A Few Hours In Chicago
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Due to work, budget and more I was headed to Chicago for business and I only had a small amount of time to actually see the city. It was almost like I had a layover there and I had to be quick about it. I flew in at 10pm to O’Hare and got an amazing view of the city while landing and even the Cubs game that was just finishing. I hopped off the plane, found my ride at pick up and went to sleep asap.
Since it was midsummer and HOT I only had carry on luggage and could’ve carried all my belongings around the city if I needed the following day which really hit home this could be done with a layover. The next morning I was dropped outside of Willis Tower and went about my business to get this list done by lunchtime. I walked everywhere because I thought it wouldn’t be worth the Uber riding. With the heat I could’ve benefitted from it, but I got to see a lot of extra spots and city performers this way. Plus I even signed a petition to stop animal abuse and bought a hair clip from a street vendor.
Skydeck (Willis Tower)
I started at Skydeck because it was my top thing to do. If I could only do one thing this would’ve been it. I was smart and got a Groupon which literally cut the entrance price by 70%. At the time I only paid $8 to enter, ride to the top, wait in the regular line and descend. This was an off-brand Groupon offered by the city of Chicago I found on the ride there. Now keep in mind I traveled alone so I was the last and only party of one that got on the elevator immediately. I purposely got to the Skydeck entrance a few minutes after they opened to beat the lines. There were about 40 groups of families ahead of me, which I skipped in front of my skipping the first photo op and getting pushed to the front of the line for the elevator. While waiting in the line upstairs I took in the views and shot some photos and just looked around. I recommend getting in line upstairs FIRST and then looking through the gift shop. Once it was my turn I took the picture they said I had to and then the attendant took a few photos of me with my phone, I took one or two and then left. If you have a serious heights problem I’d skip this but it was very neat to me.
Walking
So after the Skydeck I was advised to stay within the business district and walk down to the Art Institute, This walk reminded me a lot of New York and I stopped at a cafe to get an overpriced muffin and coffee and then kept going. I had no plans to go to the Institute but just walk around outside it. I then made a B-line to Buckingham Fountain while passing Fountain of the Great Lakes. These were really nice as the breeze blew some of the water off which kind of cooled you down. I had some random hot dog vendor offer to take my picture and then kept going to the waterside.
Lake Michigan
My intention was to get to Navy Pier but I quickly realized just how far of a walk that was from where I ended up along Lake Michigan and opted to just take a moment, grab an OUTSTANDING lemonade from a stand and sit and enjoy being by the water. The water’s color was so unreal to me as I’m from the Maryland Bay area and the boats were all too peaceful to be by. Once I realized I had limited time left I made my way up to “the bean”.
Cloud Gate
When walking to Cloud Gate I intentionally walked through the Maggie Daley park to see the art and structures, over the BP bridge (where I literally cooked like a rotissere) and across the pavilion. Cloud gate was not as busy as I expected but the groups came in waves. I snapped a few pics and then started walking to my pick up spot at Block 37. I waited at a rail station to see the cars go over, purchased from a street vendor, immediately lost the hair clip I bought and finally found a restroom at Block 37.
The Details
If there’s anything I would’ve done differently, I would’ve taken an Uber when possible as I could have seen Navy Pier and arrived at Willis Tower about a half hour earlier. I may have also made it a point to use a restroom when I passed one at Willis Tower or the cafe as I never passed one again! Although I was a small girl with an expensive camera walking around alone I felt safe going through the areas that I did. Now, I come from Baltimore so that ma be why - but the streets were filled with people in their business attire or random tourists. I really felt like I saw the big parts of the city and that my time was well used!
