Despacio, Despacio.... A trip through several states of the USA ( and Mexico - sort of)

---

So, we have a week pretty much in Chicago. We have been a few times before so don't intend on visiting places that we have already seen (with the exception of the art museum). Geoff is conferencing and I am planning on meeting up with a friend from Massachusetts as well as some shopping and a few sights.

In a nutshell;

Shopping

Chicago, like most of the US is great for shopping compared to Australia. Firstly, the range is outstanding, secondly, you actually get pleasant and helpful assistants, and lastly, the prices can often run at 40 %!o(MISSING)f those in Australia. Xmas time is amazing, the stores are beautifully decorated as are the streets. The sales are also pretty incredible. We are within a very easy walk of the State St precinct so we have Target (was the Carson Pirie Scott dept store!!!), TJ Max, Macy's, Loft, Forever 21, Old Navy, Urban Outfitters, etc, etc.

We have a 20 min walk to The Magnificent Mile,high end, Nordstom, Bllomingdales, Saks, etc. I like the walk here, over the drawbridges and Chicago River. Amazingly festive feel to it. Christine and I pound the pavements and make a few purchases. We are weight constrained at this point having a lot of internal flights ahead of us. We shop a day with my friend, Nina, it's really nice to see her again. I make my buy of the week- my new sunglasses, exactly what I have been looking for since my last ones broke and the replacement ones fell in the river in Kalbarri. Anyone heard of Kate Spade? I hadn't but apparently she's a popular designer and I now own a pair of her black oval glasses- please, please don't let me lose them!

We also manage a day at Chicago Premium Outlet in Aurora. We catch a bus there as one of the conference activities. It is there that j crew becomes my new best friend, spent about an hour in that 1 store and now am totally set! Shame about the stuff I had set aside at the counter for Geoff that I managed to get back on the return buys without, the only consolation being that I hadn't paid for it. it is a good outlet, Christine got quite a bit at Coach at big discounts. GAP is there too, good bargains to be had. Was pretty restrained though as that weight limit is bothering me.

Of course there is more to Chicago than shopping (maybe?)



Attractions

If you are a first time visitor with a week to spare buying a visitor pass is a great way to go- you get 1/2 price admissions to stacks of things for a reasonable price. You can buy them on line or at some of the big attractions. we saw them for sale at Shedd Aquarium. It wasn't going to be cost effective for us so we gave it a miss. What we did do was-



Hancock Building

$17.50 per adult. Past the ticket desk is the compulsory photo stop- not negotiable - you must have a photo, that will be offered to you as you exit ( for a hefty price) . Next is the lift ride, complete with 3 attendants to direct you into the lift. The lift purports to be the fastest lift in the world- yep the lift talks to you as you travel the 95 floors up, shades of Disney. From the top are very good, we are the late afternoon so its a bit hazy, for clear views across into the next states it is advised to visit in the morning. The views, none the less are impressive. 360 degrees of Chicago. There is also quite an informative educational display with the history of Chicago well documented. There's also a coffee shop up there which we didn't try.

Willis Tower ( formerly known as the Sears Tower)

$18 per adult, very quiet with no queues. Also a late afternoon visit. Also the obligatory photo shoot. This visit was interesting in that we picked up a 'friend', a Southern boy who's friends deserted him - they were all afraid of heights. So, we all headed up and straight to the glass bridges- there are 3 alcoves in all that you can step into, the floor is glass so you can see all 106 floors of nothingness below, it was very cool. We managed to entertain ourselves for about 45 mins taking lots of photos. I wouldn't bother with the Hancock again, the Willis is way better IMO.

