Jeff and I managed to arrange for all four kids to be either at camp or visiting family all at the same time for close to a week! What would we do with all this free time? Go to Chicago, of course! About a year ago I made a small bucket list of places in the states that I want to visit. Some places on my list are only a few hours away and some are a plane ride. We are going to try to make it to one or two a year. Since we went to Colorado last year we decided to do a smaller trip this year. I haven't been to Chicago since I was a kid and Jeff had never been, other than driving through, so we decided this would be the perfect trip for our week off from being parents.
We drove to Joliet, Illinois to Harrah's after dropping Jeff's boys off at basketball camp. We decided to stay at the casino for a night. We would be within an hour of Chicago and Jeff has had the casino bug lately so it seemed like a good idea. We gambled a bit then got some sleep before heading into the city first thing in the morning.
We stayed at the Chicago Hilton which was a good choice given it's location to everything we wanted to do. The hotel is a mix of both old and new with it's recently remodeled lounges, bar, and restaurant. We had a view of the lake and the fountain in Grant Park.
We parked in the garage at the hotel and took off for stop number 1, Skydeck, formerly Sears Tower.
After Sky deck we ran headed back to the hotel to check in stopping at Garrett's Popcorn on the way for some Chicago Style popcorn...one of my favorites! After checking in and getting situated in our room we headed out for Shedd Aquarium. One thing I didn't plan for when meticulously laying out our trip was how far we would have to walk to everything. When you look at a map it looks so close...once you start walking in 90 degree heat, it is a lot farther. Add to that the fact that I am completely out of shape and the farthest I walk on a daily basis is from my living room to the car in the garage, I decided I maybe needed to "train" for this trip. By the time we got ready to head to the aquarium my legs were already SCREAMING at me! I pushed on though, I only had 3 days to see EVERYTHING a tourist could possibly see.
The aquarium was somewhat of a disappointment for me after visiting the likes of the Atlanta aquarium and also the aquarium in Gatlinburg. Both of those are great aquariums. This one was less than impressive. First off, you couldn't see everything without paying extra for each special attraction in the exhibit...such as the dolphin show and a couple of other attractions. That didn't leave a whole lot to see. I wouldn't recommend this aquarium to anyone...spend your time in one of the museums which have more than enough to offer.
Another thing I wanted to do while in Chicago is try the "Chicago Style" dishes such as the pizza and hotdogs and I already mentioned the popcorn. After coming out of the disappointing aquarium I was not thrilled about walking any where so I bought us tickets on the water taxi to Navy Pier where we found Giordano's and it did NOT disappoint! We both loved this pizza! (Not as much as Pizza King but who would??) I don't know if the pizza was so good because it was just good or because we finally were off our feet or because we were finally in a nice air conditioned building, or because I finally got a perfectly chilled Diet Coke...but it was GOOD!! I really did not want that meal to end ever...only because that meant I was going to have to walk another mile to where we would get on the boat for our tour we booked.
On our endlessly long walk we passed this tiki bar....nestled under the streets of the city along the river. The River Walk was really very nice and I'm sure if the excruciating pain in my legs would have let me, I would have really enjoyed it. We finally hobbled up to where our boat was docked and had a little time to wait. Of course I had to go to the bathroom and there was none to be found. We were told we would have to go up about 4 flights of stairs to get to the street level and cross to the Corner Bakery where there was a public restroom. I almost opted to make my own restroom behind a tree on the lovely little River Walk. Jeff convinced me I could make it up...and back down.
We FINALLY got to board our boat which was nice until I discovered this guy, who had been wondering around the dock in what I can only assume was a drunkin state, got on too. I made Jeff move to the back of the boat to get as far away from him as I could. He settled down and all was fine as we made our way up (or down...it flows backwards) the river. The tour was really very interesting and gave a lot of information on the history of Chicago, the mob, and the architecture.
Marine City
The Merchandise Mart
Trump Tower...much of it is still not occupied.
The ferris wheel on Navy Pier
After our tour up and down the river we went through the locks and out into the lake for a bit. It started to rain but that was okay...we were able to go into the cabin and the cool rain felt pretty good after walking in the heat all day. (For a minute then I was freezing)
When we finished the boat tour and were let off at the dock it was pouring. We had no umbrella or even a jacket so we left the boat and went under the street to try to find a way up to street level where we were going to grab a cab. As we were walking along in this very creepy place...all alone with the exception of the crack head who had been on the boat, I snapped this pic of Jeff to show what a questionable choice this felt like we had made and to leave proof of where we were should we disappear and the only trace left of us was my phone.
Needless to say, we made it back to the corner with the bakery bathroom and I took over. Jeff was all about using Uber to call a cab but I was done. I was not going to wait on that. I stepped out to the curb and flagged one down just like I've seen done in the movies. I know he was impressed. Our not-so-friendly cab driver delivered us safely back to our hotel where we made deals, and possibly cash was exchanged as to who would get the shower first. I had an overwhelming desire to wash every part of me that touched anything in that cab but let him go first since he promised he would go get me a Diet Coke while I showered. We both hit the bed in pain and exhausted and fell asleep watching Shark Week. So far...having a great time in Chicago!! (....we really did enjoy it through the sweat and pain.)
