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.
