CHICAGO- AWESOME
Tuesday- Sept 8th
We (10 women) had an amazing time in Chicago. But it began with bad weather that delayed our flight and then diverted us to Indianapolis, and then to Chicago via St Louis- it was 8 hours to do a 2 hour flight- BLEH- but we got there- well almost all of us got there-( *see comment below)
We rented a VRBO on Cedar Street..it was just okay- therefore- I am not including a link-lol
(at the end of the trip a few husbands joined us for bonus vacaction- and we stayed at The Kinzie Hotel www.kinziehotel.com....this was much better located- in a great neighborhood with restaurants etc.. a bit pricey- but worth it)
Back to our trip...We grocery shopped and got our breakfast supplies, and wine and beer and happy hour supplies, and organized our selves. Then we headed out for dinner (*well 8 out of 10 did- two of the ladies were on the longest flight from DFW to ORD- they didn't get in until very late)
We ate at The Tavern on Rush. http://www.tavernonrush.com/
The steak was really tasty- the wine was awesome- I was so tired- but excited to be on a vacation that I had planned for months!
Back to our trip...We grocery shopped and got our breakfast supplies, and wine and beer and happy hour supplies, and organized our selves. Then we headed out for dinner (*well 8 out of 10 did- two of the ladies were on the longest flight from DFW to ORD- they didn't get in until very late)
We ate at The Tavern on Rush. http://www.tavernonrush.com/
The steak was really tasty- the wine was awesome- I was so tired- but excited to be on a vacation that I had planned for months!
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Here was our itinerary
Wednesday-
Sept 9th... Begin 3 day Go Pass ($149) when you see this pound sign # you know it is on
the pass- I would suggest, the GO PASS, for people who want to see all the major attractions- it was nice not having to pay at each place- and it made us go to places that we might not have visited!
It was a beautiful day so we decided to do the #Architectural Boat Tour, it leaves from RIVER dock, on Michigan Ave- look for kiosk people-street level- trying to sell you tickets - (If it is busy and they are full you can get timed tickets for later in the day) We just walked up, had our Go Pass scanned and got on the next boat.
Then we walked around the town and saw all the amazing gardens that lined Michigan Ave, and many other major streets.
I really loved the(historical) Water Tower (not Water Tower Place- Water Tower Place is a mall). This is on the far north end of Michigan Ave after all the shopping stores. It was beautiful daytime and nighttime.
Lunch that day was at The Purple Pig https://thepurplepigchicago.com/... what great (interesting) food- a bit pricey- but well worth it.... all plates were meant to be shared- from cheese plates, to bone marrow, to turkey legs, and pig shanks, it was all amazing. Below are the obligatory foodie pics of our turkey leg and the bone marrow.
We needed to go to more places on the GO PASS, so we walked to Willis Tower to see # Sky Deck. We had so much fun posing on the glass Sky Deck Ledge- yeah, I was scared...
It was a long walk out to Willis Tower- but we were on "fresh legs", and had full bellies. The day was beautiful- so we walked home as well- some took an UBER home- they were the smart ones- it was a REALLY long walk home- a really LONG walk!
We ended our evening at>
Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier that night to see the play The Tempest (Teller of Penn and Teller), choreographed the magic- it was -well- magical) $38
This was a great play. What a great value! Every seat is fabulous.
We ended our evening with an spur of the moment limo ride... hey, the driver came up and asked if we wanted a limo home for $5.00 pp...well we got in and the next thing you know, we hired him for 2 hours to drive us around the city at night. We made a quick stop for the highest rated hot dogs at Portillo's http://www.portillos.com/ then a quick stop (okay 2 stops- an hour apart) at the liquor store to get much needed refreshments.
WHEW - what a night!
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Thursday, Sept 10
The next day we opted for #The Classic Boat tour on Lake Michigan. We originally had wanted The Tall Ship Windy- but it doesn't run everyday, after Sept 1st. The weather was a bit chillier today- and we had rain off and on- but as experienced travelers, we forged on and put on our jackets.
