Chicago

July 21, 2011









Chicago

Our second full day in Chicago was spent exploring the city and its architecture. Kathy & I had each visited before, but never together and it has been years, since I lived in Indiana; that I spent any serious time in Chicago. The city has changed and there are all sorts of interesting new things to see. Michigan Avenue

Water Tower



We started the day walking up the Magnificent Mile, Michigan Avenue, which is located only 1 block over from our hotel. This shopper’s paradise is home to just about every upscale retailer in the world as well as many specialty shops and restaurants. It is home to over 400 retail stores, all concentrated with-in about a mile of the street. Much like Rodeo Drive or Fifth Avenue, the Mag, as it is known to locals hosts some of the most luxurious shopping anywhere.







We didn’t purchase a single thing, instead walking up the street to the Old Chicago Water Tower, the water tower is one of the few buildings in the city that survived the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Just past it is the John Hancock Tower, a 100 story building that is currently the 6th tallest building in America. We headed up to the observation deck on the 96th floor, which offers spectacular 360 degree viewing of the city. The view from the top includes four states and more than 80 miles on a clear day. We had a pretty decent day.









After checking out the view, we caught a cta bus south on Michigan, we were scheduled to meet some friends at the Chicago River boarding area for the Chicago Architecture Foundations, Architectural Boat Tour. We got off a couple of blocks south at Millennium Park so that we could check out the fabulous bean sculpture.









Officially known as Cloud Gate, the incredible reflective bean shaped sculpture was built between 2004-2006 by artist Anish Kapoor. From every angle, it reflects and distorts whatever is opposite it including the city skyline and the hoards of people that gather around it every day to see it. It is an amazing piece of art and has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city.







Graf

Next we walked up to meet our friends for the boat tour. Sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Foundation the 90 minute boat tour was a wonderful chance to get a unique view of the incredibly diverse array of architectural styles. We boarded the upper deck of the "Chicago Lady" and were off to tour the River. A docent described the important buildings, infusing stories with the history of the city and pointing out significant features of the skyline's buildings.





After the cruise, we joined our newlywed friends in search of a Chicago style meal, wondering back up Michigan Avenue, past the brand new huge sculpture of Marilyn Monroe next to the Chicago Tribune by part-time Key West resident, Seward Johnson. A smaller version of the same sculpture is in front of our Tropic Cinema. The sculpture which was unveiled in Chicago has met with mixed reviews, not so much for the sculpture itself- but for the behavior of some citizens as they walk underneath Marilyn's dress.





We eventually ended up at the famous Ed Debevic's restaurant. A 50s style diner that serves the prototypical Chicago style hotdogs. The wait staff are mostly pretend rude, but periodically break into song and dance to the tunes spun by the resident DJ. It was a fun place to eat and the food was surprisingly good.





Trevor & Nadene

John Hancock Tower Observatory

Architectural Boat Tour