Chicago (St. Patricks Day) March 14th 09

Three days, a car and a mini-budget… where to go?  New York ? Rob had already begun to explore the Big Apple.  Montreal to visit friends and family? We’ve been there fairly recently for a friend’s wedding.  Chicago ?  Yes!  Neither one of us has been and friends who have can’t stop raving about it so we decide that it’s the perfect destination for our little vacation.  Of course, we decide this the same day that we have to leave!  So, I hop on the internet in search of affordable accommodations in a fairly convenient location to major attractions.  “Affordable” and “ Chicago accommodations” is not a search string that yields pleasant results, though I find “hostel” to reveal a collection of budget-friendly options.  Arlington Hostel in Lincoln Park has decent nightly rates ($65 per room for two people) and has rave reviews from past guests.  I give them a call and ask if they have any vacancies and the guy on the other end of the line responds with a shocked “you’re enquiring about tonight?” Of

About nine hours later, we were rolling along the express toll route just shy of our destination.  We arrive at the hostel and, in typical hostel fashion, even though it’s midnight-ish, there are people hanging out in the lobby and are surfing the net in the lounge.  The hostel immediately reminds me of a university residence or a very, very old hotel.  The counter attendant is the antithesis of perky but manages to let me know that we’ll need to walk a few blocks to the nearest parking lot. That is one thing that we come to realize right away about Chicago … parking is VERY limited.  There are very few parking lots and most people need to park on the road.  In other words, you need to be an ace at parallel parking to own a car in this city.  Boy, do people know how to squeeze their car into a spot without actually touching the car that is mere centimetres away!  We quickly opt out of the parking lot and decide on street parking instead (we luck out and find a metered spot). 

We manage to find our room and are pleased to find it clean and welcoming.  There are two single beds, a nice desk and comfy office chair, a dresser and a washroom with a shower, sink and toilet.  Arlington is very comparable to a two-star hotel but with high ceilings and no towels.  After the long drive, it doesn’t take long for us to fall asleep. 

The next morning we decide to explore the neighbourhood a little bit.  If I had to describe Lincoln Park in Toronto terms, I’d have to say that it is the Annex-meets-Yonge and Eglinton-esque.  The area seems student driven with an undertone of established young professionals.  There’s a great variety of restaurants (many of them BYOB) and bars, not to mention great coffee shops and a 24-hour diner that serves up the biggest breakfast I’ve ever seen!

Since we know that we’ve only got a couple of days to get to know the city, we set off in search of the subway (er, El-Train). We find it fairly easily with the help of a very friendly local. The Chicago rail system is an impressive network of multiple lines that make it very convenient to get just about anywhere in the city.  Many of them loop around the downtown core, winding between buildings and above city streets for a very unique perspective of the day-to-day life of people who work in this beautiful city.  Visitors can pick up a 24-hour or multi-day transit pass at local grocery stores but not at train stations.  Also along these same lines, if you know that you’ll be visiting many of the major city attractions, you might consider picking up a CityPass at the same time. 

During our short stay we managed to pack in quite a bit of sightseeing: The John Hancock Observatory, Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park   Zoo, Navy Pier, Millenium Park , and the world-famous St. Patrick’s Day parade!  Here’s the inside scoop on each of these locations:

• John Hancock Observatory: It was a close toss-up between going to the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Observatory.  We decided on the Hancock Observatory simply because of its intense 80 miles radius of spectacular views.  Apparently, you can see locations in all 4 surrounding states from the JH Observatory.  Individual tickets cost $10 plus tax and you can also opt in for personal audio tours (i.e., an audio recording that guides you from station to station around the perimeter of the observatory, highlighting important sights and interesting historical tidbits).  We found the audio tour to be very beneficial and I’d recommend that you pay the additional $5.  Also, be sure to take the time to read the articles and check out the timeline on the observatory’s wall… there’s a lot to learn about the city!  For example, Chicago got its famous nickname “The Windy City” not from the fact that it is indeed very windy when walking around but actually from the fact that when politicians were petitioning for the Olympics?, their proposal speeches were so incredibly long-winded! Last, feel the wind at 1000 feet (the 94^th floor!) by standing on the JH Skywalk.  One section of the observatory has a screened in portion that lets you take in the sounds of the city below.

• Shedd Aquarium: This place had the most enormous line-up when we first arrived—thank goodness the aquarium is equally enormous or it would make for an unpleasant visit!  Of course, we have such an incredible time wandering the dimly lit halls full of ocean and animal life.  We take in the dolphin show and spend an extra long time admiring the beluga whale family.  The aquarium offers a huge array of rare and common species and provides lots of background of the species that you are looking at in any given moment.  Price per person is $23.00. Though we didn’t have time to visit, the ________________is right beside the museum.   

• Lincoln Park Zoo: We were really looking forward to visiting this free zoo that is just north of downtown but we were a bit too late in arriving and had but mere minutes to explore the buildings.  Though there are plenty of pens, since the weather was still a bit chilly, not many animals wanted to come out to play.  The grounds are beautiful and what we were able to see of the buildings seemed promising too.    

• Navy Pier: This place is like something out of the movies—nostalgia sweeps over your body, even if you’ve never been here before.  It’s simply gorgeous and offers lots to do, whether you’re a young couple or an older couple with a couple of kids!  There is a banquet facility, boat cruises, a midway (complete with enormous ferris wheel) and great eats.  Jutting out into Lake Michigan , the pier is considered by locals to be a one-stop entertainment location.  As a visitor, I’d have to agree!

• Millenium Park :  Simply put, this park is just amazing.  The city of Chicago has chosen to invest some money into the beautification of public spaces, from art sculptures to parks, they’ve done a great job.  There’s a skating rink, a concert venue, gardens, and a whole lot of art.  For example, we couldn’t stop staring at the two block towers that had reverse projection images of peoples faces as they spit out water. As the spit, water actually comes out of their mouths and splashes onto the pavement in front of the block.  Another popular park attraction is the big, silver, reflecting “bean.” Though I am sure that this sculpture has a name, it is lovingly referred to on postcards as “the bean.”

• St. Patrick’s Day Parade:  I don’t think that I’ve ever seen so many people at a parade before!  Also, I don’t think that I’ve ever seen such a collective be so serious about St. Patty’s Day either!  This city goes ALL OUT for St. Patty’s Day.  We think that we’ve got it good with green beer on the 17^th of March.  Well, Chicago dyes the river that flows through it GREEN.  Yes, thousands of people line the canals just to witness the dyeing process and then proceed to take their spot along the parade route.  The spirit is truly contagious and you can’t help but adorn yourself with green beads, buttons, and hats.

Walking for hours had nicely developed our appetite for some authentic Chicago fare--pizza pie.  Yes, it does come out looking like an ooey, gooey, cheesy pie and tastes even better than you think it will. We opted on the personal pan size and it was a good thing too because those pies pack a serious gut punch!  Not only delicious, they’re extremely filling too!

With great sadness, Rob and I rolled out of Chicago after the St. Patty’s day parade and drove through the night until we reached our GTA home.  To be honest, if I were in a position to chose another city to live in, Chicago would be a serious contender.  Genuinely friendly people, beautiful architecture, a world-class transit system and plenty of things to do… sounds great to me!