This year, we left Vegas on Friday night and got in at around 12:30am. We knew that it would be a late arrival into MDW, so we reserved a room at a hotel by the airport. This way we could maximize our shut-eye time and be rested for the weekend ahead. When we checked in, I always like to ask the front desk agent if we can get a room with a view of the city. The lady told us that this particular hotel didn't have any city views, so I took it as it was. The next morning, I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the curtains to a full view of Chicago's skyline!! Yay! Another thing we planned ahead of time was that we were not going to rent a car. Chicago is an easy city to walk if you strategically plan your location wisely. That morning, we were going to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport, catch the L into the city and be done with it, but we just couldn't wait that long to be in the city, so we took a cab. The really nice thing about this cab was that it didn't have a meter, so we took a 20-ish minute cab ride into the city for really cheap, and we didn't even have to haggle. The cabbie was like, "that ride was about $30 worth." Alright!!!
On this particular trip to Chicago, we had an interesting hotel situation. One of my coworkers won a night's stay at one of the hotels in the North Loop, and she gave it to me because she wasn't planning a trip to Chicago by the expiration date, so I gladly accepted the offer. Thanks Diana!!! That particular hotel was just a bit too pricey for us to stay in for 2 nights plus it wasn't in the area we wanted to be in for part of the trip. So, we had 3 different hotel rooms for 3 nights! I had never experienced that before. The second hotel we reserved was right in front of Buckingham Fountain, with views extending onto Lake Michigan. The hotel was called Congress Plaza, and I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants to experience that area of Chicago. We had a corner Lake View room, and the views were breathtaking. We could see Buckingham Fountain, Navy Pier and Shedd Aquarium out one window looking east, and the Willis (Sears) Tower and the city out the north facing window. It was pretty awesome!
We wasted no time getting out into the city, and our first stop was Giordano's Pizza. We discovered Giordano's on our first visit together as we wanted authentic deep-dish Chicago-style pizza, and we have made it a staple on each of our visits. We got to Giordano's shortly after it opened and we were able to be seated right away. It was a good thing too, because everyone else in the city thought pizza for lunch on a Saturday was a good idea!! I really can't describe the deliciousness of Giordano's, so you'll just have to go try it for yourself!!
We were really glad we walked to Giordano's because we definitely needed to walk it all off afterwards! Giordano's wasn't too far away from Millennium Park, so we went there and had fun in front of the Bean! I love this Bean because it is all reflective, and the skyline just bounces right off of it!
After Millennium Park, we headed to Buckingham Fountain. Now, believe it or not, in all the trips I've made to Chicago, I've never seen Buckingham Fountain up and working, so I was excited that it was running in its full glory. We spent a lot of time here. It was a perfect place to feel the full effect of Chicago as its backdrop.
After taking in Buckingham Fountain, we walked the Lakeshore south to Shedd Aquarium with full intention of seeing the aquarium. Apparently about 800 other people had that idea too. The line was so long to get in and luckily we hadn't pre-ordered tickets, so we decided to fore-go it. One thing we did notice was the stunning view of the skyline from the Aquarium, though. It was a view that I had never experienced before, so we found a bench and relaxed there for a while.
Saturday night was our dress-up night; we try to have one dressy date night in each city we go to. Being we like to frequent Chicago, we look for special things to do besides all the touristy stuff. For this trip to Chicago, we planned ahead and got tickets to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Both Robbie and I appreciate the finer music in life. He was a music major in college with emphasis on Vocal Performance, and I was a music minor with a French Horn emphasis. We both really appreciate orchestration and symphonies, and neither of us had been to a professional symphony in a major concert hall before, so we were all over this. We had the privilege to sit through 2 straight hours of beautiful music, and that was definitely the highlight of my trip! We were put on the mailing list, so we get updates on who is performing in the future, and I can't wait to build this into our plans for next time!
After a beautiful sunrise over Lake Michigan on Sunday morning, we moved on to our next hotel. It was called the Dana hotel and it was located more in downtown, just off the Magnificent Mile! The complimentary night at this hotel consisted of a corner suite with 2 balconies, and nearly 360 degree views of the city! We were in the heart of it for sure!
Sunday, we had tickets for the Chicago Line Cruise boat tour. We like to experience Chicago a different way each time we go. The first time Robbie and I went, we walked EVERYWHERE, the second time we went, we took a Segway Tour, which was awesome, and this time, we saw the city by boat. We signed up for the Architectural Tour, so as we floated down the Chicago River, the guide gave us interesting facts about the more famous buildings, along with a history of the city! It was a really fun way to see Chicago, and the next time we go, we are going rent bikes to get around!
Sunday night, we made our way through the city to Navy Pier. Let's face it, what is a trip to Chicago
without a stroll on the Pier?! It was a bit chilly out that night, so we didn't make it all the way down,but we did eat outside at a restaurant and just relaxed on our last night in the Windy City.
It's always sad to leave a city like Chicago, but it brightened my mood to know we will be back, probably sometime next year! Chicago definitely has a special place in our hearts!
No comments:
Post a Comment