Lincoln Park Zoo

This is a free community zoo. It is easily walkable from the city, we walked along Lakeshore and cut into Lincoln Park from there. One interesting part was the murals that have been painted on the walkway at the beach. Chicago has lots of really good public art. Good walk along the 'beach' and past several old stately homes, then through a park. It took us about an hour to walk at a dawdling pace. The zoos main attraction is the gorilla breeding program, they have been very successful. Other exhibits include flamingos, polar bear, big cats, orangutans, monkeys, bats and giraffe. The apes exhibit is very good, they have a lot of play space, other areas though are bleak- think the old concrete enclosures that were popular in the past. Given that it was winter the cafe closed early and all outdoor food stands were shut. They run a Xmas lights show which would probably be pretty good. On the way out you can also stop by the botanic garden, it was good respite from the cold as it is warm and humid inside to simulate a tropical garden.Lincoln ParkWe walked through this neighbourhood heading back to downtown. I thought it was really interesting from an architectural perspective. Lots of diverse houses- various colours and styles. Pretty much all of them were decorated for Xmas including the front doors. We went from grand to state housing quickly though and felt vaguely uneasy for a while before finding our way back down town again. Certainly worth a walk through if you are looking for something a bit different.

Chicago Art Gallery

Amazing, an absolute must do. From memory it cost $16, $12 for students with ID. They run guided tours several times a day so it is worth having a look on line before the visit to see what's on offer. We had only a couple of hours so went to the Steve McQueen exhibit and I spent quite a bit of time in the American section- interesting display of art as well as artefacts/furniture, another look at 'American Gothic'! I also spent time in the Himalayan and Mongolian exhibit with pieces from Tibet, Nepal, Mongolian and India. Geoff spent his time at a hidden drawings section- stuff they don't usually display, and Christine had a lot more time available so did the French Impressionists too.

The Bean - formally know as Cloudgate

This sculpture is a Chicago icon, it is full of people, most with cameras in hand. Got some nice photos. Cool reflections of the city buildings. A must do, especially when the weather is kind, we we really lucky this year with relatively 'warm' and sunny days.

Restaurants/Food

We had 3 conference dinners to go to. The first was at the History Museum and so was a catered function. The next was in the Signature Room of the Hancock Centre- 94th floor, 360 degree views- great food, better views! Amazing by night. The next was at Everest in the Stock Exchange Building. French cuisine and seriously amazing. I would really like to go there again - it would be interesting to try the la carte menu given how amazing the meal was as a catered event.

Millers Pub - a Chicago institution, good for home style, reasonably priced pub food. It is ok but not awesome.

Lou Maldanidi (?) - pizza place, absolutely packed out, deep dish and regular pizza menu. You can't book, you just have to turn up and take your chances. They have a pretty good system where you order your pizzas on arrival and they 1/2 prepare them, when you get your table they are finished off so you are served pretty promptly. Drinks were expensive, you can only get wine, beer or soft drink- no ciders. Recommended by a local, it delivered - very good pizza. We ordered 2 entrees and 2 small pizzas with a small salad - very filling. A cab ride from the apartment (another lost item of clothing- this time Christine's hat, so that is 2 hats and 2 individual gloves that we have collectively lost).

Wild berries Pancakes- fantastic, fantastic, fantastic. Utterly huge servings, ideally you should share 1 dish between 2. A standard order is 5 pancakes!!!!!! Innumerable variations, sweet and savoury plus full brekfast menu if pancakes aren't your thing. I would definitely go again. Decent coffee by US standards, very large size drinks too.

Ada's Deli - in the Silversmith Hotel, another breakfast place, cheap, plentiful and delicious. Bottomless terrible coffee. Also have Jewish food available. Good for a quick breaky.

Summary

Chicago is a fantastic city, easy to navigate. There were stacks of things we just didn't get time to do. Definitely next time we need to go iceskating! Geoff enjoyed the conference, hopefully we'll be back there in 2 years. Would definitely rent the apartment again. Apartment info -https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/9578



Next stop - Michigan.

---

Photos

Christmas
State Street

Christmas
Bloomingdales, Michigan Ave

Eddie Bauers
Modelling

Water Tower
Shopping, Mag Mile- can you believe the weather!!!!

Glass bridge
Willis Tower

Wilberry Breaky
seriously enormous

Lake Michigan
amazing walking on the "beach" late November