No Wind in the Windy City

Oh what fun! I loved Chicago. It was a great trip and we saw and did so much! Chicago is similar to NYC, but it is more laid back. The people are really nice and the pace is a little slower, but you still have the amazing shopping and river cruises and skyline and restaurants all around you. We did a lot in four days. We took a boatcruise along the river to learn about the architectural designs of many of Chicago’s famous buildings. This may sound a little dull to some of you – but it was so interesting, and our cruise started in the daylight and ended in the dark so it was so beautiful to be going along the river with the skyline lit up all around you.

We also went to the Shedd Aquarium. I can’t even explain this – it is too amazing for words. It’s like you’re living inside the sea and there’s so much sea life and coral and water all around you. We also went to the Art Institute of Chicago – a great art museum showcasing the likes of Van Gogh, Dali, Picasso and Monet among many others. We went up the John Hancock tower to the observatory deck – about 100 stories up and WOW – the views were spectacular. We went to Navy Pier – which is a long pier out into Lake Michigan that has a huge ferris wheel and restaurants and boat cruises and rides, etc.

Also in Chicago, which surprised me, were the beaches! Along the coast of Lake Michigan are beautiful sandy beaches and it looks so cool to see the beach against the grand skyline of Chicago’s buildings. And there’s a huge bike/walking path that hugs the coastline which we walked along. And boy did we walk! We only took a cab when we had to, because it’s such a great city for walking and there’s so much to see. We went to see the “bean” which a reflective bean-shaped structure (all mirrored) that’s about the size of a house! And it reflects all parts of the city and it’s centered inside Millennium Park – we got some pictures of this and once they’re downloaded, I’ll come back and post them here. Another park we visited was Lincoln Park – in the upper part of the city – and it has a huge zoo in the middle of it, similar to Central Park in NYC, except that this zoo is free and it’s amazing!

Now…we can’t forget the other important part of our trip – the shopping!! Let’s just say that had we been allowed to bring back more over the Canadian border, we would have been in trouble! We bought a couple ‘big’ things each of us wanted and the rest was spent on clothes, shoes, etc. Our hotel was great – right at the top of the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave) which is lined with all the hot spots for shopping and one street over is State St., which is lined with all the restaurants. I did get to try some deep dish pizza and it was really good! And the other great thing about our hotel is that it had a top of the line fitness center in it, so I was able to keep up with my workouts while we were there and work off the deep dish pizza that I just had to have! All in all it was a fabulous trip and our weather was great and I would go back in a second! Oh, and it wasn’t even windy! Bonus!