The boat tour begins and ends on The Navy Pier. So we decided to be super touristy, and we ate on the pier. Thank goodness we chose Riva Crab House. http://www.rivanavypier.com/ We had great Bloody Marys, fish and chips and $1.00 oysters (oysters are only served upstairs- no oysters on the patio- it was too cold to eat outside anyway)
We also managed to find the FREE Tiffany glass window exhibit on Navy Pier- well worth the effort!
After food and beverage fortification, we went to the #Art Institute
The Art Institute has an amazing collection.
Above are just a few (Degas, Suerat, Wood, Chagall....and so may others) You could spend all day- but we just did the highlight tour and stayed for about 2 hours.
Above are just a few (Degas, Suerat, Wood, Chagall....and so may others) You could spend all day- but we just did the highlight tour and stayed for about 2 hours.
Next we headed to Millennium Park:
Cloud Gate (aka.The
Bean)- to take the Bean reflection pic!- have fun, be a tourist- get the picture!
Crown Fountain- below- is so very cool- we saw a photographer almost get squirted by water- and had this hilarious girl "try" to photo bomb our pic- so instead, we had a posed photo bomb
It had been a few hours since our Bloody Marys so we stopped for cocktails IN Millennium Park, at a place aptly named The Park Grill http://www.parkgrillchicago.com/. They really weren't open yet, but were happy to serve us drinks on the covered patio-as they prepped their restaurant for dinner. We sat outside and watched "park people" stroll by, thank goodness it had warmed up a bit by that time.
We went back to our place- relaxed for awhile and then headed back out for pizza at Giordano's
The pizza takes 45 minutes to cook so while you wait for a table- you order the pizza..
These girls are making our pizza decisions for us.
side note:- we tried to go to see Buckingham Fountain twice- but it never erupted- it had nice lights- but not the water show- we were disappointed- but here is the info- maybe you will have better luck
(The initial major display begins at
9:00 a.m. and thereafter, is every hour on the hour. Beginning at dusk, every
hour on the hour lasts 20 minutes the Fountain's major water display is
accompanied by a major light and music display.)<Must do this one night-
Last show 10:35 (<< I guess
this one isn’t on the hour-hmmm- cut and pasted info from website)
Pretty Lights that changed color, but no water shooting 250 feet into the air (bummer)
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Friday-
Sept 11th – (last day of # the Chicago Pass)
The first stop was # Field Museum- They had a great Egypt display and a fabulous Polynesian exhibit. and of course Sue, the T-Rex.
Then we walked over (right next door) to #The Shedd Aquarium (priorty entry with the Go Pass)
It was a very nice aquarium- but they had many extra add-ons for shows and exhibits, if you came with children- this place could eat your wallet easily. The regular exhibit stuff was plenty "fishy" for us!
We were tired after all the exhibits, so we hopped on The Hop ON and HOP OFF bus and finished off the bus loop. We jumped off at #Chicago 360 formerly, The John Hancock Building. We clowned around in the beautiful lobby for a bit....
and then took the elevator to The Signature Lounge (and of course had a cocktail) for a spectacular city view (there is also a TILT ride up here- but it was an extra cost, so we declined)
We also found out that the best view was from the bathroom (see photo below)
As you can see, by counting ALL the ### above, that the GO PASS, which was $145.00
paid for itself. I think we saved about 15%- and it made us see everything!
Saturday-
Sept 12th
Pedal Oak Park-
for Frank Loyd Wright architecture- bike tour-$39(metro red line at
Clark and Division to Green Line get off at Oak Park) http://www.flwright.org/ We actually UBERed out there, because it was pouring rain, in downtown Chicago. A few of the ladies decided they didn't want to pedal in the rain, so they slept in- but surprise- it was not raining in Oak Park. It was a nice tour- our docent was too soft spoken, and not animated enough for us- but we did learn about Frank's houses in Oak Park and it was a great day for a bike ride! (advice- if the weather is good, it was about $2.00 a person to take the metro-it was about a $20.00 UBER ride (one way) - if you are near a metro stop - take the train!)
We ate lunch in Oak park a few door down from Green Line Cycle (where we rented the bikes.)
Lunch was good at Poor Phil's Bar, but the main event was the naked man pics in the bathroom, totally unexpected, I took pics of the pics to prove it- immature-yes I am- but can't post them here!
Food was good, beer was great, it was wonderful to sit outside and relax after our bike ride.
