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Published: December 25th 2010
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Today, on Christmas Eve, I woke up at 9.30am in order to prepare to leave for Chicago. Unfortunately, not everyone else got up and ready quickly so it was 11am before we left.
We decided to get the train into Chicago, but upon arriving found out it was actually cheaper to pay the $35 to drive and park in the city than pay for the train!
We went to Aldi (I was amazed they have Aldi here) and bought sandwhich supplies to try and make lunch a little cheaper.
The plan was to go Christmas shopping. As we approached the city centre, it began to snow lightly. The snow didn’t stop the whole day and it is still snowing now (as I write this at 11pm).
We parked the car and walked into a department store. We decided it would be a good idea to split into two groups; so Jenny and Carlotta went to do their thing, and me, Ace and Tom decided to go into the electronics store to buy some equipment for the car.
The shops were very busy unsurprisingly. The next thing we did was go visit the Hancock tower – one of the tallest
skyscrapers in Chicago. We considered going to the observation deck on the top floor, but were unwilling to pay the $15 courtesy fee. Instead we passed a shop which offered “free stress relief.” I walked in and enquired about their offer. They sat the three of us down and gave us hand massages and put lotion on our hands and necks, they also offered us some tea and mints. Everything was free and they didn’t ask for anything. It was great to get that service for absolutely no cost and made us all very happy leaving the shop. One of the lotions they put on my neck made all my joints feel less stiff and was really refreshing. We went in and out of all the shops trying out all the free samples on offer and experiencing Christmas Eve shopping in Chicago.
After the time in the shops, we decided to go to The Ritz in Chicago. We entered the hotel and took the lift to the hotel lobby. They had a chandelier in the elevator!
The Ritz was luxurious so we took some photos beside the Christmas tree and fountain and walked around the spacious room. We sat
down at the bar overlooking snowy Chicago and ate some free bar snacks. Today was very much a “free” day.
After relaxing in the warmth for a while, it was time to walk down Chicago again. We visited the main streets and took some more photographs. We walked by the theatre and then went to Trump Tower.
Trump Tower was amazing, there was a very nice 5 star hotel in there that we visited. We were able to get onto a private floor with business meeting rooms – the biggest one was left open. The lights were off, and we walked in to see an amazing overview of Chicago from the 17th floor. They had a private bar and private restrooms. The restrooms had face towels for washing your face with, so we took the opportunity to use the facilities available to us.
On the lower floor there was a restaurant and a grand piano, so I took the opportunity to play the piano for a couple of minutes. There were carol singers singing to the tables, and they were very good, singing many Christmas songs!
We left the trump tower and tried to visit the NBC tower
and a local radio station.
Unfortunately it was all closed up to the public for Christmas.
We ended the day back in the Hancock Tower and considered our plans for tomorrow (Christmas Day). We grabbed some food – Burger King, a couple of beers and headed back to the hotel to get a good sleep for Christmas. Christmas Eve was fantastic and I am really looking forward to a White Christmas in Chicago.
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