In early July we decided to take an overnight trip to Chicago and I am finally getting around to sharing a few pictures!! I know I mentioned before that my
husband had been on vacation and I cut back a lot with blogging during
that time, then I was sick with a summer cold and once again didn't feel like blogging much. But he's back at work now and I am over my cold so I finally managed to get the post done!
I had an Amtrak ticket voucher from a cancelled trip to Chicago in January and
when I read that American Ballet Theatre (America's National Ballet Company)
was coming to downtown Chicago for one of their "ABT on Tour" stops, I thought
this was the perfect time to visit.
Unfortunately my original hotel choice is way too expensive in the Summer,
(the Kimpton Monaco - I love
this boutique hotel on the Chicago River with its large window seats!) so
instead I decided to to book a room in the Chicago Theatre District, at the
Hampton Inn Majestic. While this hotel lacked the beautiful view, it does come with free
breakfast and the location is just as good as the Kimpton Monaco with only a 7
minute walk to Millennium Park where the ABT was performing. Highly recommend
if you don't necessarily care about the view but are looking for a good
night's sleep. (It was definitely one of the most quiet hotels I ever stayed
in!)
The train arrived mid-morning so we had plenty of time for sightseeing before
we were able to check into the hotel and until our legs felt like they'd fall
of :-). I don't know what it is about these big cities, but everything appears
to be so close and by the time you reach your destination you have walked many
miles!
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After stopping at the
Pittsfield Cafe for lunch, our
first stop was at the Millennium Park where the dancers would be performing at
Pritzker Pavilion.
(Below is a photo of my lunch at the Pittsfield Café, I chose the California Dreams, which was a grilled Chicken sandwich with
sliced Avocado, Swiss cheese and caramelized onions. Yum!! I discovered this
café through TripAdvisor and it was our first time eating here but definitely
not our last! My husband wasn't so sure about the building it was in (it's an
old art deco building that's looks a bit abandoned when you first enter) but
he too loved his food. And honestly I personally loved the building.
I'm sure most of you will recognize part of this Chicago landmark, the Bean
a.k.a Cloud Gate ... you can see the flash of my camera with the four of us.
This is the side of the bean.
And another view.
DuSable bridge is below, crossing over the Chicago River onto the Magnificant
Mile. We hadn't really planned on going onto Michigan Avenue this time but we
had plenty of time before check-in at the hotel, so we decided to go.
Outfit details for those of you interested:
I would have loved to wear a more summery outfit, but this was an
unseasonably chilly July week (around 65 degrees Fahrenheit) and so we had
to dress in layers. I'm not sure I ever needed a jacket in July before! I love the casual style of a utility jacket and I probably reach for it more than any other jackets in my closet.
Below is another view at the Chicago River, this time with Lake Michigan in
the background. There are so many boat tour options in Chicago and I can't
believe the only one we've ever taken was in 1999, which was a Lake Michigan
Boat tour. I really want to take the Architectural Tour on the Chicago River,
and will be sure to plan this next time when we visit the city.
After checking out a few stores at Water Tower Place on Michigan Avenue, we
crossed over Lakeshore drive and onto Lakeshore Trail where we came upon one
of Chicago's beaches.
This is Ohio Street Beach, I'm sure usually packed in the Summer but on this
day it was cold and windy so not too many people here. But if you look closely
on the right side, there were still some brave souls who got into the water.
Something else we hadn't planned was going to Navy Pier. Honestly we end up
here almost ever time we visit downtown Chicago for an overnight stay, and
every time we regret going because I find this area to be just a tourist
trap.
There is a Ferris wheel here with beautiful views at the city skyline but we
went on it a few years ago and skipped it this time. This is also
where you can purchase a Lake Michigan Boat Tour (although I think this
summer you have to purchase tickets ahead online) and buy an ice cream cone
for about $8 a waffle cone LOL. We spent almost $40 for 4 waffle cones.
Don't do that!! Most expensive ice cream ever!!
There is a Children's Museum at Navy Pier which we visited many many years ago, and back then there used to a Theatre there as well, but I don't know if it's still there. And of course plenty of souvenir shops.
Pretty view of the city in the photo below.
You can see Chicago's River Walk below. I love the mix of old and new buildings!
After we checked into our hotel, we made our way back to Millennium Park
to get seats for the American Ballet Theatre presentation. Seating was
first come first serve with a few they offered online for free
reservation, but I wasn't able to get any of those, so we made sure to
arrive in plenty of time.
This was held on an outdoor stage, at Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavillion.
They performed some modern dances as well as traditional ballet, my
favorites were an excerpt of The Swan Lake ballet and a beautiful piece
performed to music sung by Tony Bennet.
The bean at sunset as we made our way back to the hotel.
After a good night's sleep we decided to walk to the Shedd Aquarium
(instead of a taxi) because I wanted to take in more of the sights. It's
really only a 30 minutes walk from the hotel to the Aquarium through Grant
Park.
Below is the city view as seen from Shedd Aquarium.
While we loved the Shedd Aquarium in the past, it kind of left us a bit
underwhelmed this time and probably won't visit it again. We probably have
just seen it and other aquariums too many times....
We did spend several hours there to get our money's worth (I think it was
around $180 for the four of us), then made our way back, again along Lake
Michigan and through Grant Park.
Buckingham Fountain is below. It was still chilly, but at least the sun
came out on this second day.
Some impressive statues at the corner of Ida B. Wells and Michigan Avenue
right across from the
Congress Plaza Hotel, which (as a side note) was declared as the most haunted place in
Illinois. No, I never did stay here so I can't confirm this :-)
Sears Willis Tower in front of Chicago's Union
Station.
These seagulls liked to hang out with us here along the river in front of the Union Station as well, as we were waiting on our train to arrive.
Thanks so much for visiting!