After Oak Park, we went home, changed, did a little shopping and returned home to our condo. We had a happy hour on our rooftop balcony.
We ordered pizza from Malnati's - www.loumalnatis.com/ a direct competitor to Giordano's (though a third set of people loved Gino's East http://www.ginoseast.com/ the best). Malnati's made a PALEO pizza, with a sausage crust-some loved it- I wasn't a fan. We stayed in that night and played a game called Two Lies and a Truth. or Two Truths and a Lie (I kept getting confused-lol)
Sunday
Sept. 13th
AFTER BRUNCH...
Million Dollar
Quartet- Broadway show- MATINEE 3:30- Apollo Theater- $95
We UBERed north to the Apollo Theater- The show was FANTASTIC- what talent these people had. Deedee informed Gwen, though we had front row seats- she (Gwen) was not part of the show- but during the finale song, Elvis gave Gwen a scarf- so she was part of the show!
That night... we UBERed to..
Three months prior to our arrival I booked a table for 10 at the very popular “Girl and the Goat” restaurant. http://www.girlandthegoat.com/ I was star struck when I got to meet the Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard. The food was outstanding, the service was so professional. It made for a great final night (with the girls) restaurant.
Pig Face entrée- yum
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On Tuesday Sept 15th , seven of my friends went home. Three of us stayed, and our husbands met us. We moved our gear to the Kinzie Hotel. www.kinziehotel.com
We walked all over Chicago that night, and ate at Giordano's pizza and wandered Millennium Park.
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Wednesday Sept 16th The other two couples bought a Go Pass, but Sid had been to Chicago, so we decided to rent bikes and ride to see the church that his father preached in many years ago.
On the way to the church, which was an 18 mile round trip ride, we stopped to let Sid swim at the same beach he swam at, when he was 3 years old.
There were lots of interesting things to see along the lakeshore biking path.
We rented the bikes from Bike and Roll downtown and returned them to the Navy Pier. I thought it was pretty expensive, $85 for 2 of us for a half day. But the bikes were nice. They had comfy seats and gears. http://bikechicago.com/
That evening we hooked up with Captain Seamus aboard the Cloonlara..part of Millennium Sailing.
This was one of my favorite things that we did on the trip. The sun set, the beer, and great company- anchors away!
Sid and Bill even got to "drive" for awhile- great memories!
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Thursday, Sept 17th- the others were still on their GO PASS- so we decided to go Urban Kayaking.
It was hard finding a kayak rental place that was open during the day after Labor Day. But we finally found one far upstream. Kayak Chicago http://www.kayakchicago.com/
This place was a bit too far upstream. We had to paddle through some pretty nasty water before we got to the main city river... HOWEVER, it was really fun once we got there. You need to take your kayak experience seriously once you hit the main river branches. You have to "time" your crossings so you don't get hit by tour boats and pleasure boats. I loved being at river level view to see the architecture.
When we got home from kayaking, we showered off the nasty river water and walked across the street (from the Kinzie Hotel) to The Siena Tavern http://www.sienatavern.com/
We took our chances with the rain and snagged an outside seat- the rain held off for a few more hours
We tried their famous Coccoli, which is soft dough with cheese and prosciutto and honey..it was pretty special. Then we had regular salads and a chicken dish. We loved sitting outside-the inside was crazy loud!
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Friday Sept 18th- We had reservations to tour the home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright, and the other couples weren't interested...don't blame them- there was still so much of the city for them to see- so Sid and I went out (for me, back out-again) to Oak Park. On our bike tour, we only went by Frank's house- but this time Sid and I walked the neighborhood and then toured the house. The docent for this was terrific. but I was getting "Franked" out- lol- by the end of the day. Maybe the beer festival that the other couples went to, was more fun and less educational!!!
Sid and I returned to eat a light lunch at Public House http://www.publichousechicago.com (very good food and beer) took a nap, woke up strolled along the Riverwalk- we saw all the new riverwalk construction- it will be amazing, when it is all completed.
That evening we went to dinner at Bandera http://banderarestaurants.com/
It was a great meal (get the cornbread -please- get the corn bread as an appetizer)
We loved the 3 piece jazz band- who played softly, so we could still talk. We didn't ask for a window seat- I wish I had, when I made the reservation. But our booth was comfortable. This restaurant handles only tables of 4, though I did see one booth with 5 squeezed in. This restaurant is on the second floor above some shops, so don't pass it by!
