Chicago, IL ⋆ Get Out and Travel

Chicago, IL

A recent visit to Chicago is our first time as a family. Corey has had several work meetings here but has not been able to be a tourist. Our trip is quite a whirlwind because we are moving Tobias to the city for his MD / PhD at Feinberg Medical school (Northwestern University). After a full day and late night of moving, we are ready to see Chicago on day 2. We are greeted by 53 degrees Fahrenheit and sun. I know that to those of you not from South Florida, that’s not cold, but for us, we are FREEZING!!!

Chicago Style Pizza

We take an Uber to Navy Pier. After walking around and window shopping for souvenirs, we decide to grab lunch at Giordano’s pizza at Navy Pier. We sit at the bar because the wait is long. We have a small pizza and only eat 3 slices between the two of us. If you have never had Chicago style pizza, it is very filling. Karen doesn’t really like it, too much bread. Having had Lou Malnati’s on a previous business trip, Corey swears this pizza is much better.

HOHO Bus

After lunch, we decide to follow our normal routine and grab the Hop on Hop Off (Ho Ho) bus for a tour around the city. TIP: If you purchase your ticket after 3 PM, it is good for admission the entire next day too. While the Ho Ho bus continues to be a good way to get acclimated to the city, this route does not go everywhere in Chicago. The route is concentrated around the downtown area and does not venture into the neighborhoods as much as in other cities.

Attractions

The Magnificent Mile is where you find high end shopping and is full of tourists. If you don’t have higher end shopping in your city, it will be nice to visit here. However, we always move fairly quickly through these types of areas. The Ho Ho tour will take you by the park and Chicago’s number 1 attraction, The Bean. The Bean is a large mirrored art installation that is shaped similarly to a bean. The crowd here is large. But, I imagine that you can get some cool photos.

Nightlife

We are able to get tickets to Second City http://www.secondcity.com for their comedy show which is Incredible!!! If you’re in town and like comedy, take the opportunity and get ready to laugh. Prior to the show at Second City, we have dinner at Corcorans Grill and Pub (http://www.vaughanhospitality.com/corcoran’s ) which is the most convenient location… directly across the street from The Second City venue. On another evening, we did enjoy burgers at Hamburger Mary’s. http://www.hamburgermarys.com/chicago The food and service are great! We chose to eat at the bar, which we do at most restaurants, and enjoy participating in Trivia Night.

There is also Portillo’s Hot Dog Restaurant which our Ho Ho guide said we should try. The crowd is huge and noisy during the lunch rush. Karen does not enjoy her hot dog at all, but Corey thought that it is pretty good. The menu is very large and given the crowd they must be doing something right.

Chicago is known as the second city which is a reference to its’ rebirth after the Great Chicago fire. All of the tour guides will correct the miseducation that most students in the U.S. received regarding the origins of the fire. The architecture in Chicago is second to none in the U.S..

Architectural River Cruise

The views of Chicago architecture are good from most areas of downtown, but the best views are from the Chicago River. We decide to take the Chicago River Architecture tour. http://www.shorelinesightseeing.com The views and history are phenomenal!!!

Freezing

I mentioned earlier that we are cold. While that is true, the most amazing weather issue we face is the fact that it is cold but sunny on our first day touring Chicago, On our second day, it is cold and foggy. See our pictures below in the same location to see the change from day 1 to day 2…