Monday, August 18...
Borrowed my Dad's car, and headed East. Grand Rapids to Chicago... real easy drive, just under 3 hours, even with construction and 3 stops to pay 5 bucks in tolls. Crossed the bridge and the Chicago skyline opened up in front of me. I had only visited once before, when I was a kid, so I was way overdue. I drove into the heart of downtown and quickly ditched the car in an underground parking garage. Pretty sketchy garage with extremely tight corners, and I had to pay an attendant to park it. Scarfed down some chicken wings, and went outside to walk amongst the giants.
Couldn't get over the skyscrapers. Just amazing, what man can create. After hoofing it in the hot sun for awhile, I opted for a boat trip. I found an architecture tour on an open air vessel that slid along the Chicago River, under some 25 low-hanging drawbridges. We had a great tour guide, who described many of the buildings towering above... The Sears Tower, Hard Rock, and the almost-finished Trump Palace, to name a few.
After the boat ride, I walked the city a bit further, stopping for a classic Chicago-style hot dog at Gold Coast. Late in the afternoon, I grabbed my car after paying the $25 to park, and drove North, to Lakeview.
The skyscrapers were replaced by old row houses, shops, and bars as I neared Wrigleyville. I was staying with the Chikos', my friend Elaina's two sisters, and lucked out with my timing because their third roommate was out of town. That translates to a bedroom for yours truly! They live in a third floor apartment, next to the El Train, and around the corner from a click concert venue called The Vic. Alison, the older sister met me there, and fixed up some killer margaritas. Didn't take long for us to hit it off, chatting like we'd known each other for years.
We cleaned up, and walked to a killer Thai restaurant a few blocks over. After dinner, we hiked to Wrigley Field, and grabbed a beer at one of the MANY cool, local pubs. Crashed about midnight, my legs pretty much finished.
On Tuesday, I slept in a bit, and met the younger sister, Tracey, who had worked the night before. I walked to a slick little omelet shop for some decent breakfast, excellent coffee, and "frushi" for dessert. (Sushi-shaped fruit). Tracey and I then hopped on the El for a 15 minute ride downtown. Soooooooo much better than taking the car. After a few wrong turns, we found the Art Institue, where we oggled Van Gogh, Picasso, and Pollock (my favorite). We then hit up Millenium Park and "the Bean", downing a couple Chicago Dogs in the process.
We hopped on the El for our return trip back home, to meet up with Ali. The three of us cleaned up and headed South to Gino's Original for some authentic, deep dish pizza. GUT BOMB, but damn good. Barely made it through 2 slices before we surrendered and headed to Wrigley Field.
The Cubs had a night game, and the original plan was to get a couple cheap seats after the game started, but it was a total pitcher's duel and by the time we got there, the game was half over. No matter... we planted ourselves at a bar right next to the stadium, and could hear the action from the patio. Cubs Win! We hit another cool little bar, Raw, for martinis on our way home, and watched "The Blues Brothers" before bed... (Tracey had never seen it!)
My last day in town, and neither of the girls had to work, so we hiked a few miles to Lake Michigan, and followed the boardwalk to the Lincoln Park Zoo. What a nice setup... totally free, and ALL the animals were out... lions, camels, even polar bears. Great time... walked back, and after lunch, I said my goodbyes, reluctantly. Chicago is such a fantastic city... if it weren't for the cold winters, I could totally live there... take the El everywhere, go without a car... be a Cubs fan...
No comments:
Post a Comment