CHICAGO

Rog had a continuing education class in Chicago for his CPA license last week. Sarah and I jumped at the opportunity to visit the windy city. While Rog was in classes, Sarah and I explored the parks and shopping centers. (But we waited until Friday, when Rog could join us, to go to the Water Tower and walk the "Magnificent Mile.") Here are the highlights ...

DEEP DISH PLEASE

We went to Gino's for dinner with our friend Andrea to see Zachary's Pizza in Berkley compared with the "authentic" Chicago deep dish. I don't know if it was the ambiance (the graffiti-dirty subway look) that influenced our decision, but Zachary wins hands down!









WATER PARK

Who needs to go to a water theme park when Millennium Park has water features that you can full on play in. The weather was perfect - kids and adults were soaking wet from the giant water towers shooting forth water. It is something you have to see for yourself.






GOTHAM?


As I walked around town, there was something about the above-ground train system that seemed remarkably familiar. Something in a Batman movie? Yep. When we watched the news we saw Christian Bale hanging out with the Chicago mayor at a press conference. He was in town to shoot a new Batman movie with the city of Chicago playing Gotham.

AMERICA'S TALLEST TOWER


Another top site on our to do list was Sears Tower. Wow! We walked around on the 103rd floor for almost 2 hours. IT is unbelievable how much bigger Chicago buildings are than SF buildings. And you can see for miles and miles around since there are NO HILLS! It's crazy to think that the office building I used to work at is only 1/5 of the Sears Tower. Quick Fact: Did you know that the staggering levels of the Sears Tower was pattered after a handful of cigarettes!

NAVY PIER TOURIST TRAP

After the Sears Tower we caught the free trolley to Navy Pier (Which I have to say I was glad to jump on so I could nurse Sarah while we drove the 20+ blocks to one of Chicago's biggest tourist traps. (Yes we were warned by the trolley driver, but went anyway.) "Amazing Chicago" wasn't as amazing as it sounded. The fun house/maze started out promising with a mirror maze and spinning tunnel, but the firework finale left quite a bit to desire.

A bright spot on the trip to Navy Pier was the Ferris Wheel. Rog and Sarah shared their first ride on a Ferris Wheel. (I went too, but have been on a few in my somewhat frequent trips to Lagoon.) We ate carnival food and walked through the stained glass museum on the way out. So it wasn't a total bust, but let's just say I'm glad we caught the trolley. It would have been not so pleasant if we would have put in more effort to go...




CHICAGO CULTURE
Before I forget, we also went to the free night at the Chicago Institute of Art. I'm afraid to admit amongst my very culture-savvy friends that most of the time I'm not a museum goer. I mean I like art, but I am not one to spend hours on end at a museum. The hour or so that we had at the Chicago Art Institute was perfect. I wasn't bored and left feeling I could have seen a little more. My favorites were these:





NO SHOW
It was hard not going to the theater while we were there. Our hotel, Kimpton's Hotel Allegro, is in the heart of Chicago's Theater District and "Wicked" and "The Color Purple" were playing within two blocks from us. What we sacrifice for our sweet Sarah. :)



All in all it was a great trip. Thumbs up for Chicago!