Part O-N-E of our adventures in Chicago
Tommy had been asked to go to a conference in Chicago so, not being one to shy away from a trip, I eagerly tagged along. It was early March when we were going to be visiting and we both figured it was still going to be a little chilly, but nothing could have prepared us for just how cold it really turned out to be. Our hotel was on Michigan Avenue (meaning: everything was at a reasonable walking distance or accessible by train or bus) so we planned on using public transportation the whole time we were there. As we were about to land, I glanced out of the airplane window to discover that the whole city was under a white blanket of snow. This worried me for a bit, but excitement took over when we landed and I didn't give it anymore thought....until, we got off the train and reached street level to start our walk to the bus stop. The ground was an ice rink as we tried to walk with our luggage, and the wind was bitter cold...this wasn't exactly "spring break" weather. By the time we reached our hotel I was a popsicle and we were hungry (go figure, right?). After dropping our luggage off and adding a few more layers of clothing, we walked to a little Cuban cafe called Cafecito for lunch (it was so good we ate there three times). Just as we had thawed, it was time to move on and "the bean" was my main objective. We walked over to Millennium Park and there it was...THE BEAN...reflecting the city and surrounded by tourists. To this day I cannot tell you what attracted me to that very large lentil, but I was fascinated (also I apologize for the excessive amount of pictures of it throughout the trip). After taking what seemed like a million pictures, we moved on to exploring the whole park and everything around it. By this time we were frozen to the core and decided to walk back to the hotel to figure out where we would eat dinner. We wanted the real Chicago experience and figured deep dish pizza was a good start. We bundled up, made the short walk to Lou Malnati's from our hotel, and gorged on some of the best pizza I've had. By the time we had finished dinner the snow was really coming down and although it was cold as we walked back to our room, it felt like the perfect ending to our day.
Temperature: High 32*F/ Low 12*F
The next morning Tommy picked some breakfast up for us (we utilized the Starbucks attached to our hotel) that we enjoyed from the warmth of our hotel room before braving the cold. Our day in the city started with a bus ride to the Skydeck where we paid to ride to the 103rd floor of the (former) Sears Tower and walked out into a clear box dangling from the side of the building...it was both terrifying and amazing at the same time. After surviving, we walked around enjoying the views of the river and then had lunch a little closer to our hotel. This was the point where Tommy had to go to meetings, and I was left to explore the city alone. I wasn't exactly confident in using the bus by myself just yet, so I bundled up a little more and started walking. Of course, I walked passed the bean to enjoy it's company (for as long as I could bare to not be moving), walked up Michigan Ave. (stopping in shops along the way to delay the onset of hypothermia), and then ended my exploration at the Water Tower Place. (The Chicago Water Tower was the only public building that survived the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, and is the second-oldest water tower in the United States.) Once Tommy was finished with his meetings, we met back up at Devil Dawgs and picked up some Chicago Dogs (keeping with the Chicago theme) to take back to our hotel for dinner. We had both finally gotten warm when we decided to walk to a nearby coffee shop for coffee and to talk about our day.
Temperature: High 18*F/Low 1*F
Our next morning began with breakfast in bed for me and an early meeting for Tommy. He only had one so I took my time getting ready, and when he returned we caught the bus to the Museum of Science and Industry. We got off the bus a few stops early to eat lunch at Valois Restaurant where we both ordered "Obama's #3 Favorite": 2 pancakes, eggs, and bacon. We were pleasantly full, warm, and ready to make the walk to the museum. The museum, which was a little more geared towards children than adults, ended up being a lot of fun and we spent our entire afternoon there. From the museum we then rode the bus to the Chicago Riverwalk. We walked the Michigan Avenue Bridge, saw the Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower, and stumbled upon the Chicago Theater as we started our walk back to the hotel. This was the coldest day we had experienced so far, but there was something magical about the city that kept me warm and wanting to see more. We grabbed a quick dinner at a Pret A Manger and walked back to the hotel exhausted.
Temperature: High 14*F/Low 9*F
After breakfast, Tommy went to more meetings and I spent the morning exploring. By this point I was feeling confident enough to try the bus on my own, and rode it back towards the Riverwalk, walked the Magnificent Mile and other streets, and then back on a bus to meet Tommy for lunch. Only this time I was a little too confident in myself, and got on the right bus but going in the wrong direction. The bus I got on took the interstate and didn't stop until we reached an area that I still have no idea where I was. I managed to keep calm (very out of character for me in such situations), got off at the first stop, and quickly figured out the correct bus stop to take to get me to where I needed to be to meet Tommy.
#meadadventures tip: When you're in a larger city, Google Maps on your phone is a life saver. If you use your current location, where you are wanting to go, and change the method of transportation to the "bus" option it will give you the exact bus that you are needing to take. It's basically fool-proof unless you're like me and you don't pay close enough attention to which side of the street you're on. If you do find yourself lost, keep calm and just start over.
I finally reached Tommy at the Windy City Diner where we ate lunch, and then rode the bus to the Art Institute of Chicago. After spending only a few minutes in it's doors, this museum became my favorite. We were able to see paintings by Van Gogh and Monet (my favorites), the giant Seurat from Ferris Bueller, the American Gothic, and so much more. Being surrounded by so many famous works of art was such an insane experience that I still fantasize about. Countless hours passed and afterwards we walked to the lakefront trail along Lake Michigan where we found the lake frozen solid and covered in snow. From there, we walked to the Buckingham Fountain and then caught the train to dinner to end our day.
Temperature: High 22*F/Low 18*F
