar Quartet has been playing here for 3 years.  The Apollo is a small theatre, with no bad seats.  The show is based on a jam session which truly occurred in 1956 at Sun Record studios.  Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis were well played by talented musicians who acted their parts extremely well.  This was a highlight of this trip!  The music was amazing not to mention the theatrics.


FRIDAY AUGUST 19

Michigan Ave. (Magnificent Mile) 

Peek a Boo 

The Bean

This morning after the usual breakfast at the Corner Bakery we walked to Millenium Park to see the attractions there.  This is on "The Loop" which is part of the commercial centre of historic downtown Chicago.  Many attractions can be seen here including the splashpad and unique fountains with faces and "the bean."  I loved the bean as well as wonderful walkways and gardens.  

Look closely, this is a stage and concert venue! 

Splash pad and fountains with faces.  

You should see this at night! 

Don't know why these are painted but they were interesting! 

We were all ready to head to the ball game at Wriggly Stadium so after enjoying Millenium Park we finally located the "red line" the section of the subway we needed to ride.  This is also the EL because part of it is elevated.  We were impressed with how easy it was to get around Chicago on foot or by cab but Wriggly was too far and we wanted to experience it with the masses.  There is an attendant helping newbies like ourselves purchase our rides from automated machines using a credit card.  Thank goodness.  Just going through the turnstyle using the card needed explanation!  We arrived in lots of time to grab a hot dog (bucket list) and beer before going into the stadium.  Wriggly is in an old neighbourhood and the whole area was like a giant tail gate party.  Very fun atmosphere!  And what a gorgeous stadium it is with ivy all around, an antique score board and immaculate diamond.  This is the second oldest stadium (next to Fenway in Boston) in the U.S.  It looked like a post card.  

Wriggly Stadium

Old score board in good working order. 

We had great seats but in full sun so it was quite hot.  The Cubs did not disappoint us!  After being down 3 nothing to the Cardinals (St. Louis) they won in extra innings.  What a great game!    
Along with hoards of fans we enjoyed a beer on another lovely outdoor patio before catching the subway back down town. 


After showers we headed out on foot again to "Devon" a wonderful seafood restaurant we had found on an earlier walk.  It was fine dining with reasonable prices and we all enjoyed it very much.  Now we decided to walk Buckingham Fountain which is supposed to be spectacular at night with lights and music.  Here we go again on the "Magnificently Long Mile" to the fountain.  You can imagine our disappointment when we saw the fountain was not on!  I really don't know why but we were getting some exercise for sure.  


SATURDAY AUGUST 20


  After breakfast we headed down Huron St. to the water front to watch the air show but lightning and thunder chased us back and we waited out the worst of it in the hotel lobby.  The air show was cancelled (boo hoo) and the rain continued after the wind subsided.  It was getting close to lunch time so we grabbed a cab to go to Billy Goat Tavern for lunch.  

Enter at your own risk! 

This was also on Linda's bucket list.  (http://www.billygoattavern.com/home.html)  You really should check this out!   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Goat_Tavern)  What a strange place.  You walk down under the street as if going to a subway and walk into a crazy crazy scenario.  At first we didn't know what to think!  It was hard to order since you didn't really get what you wanted.  The fellow yells at you what you will have and today it was "double cheese, double cheese, double cheese."  By the time we left we couldn't stop laughing.  This is not just lunch, it is an experience.  At one time a skit about this place was on Saturday Night Live.  This just added to its fame.  The curse of the Billy Goat still plagues the Cubs.  They have not won the World Series since they were cursed by the Goat and Tavern owner for not allowing the goat  sit next to him at a ball game.  There were pictures of this goat wearing a ball cap and drinking beer! 


Sated once again we headed back up to....you guessed it...the Magnificently Long Mile...and since it was still raining checked out some shops.  No one really wanted to shop but now we were putting in time until it was time to go to Union Station to come home.  This was the only bad weather so cannot complain too much!


The train left at 4 and arrived at Port Huron at midnight.  We played cards most of the way so it went quickly.  Yes!  The car was still there and Keith got us safely home by 3 a.m.  


I would love to go back to Chicago and go to the Museum of Natural History and Shedd Aquarium.  Also we did not see any jazz or blues music...we just ran out of time!