The second city on our USA visit was Bird City, Kansas. I just wanted to draw you in with the title. Just kidding. We went to Chicago after 5 days in New York.
Sometime during my last day in NYC, I had managed to scratch my eyeball. I think we were walking past a construction site, and my eyeball must have taken some dust. So we were up nice and early to catch the bus to Newark airport (conveniently, right near our hotel) and my eyes were watering like there was no tomorrow. I was in agony. Plus I had picked up a cold on our 2nd or 3rd day in New York, so I was sick for most of my time there, and still sick for the first two days in Chicago.
Our hotel room at the Palmer House Hilton. Just hanging out, reading $4.00 Marie Claire.
You could say that I wasn’t having a very good morning when we arrived at Newark airport. Insane security, eye watering everywhere, the sniffles, etc. Mr W found me a chemist and we were a sight for sore eyes (literally). Me tossing my head back in those comfortable airport seats and him holding my eye open, dropping saline drops into my eye. Lucky for Mr W, once we boarded, I fell asleep for about 80% of the flight. Phew.
We arrived at O’Hare airport at about midday. No need to go outside into the cold, there is an undercover walkway straight to the train station, and the blue line train takes you straight into the Loop (the central part of the CBD in Chicago). Most of our clothes were dirty, so I only had on a long sleeved shirt, jeans, t-shirt and a (VERY THIN) blazer. We got off the train about 2 blocks from our hotel and walked out of the (heated and underground) train station. OH MY GOD. The freezing wind hit me immediately and I started whining. My coat I had been wearing in NYC was locked in my suitcase and dirty. I think I whinged the whole two blocks to our hotel. Good times for Mr W.
We stayed at the Palmer House Hilton on East Monroe Street. Let me assure you, it was not overly expensive. We got a really good deal through our travel agent, and hotel accommodation in America, I found to be much cheaper than Australia. I was very excited to have a nice room after our average lodgings in NYC.
Me, forcing a smile through the FREEZING COLD with the Bean
People often forget the un-fun parts of travelling. I did not forget that as soon as we arrived in Chicago, we needed to find somewhere to wash our clothes, because we were out of undies and we needed coats ASAP. After much searching on the internet, we found a laundry that would come and collect our dirty clothes and only charge us $30. WOW. If there was anything like that available in Australia, I would definitely do it, considering I spend about half my Saturdays doing laundry!
American Apparel was right across the road from our hotel. None there. Coat fail. Still freezing, we went into Forever 21. Lucky they were doing a ‘buy one get one free’ thing with their coats, where I snapped up TWO coats for about $25. Finally, I was warm (ish). We headed out to the Weber Grill (a restaurant on State Street in the Loop) and I got to eat my first really good meal since leaving Australia. Steak and veges! I was very happy.
Fragment of the Sydney Opera House. Only Aussie building fragment there!
That evening was the Chicago Bulls vs the New York Knicks game at the United Centre. I was apprehensive. Mr W had booked 3 basketball games for us and one baseball game while in the US. Three of those sporting events were while we were in Chicago. However, I was eating my words because even though I was sick, the basketball was amazing. Just so much focus on entertainment that you don’t see at any sporting event in Australia.
Some highlights of Chicago for me:
Millennium Park/the Bean
Millennium Park is basically a huge public park in the Loop in Chicago (it was about a 10 minute walk from our hotel), originally intended for Millennium celebrations. There is a big pavilion where they put on shows and gardens and fountains, etc. The main attraction, I think, is the Bean (a piece of art called Cloud Gate) which is big reflective steel sculpture, basically, and looks like a bean. It is very cool.
The Tribune Building
The Tribune is Chicago’s daily newspaper. The Tribune building or Tribune Tower (where all the writers get their journalist on) is a seriously neo-Gothic style building on Michigan Avenue near the Magnificent Mile. The outside of the Tower has pieces or fragments from famous buildings around the world incorporated into the outside of the building. It’s hard to explain so look at a picture.
Marilyn, just hanging out with the tulips.
The Marilyn Statute
I have no idea why this massive statute of Marilyn Monroe was placed next to the Tribune building, but apparently, it was a dedication to her. It’s been dismantled now, so I’m lucky I got to see it.
Duo/Uno
Chicago is famous for deep dish pizza. I was skeptical about this, as I am not a huge fan of pizza, but Mr W LOVES it and particularly loves deep dish pizza. Duo and Uno are the legacy restaurants of the inventor of the deep dish pizza. They are NOT part of a chain called Uno Pizzas which is everywhere in America. One was completely packed so we went to the other (around the corner) and still had to wait half an hour for a table! Worth it though, the deep dish pizza was AMAZING!
Field Museum/Soldier Field/Shedd Aquarium
Unfortunately for me, Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Bears football team, was open for it’s once a week tour on the day we were down at Museum Campus. We decided to knock over the Shedd Aquarium and Field Museum in one day, and lo and behold, Soldier Field was open for a tour.
