 |
| This is a big water fountain in Millennium Park. There are two of them. Water shoots out of the persons mouth onto the ground below - often covered with children enjoying the water. |
Anyone that knows me well, or actually, even just a little bit, knows that I love Chicago. I've been to Chicago, London, New York, Dallas, Atlanta. Give me Chicago any day. Ok, maybe London over Chicago but Chicago is much more affordable to get to and once you get there, you can afford to eat food there too!
We arrived in Chicago around 1pm their time and went straight to the hotel and checked in. We stayed just outside Chicago this time in a very affordable hotel. It's about a forty minute drive to Chicago from here but considering we weren't paying for the hotel, it would do. Usually, if I have my choice, I'd stay in Champagne Lodge and Luxury Suites but recently, they changed it to a members only hotel. Yes, can you believe it? The thought reminds me of joining Sams Club. A few months back, I checked their pricing on their website and I don't believe the $25 option was available then but it is now. But still... really? I'm don't pay a membership fee to stay at the Hilton Hotels. Just Sayin....
Ok - on to my trip. We went from the hotel in Indiana to downtown Chicago this time on the train. It was an Amtrak type train and cost us roughly $7 per person each way. Not bad considering if I'd driven into the city, I'd pay approx $10 for tolls, $5 for parking, and whatever the gas would cost for 40 minutes in driving, excluding any delays due to construction, accidents, etc. Riding the train was awesome going in to town. I was able to stretch out, drink a bottle of water, watch the scenery going by without worrying about crashing into other cars or driving off the road, and occasionally close my eyes and daydream. It took roughly an hour and a half to get there vs. forty minutes, but by the time you park and get on another train to take you into downtown, it's about the same amount of time, if not less.
We are sitting at the train station waiting and there was this woman there whom I late found out was 67 years old. Let me tell you, this woman was awesome. She was with a friend of hers and she seemed so fun and full of life, it made me want to be more like her. That is one of the awesome things about Chicago and bigger cities. People watching is awesome.
The train took us to Millennium park where we exited and hit the street. Ok, I will reveal my real meaning to go to Chicago other than my love of the place. Chicago has hundreds of #Ingress Portals and I wanted to play enough to get me to the highest level available right now. Turns out that is impossible most places except at Millennium Park because of the high buildings and the horrible GPS signals there due to them. We were able to play a little bit but it was easy to get discouraged thanks to all the high buildings that I love Chicago for. It's such a double edge sword!
We walked miles and miles in a day. Walking the streets of Chicago. Flowers were in bloom which were pretty but I had noticed on the train into the city that the trees didn't have leaves on them yet, as opposed to Dayton. It amazed me how much a few hours more north could make in that aspect. We passed a lot of really cool features in the city by just taking our time and walking around. I randomly took photos of just " things" like fire hydrants, trains, parking garage ticket machines, etc. Things that make the " city " the " city" .
My favorite part of Chicago will always be Millennium Park. Probably the most known park in the city, due to the "Bean". What is the "Bean"? Very few people actually know that it's really called the "Cloud Gate". It's in the center of AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park in the Loop Community of Chicago. It was designed by Indian born British artist Anish Kapoor and construction was started on it in 2004 and finished in 2006. It's made of 168 stainless steel plates welded together seamlessly. It really is an amazing piece of art. Make sure you go see it if you are in Chicago.
.jpg)
The food in Chicago is always out of this world. This trip we only ate at two of my favorite haunts. Millers Pub and Portillos. Millers Pub has the most amazing prime rib you will find in the city but make sure you are super hungry or plan on sharing it with someone. It's a lot of food when you order that. Portillos has the most amazing salads. Their chopped salad can't be beat. I actually take a cooler and bring them home with me when I'm anywhere near one of them in that area for dinner that night.
One of my favorite pizza places in Chicago is Gino's East. Their famous for their deep dish pizza but I promise you - one piece is enough.
 |
| Gino's East Pizza |
 |
| Prime Rib at Millers Pub |
 |
| Chopped Salad for Portillos |
We stopped at Albanese Candy Factory on the way home for some candy as a surprise for Victoria. They had this HUGE chocolate fountain that ran from the ceiling to the .... pot? I don't know what you call it since I'm not a candy maker... but it was pretty impressive.
 |
| Yes! That's chocolate all the way up there! |
Chicago has everything NY has in terms of shopping. They both have their pro's and con's but I prefer Chicago.
Here's to traveling and exploring wherever you are at this time of your life.
Love ~ Peace ~ Happiness
Marianne
