Monday, July 16 -- We met Jane and Joe this morning and headed to downtown Chicago.
Joe started a tour with a drive around some of the outlying things to see like Hyde Park, President Obama's neighborhood, the glorious view of the skyline from the shores of Lake Michigan, the Planetarium, Soldier's Field, and McCormick Place.
These guys are nuts. There were about 10 stories up a 20 story building.
How would you like to drive this everyday?
Big City sticker shock welcomed us as soon as we parked.....$25 parking fee for the day....ouch! Well, at least Joe was the lucky one getting to drive in downtown Chicago.
We then headed out on our sightseeing walking tour of downtown. We just had to see “the Bean” and get our picture taken. Both our daughters were here two years ago with friends, and we wanted to duplicate their picture at the Bean. What a hoot!
We then enjoyed our walk through downtown and the wonderful temperatures heading toward the 100 degree mark. They would reach 100 degrees before the end of the day. We walked the “Miracle Mile”, Millennium Park, Navy Pier, and enjoyed miles of fabulous city architecture.
Chicago skyline.
The Wrigley building. The Chicago Tribune is to the right.
The architecture of Chicago is magnificent. If we had another few days, we would have taken the architectural boat tour. Our daughters did it and said it was great! Yet another reason to return.
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago River runs through the heart of the city.
How would you like to climb those stairs?
The Chicago Water Tower is the city’s most familiar and treasured landmark. Constructed between 1867 and 1869, it was created for Chicago’s municipal water system, and originally housed a 135 foot iron standpipe used to regulate water pressure. It gained special significance as one of the few buildings to survive the destructive path of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Chicago's Cultural Center used to house the city's library. It is just gorgeous inside.
When the U.S. entered World War I, the Pier housed several regiments of soldiers, Red Cross and Home Defense units as well as a barracks for recruits. The Pier enters its "golden age" of recreational and cultural activity as Chicago Mayor William H. Thompson's "Pageants of Progress" draw nearly a million visitors during 15 days of events. In 1927, Municipal Pier is officially renamed Navy Pier as a tribute to Navy personnel who served during World War I.
The Chicago Lighthouse.
A different look at the skyline from the Navy Pier.
To re-energize our bodies, we stopped at Pizzeria Uno to sample some famous Chicago deep -dish pizza. We started off with a couple of ice-cold beers which sure quenched our thirst on a HOT day. The pizza was delicious, of course. Now, which is best? Deep-dish Chicago pizza or hand-tossed New York Style pizza. Hmmmmm!
Paul, Marsha, Jane, Joe
With our bellies full and rush-hour traffic looming, we decided to head toward home. We did get into some heavy traffic, but Joe maneuvered us through, and we arrived safely back at our car.
Observations…Chicago is sooooo clean and bright. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The prices were NOT out of line at all. We missed all the wind.
Thanks Jane and Joe for a delightful two days in the Chicago area. We had a wonderful time and sure enjoyed seeing you guys again. See ya down the road!
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day.
We visited the Windy City and just loved it...great pics!
ReplyDeletegreat pictures of the Windy City!..nice bean shot!!
ReplyDeleteThe reason for the stairs is to go down them in case of fire, in which case, even I would be moving right along--probably by sliding down the bannister. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm one of the few who doesn't like Pizzaria Uno; their crust is too sweet for me.
Say, the Chicago River looked green even though it wasn't Saint Patrick's Day! You hit all the highlights, for sure. I enjoyed seeing your pictures. I don't think the Bean was there when I was living in Chicago in the 70s!
ReplyDeleteYou two are the only ones I know who can see the city of Chicago in one day. lol
ReplyDeleteYou guys are sure a long way from the Oregon Coast. We were over to the coast today and guess what? It was cool and foggy, which felt good compared to the hot and muggy we had in Eugene. Thanks for sharing all the great photos of Chicago. Especially liked your "human bean" shot. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteLove the photo of you and Paul with the cityscape in the background. Great pictures, all. But my goodness...
ReplyDelete"wonderful temperatures heading toward the 100 degree mark." No wonder you were cold all the time you were in Oregon lol!! I wouldn't call anything over 75 wonderful!
We've been to Chicago a few times but haven't seen as much as you did in one day. You need to post your tour guide's phone number online!! Well, I guess you better not. They might not be your friends anymorel
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how much you packed into one day! You certainly got your $25 worth! That pizza looked sooo good. I remember how good our first one tasted! Loved the bean. What a grand day you had!
ReplyDeleteThanks for a fantastic tour of Chicago! It was pretty unique for me as I've never been there. I sure loved all those buildings - old and new ones.
ReplyDeleteFabulous photography - outstanding header pic.
What a day and great pizza to boot!
Great blog... I will leave the big cities to you guys. Thanks for taking us there.
ReplyDeleteThat was a great picture of you both with the skyline in the background.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm dumb, but can you explain the bean picture? How did you get it? okay...maybe after looking at it again...did you lay down on the ground and put your feet up?
The pizza looked good, but we usually prefer thin crust...would certainly like to give it a try though.
Great pictures that captured your tour of Chicago. What is "the bean" anyway? We love a great deep dish pizza-hard to find.
ReplyDeleteAs I grew up in IL I am partial to Chicago, but who wouldn't love it. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteAs I grew up in IL I am partial to Chicago, but who wouldn't love it. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteGreat tour, brought back memories of our Winnebago rally there in 2010.
ReplyDeleteTry walking down Michigan Ave. or Lake Shore Drive in winter, and you'll know how the city got it's windy nickname. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, looks like you guys had quite a day in Chicago.......
ReplyDeleteI bet you were wore out and slept good.......Thanks for the tour...
Great photos. Chicago is a nice city but sooo big.
ReplyDeleteI bet you're surprised we love Pizzeria Uno!