Day Seventeen ... hello Chicago

Having arrived into Chicago late last night today we woke up and were able to look out onto the Chicago River below with numerous bridges spanning the two banks. She looked beautiful and we were keen to get started. It was also lovely to see the beautiful lobby of our hotel.

We headed out keen to see more. We grabbed a breakfast sub from Subway and went to catch the brown line train which would take us out to Oz Park in Armitage (a suburb of Chicago). I was excited to ride the El (the elevated metro line) that runs through the city. I have had a long fascination with the El from watching every series of ER!

Armitage is a fairly swanky part of Chicago  ... lovely old houses, parks, sporting grounds and expensive shops. We enjoyed walking through the neighbourhood (Ian didn't enjoy having to stop for me to take photos), we grabbed a coffee for me and then stopped to enjoy breakfast sitting in the team dug outs at one of the baseball fields.

One of the reasons we travelled out to Armitage was to visit Oz Park where there was a quirky Ad Lab. Unfortunately the Lab has been decommissioned but we decided to go anyway as there are statues of the Wizard of Oz characters. They were well worth the visit. 

We walked through the streets and caught a bus back towards the city which dropped us off at Oak Park Beach. I am still not quite able to get it into my head that Chicago is on a lake and not the ocean. I'm not sure if the lake edge is really sand or of they have constructed a "beach" but the lapping waves sure makes it look like a beach!

We then walked the Magnificent Mile, an upscale section of Michigan Avenue. It is lined with expensive boutiques - Cartier,  Rolex, Tiffany's and Nordstroms, but it also has some of the most beautiful buildings such as the Water Tower, the Drake Hotel, the Wrigley Building, several churches and cathedrals and the Tribune Tower. 

We stopped part way through the walk to go to the 94th floor of the John Hancock building to 360 Chicago.  This is an observation deck that gives you incredible views of all of Chicago.  When Ian was in the US for his brother’s wedding he went to the top and we have a photograph on our wall at home that he took all those years ago. Today we could take a repeat. The views were amazing and there were plenty of places to sit and enjoy.

Lunch was upon us and we came across Lou Malnati's which is said to have the best deep dish pizza in Chicago ... so we decided to stop. The wait for a table was 15 minutes so we sat and waited (30+) before being seated. The restaurant is massive, probably seating about 200, plus take away orders. We were seated, placed our order and were told the pizza takes about 30 minutes. Well lunch took a lot longer than we had planned but was worth it for the experience, and more importantly the food which was delicious. 

Following lunch we walked to Navy Pier and explored the Pier area, the park areas, and the various jetties. It is a very pretty area and the views back to the city and over the lake are lovely.

We wandered along the walk bridge that runs beside the Lakeshore, crossed the very industrial DuSable Bridge and started an architecture-themed Ad Lab that runs along the river front. 

After a short break back at our room for a change to some warmer clothes we headed back out to complete the Ad Lab as we walked along the river front to the Merchandise Mart. This building is huge and covers 2 city blocks and was built in the 1930s as the place where retailers could purchase all of their wares for their stores. Now it is part retail, part warehouse and part skyscraper. However, every year in Autumn they use the facade of the building (all 2.5 acres of space) to project a light show called Art at the Mart.

There were two light shows ... on repeat between 7.30 and 8.30. Each went for about 7-8 minutes so we stayed to watch both twice. We really liked the show by Yi Yun Kang. The one by Charles Atlas was good but a little creepy.

A walk in Chicago at night back to our hotel ... buildings alive with colour in a vibrant city.

Just a little note about gardens ... we have been surprised at the absence of gardens on our travels. There seems to be a lack of house gardens like we are used to in Australia but rather the houses sit surrounded by grass (which is perfectly maintained), but flowers and shrubs tend to be missing. In Chicago I have seen more flowers and garden beds than I think I've seen so far. They are beautiful. 

Another day done 😁

Today's tally ...

Photos  -  475

Steps - 21,963

Kms walked 16.81 km 

Ad labs - 1