Saturday Sept 19th was our day to go home. Thankfully, our group of 6 reunited for a farewell brunch at River Roast. http://www.riverroastchicago.com/#_home It was a beautiful view with great food and better company.
The other two couples had to catch an afternoon plane, but our plane left at 10:30 pm. We left our luggage at the luggage hold at The Kinzie and took off to look at more city architecture.
We found some more "Frank" stuff- gorgeous- over the top.
then my feet started to complain- I think they carried me 8-10 miles a day for 15 days- my dogs needed to sit down...so we opted for the Chicago Athletic club bar and its killer views! http://chicagoathletichotel.com/ The bar part is actually called Cindy's- but if you ask the doorman for the roof top bar, he will point you to the correct elevator.
As you can see it really does have a terrific view. I would like to go back there at night. They had fire pits on the patio! Bet you have to get there early for that seating.
So a fond farewell to Chicago- I must admit, it is in my top 3 of big American cities.
Everyone should try and make a trip to Chicago- and September is a perfect month!
>The Zebra
Lounge Piano Bar- (no cover 9pm-2AM) 1220 N. State Street
>The Green
Mill Jazz Club http://greenmilljazz.com/calendar/ 9pm to 5am ( 4802 N
Broadway- easy take the redline exit at Lawerence) cover $4-15- *Oldest
continuously run jazz club in USA- looks so cool
>Andy’s
Jazz Club http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g35805-d146765-Reviews-Andy_s_Jazz_Club-Chicago_Illinois.html 11 E Hubbard ($10-15
cover charge)
(historical-no music-no food- great hangout
bar- Best Bar in the world-“Roger Ebert”)
across from *Second City Theater ( show there every night night-$28-40 “Panic on
Cloud 9
http://secondcitychicago.laughstub.com/event.cfm?cart&id=383704&_ga=1.113008461.817552083.1436285778
>Drifter Bar-
cool speakeasy- with a hidden door- located IN the Green door^- go early if you
want to get in on weekends- cocktail- magic or hula
hoop girls http://www.timeout.com/chicago/bars/the-drifter
>>Salty Dog
sailing (limit 6) (leaves from Soldier Field area -4.4 miles) ($199 for 2 hr-
BYOB)
Groupon $69 for 2 people ($210 for 6
people) leaves from just below Navy Pier- BYOB
>>Kayak, SUP
rental at Chicago Water sports http://www.chicagowatersportrentals.com/
Saturday 7pm Twilight Chicago River walk and history tour
Thursday and Friday-
7pm Ghost Tour
>>Baisi
Thai – restaurant- (view of the Lake) .03 miles S down Mich. Ave- a little S
after Walton
>>Sayat Nova-
Armenian/ Mediterranean- 157 E. Ohio .08 miles W from Navy Pier
By Millenium Park Monroe St
and Michigan
>>Pastoral- cheese /deli/wine http://www.yelp.com/biz/pastoral-chicago-2?osq=restaurants+millenium+park
53 E lake St NW of Millennium Park off Michigan ave-
before you get to Park
If
there is a line don’t do it – deep dish pizza/ pasta/salad /antipasta etc.
130 E Randolf Street
>>Lou
Malnati’s Pizza (supposed to be the best ^^^ rival for this title) 439 N Wells- 1.3 miles west from
>>Purple
Pig (.09 miles south of condo)- Mediterranean wine bar – no reservations- tail to
snout pig
They bill themselves as cheese,
swine and wine- MUST GET THERE EARLY!!!!
Pigs ear and marrow- try and
grab an afternoon patio table
>>Big and
Little’s – fish tacos and truffle fries (featured on Dives and drive-in)
cheap eats -cash only
860 N Orleans St- (.08 miles- sw
–State/oak/new orleans)
>>Gilt Bar- 230 W Kinzie- 1.4 miles sw from
condo- (truffle and mushroom pasta/ garlic and balsamic on toast with a caesar
salad) http://www.yelp.com/biz/gilt-bar-chicago
make reservation thru open table