I found it boring, but Mr W loved it. Of interest is that it was built as a tribute to the men and women who serve in the armed forces. They have a wall of medals that people have donated and even have a purple heart in the wall.
Eating deep dish pizza. YUM.
The Field Museum was one of my favourite parts of Chicago. Sue, the T-Rex, is the biggest and most well preserved skeleton of a T-Rex ever found. She is on display at the Field Museum permanently. Her skull is so heavy that they couldn’t display it with the body, so it has its own case upstairs, while a replica skull sits on the body. Fun fact: they don’t actually know if Sue is a male or female T-Rex, they named it Sue after the archaeologist who found it. There was a permanent dinosaur exhibit I loved, because I love dinosaurs, and we had to pay extra to see a Mummy exhibit (which was only so-so).
The Shedd Aquarium is one of the biggest aquariums in the world. We got entry with our Go Chicago pass, but paid about $4 extra to see the dolphin and Beluga whale show. The Shedd Aquarium makes the Melbourne Aquarium look like a fish tank in someone’s house. Seriously. It was massive and amazing.
We missed out on the Adler Planetarium (the third place of interest in Museum Campus), but I will have to go there next time. I can imagine Museum Campus would be freaking AMAZING in the summer. It was pretty cold when we were there, but the lines to go into the Shedd Aquarium were still big. However, we had the Go Chicago card so we had express entry and it was fine (unlike New York where the tourist attractions don’t care you have a New York pass).
John Hancock Centre/Willis (Sears) Tower
There are two very tall buildings in Chicago that have observation levels. The John Hancock Centre, and the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower. We went to the John Hancock centre as it was in the Magnifient Mile shopping area. There was hardly anyone around (it was a week day) and we went straight up. The view was absolutely amazing. Chicago is a really beautiful city. Plus we got an iPod touch with earphones which was a virtual guided tour. It was great.
The Willis Tower, I thought, was not as good. We did go on an overcast and rainy day, and went to the John Hancock Centre on a very bright and beautiful day. I didn’t think the Willis Tower was as user friendly and the views weren’t as good. We did step out onto a glass observation deck which was a little scary, but kind of cool
My friend Sue, the T-Rex
Baseball
We went to a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field (named after the chewing gum giant). Unfortunately, Mr W had booked us seats which were in the shade. It was FREEZING. I had on Mr W’s long johns, thick socks, boots, jeans, singlet, long sleeved shirt, t-shirt, coat, scarf, gloves and beanie and I was STILL the coldest I have ever been in my life. John Grisham, the author, threw the first pitch, so that was kind of cool, but the baseball was otherwise terribly slow moving and boring.
Basketball
We went to two games at the United Centre. One of them was against the Miami Heat, and the score was evened in the last 12 seconds or so of the game, meaning overtime. The atmosphere was AMAZING, seriously, I absolutely loved it. If I lived there, I would want to have a season pass so I could go whenever I felt like it. Expensive, though for tickets. Worth it. So much entertainment before, during half time and in the time outs. Benny the Bull (the Chicago mascot) is absolutely hilarious.
Hershey’s Store!
Hershey’s Store
In the Magnificent Mile. You can see chocolate and cupcakes being made and they do demonstrations. We didn’t get to see one, but Mr W saw it last time he was in Chicago. Worth a visit. Hershey’s isn’t as good as Cadbury, in my opinion, but it’s still worth a trip to the store.
Magnificent Mile
Is what it is – a mile of shopping in Chicago. It is all outdoors, and it is pretty good. Water Tower Place is like a small mall off the Mile, and it has some really good shops, plus excellent mini water falls!
Food
Chicago food was significantly better than NYC. Particular highlights were Duo (or Uno), Ditkas (a restaurant owned by a former football coach) and the Weber Grill. Mr W had a burger and fries at Ditkas and says it was the best he’s ever had. I had soup and salad and the salad was pretty amazing as was the soup. I prefer my salads chopped quite finely and this chopped salad met my expectations x 1,000!
We went to the BEST southern breakfast place on the University of Illinois campus. Called Sweet Maple Cafe, it serves up old school southern breakfasts. I had lemon and raspberry pancakes and they were amazing. It is a bit of a hike on the train (ok not really that far) and a fair walk from the train station, but worth it.
Tulips, Tulips EVERYWHERE!
The coffee was not too bad in Chicago either. Definitely not as good as in Australia, but no dishwater coffee in this city.
Transport
You can get around Chicago primarily on the train. They seem to have a pretty good public transport system. We caught the bus out to the United Centre and back for the basketball games and we didn’t have to catch taxis during our stay. They do all their train lines by colour.
Tulips
I can’t mention Chicago without telling you about the amazing street displays of flowers, particularly tulips. All colours you could possibly imagine, everywhere. Absolutely beautiful.
Have you been to Chicago? What did you think?
