I have repeatedly said that I want the next year – going into my 50th birthday to be one where I am able to travel and experience new things. With that in mind, I was excited when a quick getaway to Chicago was planned.
Prior to this trip I had only been to the Chicago airport as a connection so I was excited to see what this city had to offer.
We had brunch at a popular breakfast stop before making our way downtown to explore the Willis (formally Sears) Tower. I’m not usually brave but I wanted to go to the top and surprised myself when I stepped out on to the glass sky ledge. The views from this building were breathtaking. It was a rainy day so I can only imagine how fantastic this might be on a clear day.
We spent the rest of the day in the Old town area of the city. This is a cute walkable area. We relaxed on a patio where my travel companion could smoke a cigar, ordered sushi from a cute restaurant and strolled in the rain.
The next day we switched hotels to stay at a hotel downtown. I was now in heaven as I could stare at the amazing Lake Michigan from my room. This is the second time I have seen Lake Michigan and I was no less impressed this time. I am still in awe of the vastness of this great lake and how much the water resembles the ocean I grew up near.
Apparently, every Wednesday and Saturday night during the summer there are fireworks at the Navy Pier. We had a perfect view of those from the hotel room as well.
During the day we took one of the famous Architectural River Cruises. I’ll admit that I didn’t listen to everything the guide had to say because I was busy relaxing and just taking in the amazing scenery as we cruised down the Chicago River. I’d definitely like to do the tour again whenever I return to Chicago.
I can’t wait to return to visit some of the other tourist attractions that we didn’t tackle this trip.
To sum it up, I loved Chicago. It was clean, relatively walkable, with both a breathtaking skyline and the amazing Lake Michigan. It was a bit chilly in June so I can imagine the winters would not be good for an island girl like me 🙂
