Aileen and I hadn't taken any big trips (aside from weddings and
family visits) since we met my friend Ania in New York City in September
of 2011, which is unacceptable for a pair of globe-trotters like
ourselves! So, we decided to plan a trip to Chicago, as it's fairly
close to Louisville by car and I had never been there.
 |
| Lurie Garden (Plus Aileen) |
On
Independence Day, Aileen and I loaded up LaFawnda (our Honda Fit) and
set out on our journey. After about five hours (and $6.60 in road tolls)
we arrived at our hotel. We stayed at the Best Western Plus in the
River North area of town, which is just north of the Loop and the
Chicago River. It was within two miles of most of the activities and
attractions we had planned, so it was extremely convenient. It also had
free parking, which is very rare in Chicago! Once we were all settled
into our temporary home-base, we struck off into the city. We walked
south through the Loop and ended up on Michigan Avenue right next to
Millennium Park. We grabbed a quick lunch and then took our picture at
the
Bean
sculpture at the park. Next, we visited the Art Institute of Chicago.
The museum is impressive and includes a large amount of Greek and Roman
ceramics and one of the largest collections of Impressionist paintings
in the world. They had a very interesting special exhibit there called
'Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity' which explored the use of
fashion in Impressionist works. After the museum, we enjoyed a walk
through the Lurie Garden, got a snack in Millennium Park and then walked
to the mouth of the Chicago River and watched the fireworks!
 |
| Us in The Bean |
The
next morning, we woke up early (not on purpose, we were still on our
non-vacation sleep schedule, plus we were in a different time zone) and
began the day with a delicious breakfast at Hendrickx Belgian Bread
Crafters. Aileen had a croissant filled with chocolate and almond while I
chose chocolate and brandy. They were the best croissants I had ever
tasted: extra flaky and only slightly sweet! Next, we set off for Oak
Street Beach. It is a long beach that runs parallel to Lakeshore Drive
along Lake Michigan in the northern part of the city center. We walked along the path and enjoyed the lovely weather.
To finish off our morning, we rode the elevator to the observation floor
of the Hancock Tower and enjoyed the magnificent views of Chicago from
one-thousand feet up! Afterwards, we walked along Navy Pier and had a beer and our first Chicago style hot dogs
(beef dog on poppy-seed bun, yellow mustard, onions, sweet relish, dill
spear, cucumber slices, tomatoes, hot peppers, celery salt, and
absolutely no ketchup). To finish off the afternoon, we took a cruise on the Chicago River that highlighted the city's famous works of architecture. The city is filled with some of the best examples of the Art Deco style and also has many modern and unique buildings. By the end of the cruise, we were starting to drag, so we opted for a relaxing dinner at an Irish pub near our hotel.
 |
| View from Hancock Observatory |
 |
| From the top of the Ferris Wheel on Navy Pier |
 |
| Trump Tower from the Chicago River |
 |
| The Chicago River |
 |
| FIRE BOATS! |
 |
| Dr. Evil's Yacht |
Unintentionally,
we woke up early again the next morning: "Early to bed, early to
rise..." you know how it goes. We had a delicious egg-centric breakfast
at a place called Yolk a few blocks from our hotel then set off again to
explore. We walked to Lincoln Park, by way of Oak Street Beach, and
enjoyed a few hours at the free zoo there, followed by some more Chicago
style dogs. We then rented some bikes from Chicago's new
Divvy bike program.
We rode south, back through Oak Street Beach and then checked out some
of the stores along the Magnificent Mile. After freshening up at our
hotel and stopping by the grocery store, we headed to Millennium Park
next to the Loop in the heart of the city. They have a free concert
series there throughout the summer and we enjoyed a picnic dinner,
complete with a classy box of wine, as the sun set. It was one of the
highlights of the trip for sure! Afterwards, we saw Buckingham Fountain,
which is lit up with colored lights and "performs" along to music in
the evenings.
 |
| Oak Street Beach (Plus Sean) |
 |
| Picnic! Keepin' it classy with boxed wine and Best Western cups... |
 |
| Pritzker Pavilion (day) |
 |
| Pritzker Pavilion (night) |
We started the next day with some fancy
doughnuts from Firecakes, some of the best either of us has ever had! We
hopped onto the Divvy bikes again and rode through Grant Park to the
Field Museum. We explored the exhibits on early Americans, ancient
Egypt, and prehistory, including dinosaurs! We saw
Sue (the world's most complete T-rex skeleton) and
Lucy
(one of the most famous examples of an Australopithecus), both which
belong to the permanent collection. We were kicked out of the museum, as
it was closing, and walked back to our hotel to refresh. We enjoyed
some authentic Chicago deep-dish pizza from Lou Malnati near the hotel
to round out the day.
 |
| Sean with Sue (Watch Out!) |
 |
| Aileen with Brawling Elephants |
 |
| Aileen with a bust of Pharaoh Michael Jackson |
 |
| I never thought Aileen's feet could seem more skinny |
 |
| Chicago <3 Stanley Cup |
We woke up the next day to a steady drizzle. It was as if the city knew our holiday was over.
We may or may not have visited Firecakes for a second time before
packing up and heading out of town. We hadn't even gotten out of the
city when the sky opened up and the heavens were unleashed. We drove
home through the deluge, savoring the sunny times we had enjoyed together in Chicago.
