We left Dubuque and headed for Chicago IL with a song in our hearts. We had such a wonderful time in Dubuque and we have high hopes for the next stop on our cross country journey. Chicago is one of the great American cities and we both had only been to The Windy City for business so we never were able to really enjoy it. The travel there was fairly short and uneventful. We arrived and had to find Tucker’s Pups where Eddie was to be boarded. Now, Chicago is an amazing and wonderous place but driving in it is crazy making. The pedestrians pay no attention to the status of the walk signals and stride fearlessly out into the street regardless of the color of the lights or signals. The Chicago drivers could easily qualify for NASCAR status and the non-Chicago residents like us are scared to death which provides its own type of danger. We found Tucker’s Pups with only a few hair-raising incidents, found a gas station and then tried to find our hotel.
Wait! What the fluff? I have plans to dine and play. What am I doing here? It was all going so well and then I’m dumped. Come back! Come back!
We thought we found our hotel with a few wrong turns and trips around the block due to one-way streets, only to realize, we were at the WRONG Marriott Courtyard. This was after the valet and bellhop helped us unload our luggage and we tried to check in. OK, so back out to the streets of downtown Chicago and many, many more wrong turns before we found the RIGHT Marriott Courtyard. The hotel had previously sent us an email to let us know the cost of parking (eye-watering high) and there was a $20 per day additional charge if you wanted in and out privileges. We did not as we did not intend to drive again in Chicago until we left, thank you very much. Oh, and by the way, the valet only accepted cash and you had to pay for all the days you planned to park in advance. Money laundering, anyone? When we handed over $225 in cash, the valet wasn’t going to give us a receipt for the cash but just a claim ticket (WTF?). Sandy insisted on a receipt which the valet reluctantly provided and we watch our car drive off while wondering if we would ever see it again.
It serves you right. I’m your lucky charm. Mommies be…..
We just opted for dinner at the hotel restaurant called the “Copper Fox” and a few adult beverages to calm our nerves. Then, off to bed as we had an Architecture River boat tour the next morning. The boat tour was wonderful and Kathy, our tour guide was incredibly impressive. Her knowledge of Chicago Architecture and history was as wide as it was deep. She pointed out all the iconic buildings and some lesser-known ones and told great stories about the city itself. Afterwards we had lunch at a cool local restaurant called “The Egg Harbor Café” and wandered around downtown.
We went into the futuristic looking Apple store where there is an auditorium with Apple employees giving classes on how to use their new products to anyone who walks in off the street. After exploring, we headed back to the hotel to rest, clean up and decide where to go for dinner. We opted for something close and chose “The Capital Grill” right across from the hotel. It was delicious, of course, and Michelle got the steak she was jonesing for since the beginning of the trip and Sandy had a delicious seared ahi (no surprise).
Hello? Hello? I need to speak to management. There’s been a terrible mistake. There are DOGS here. Someone? Hello?
The next morning was our land tour by van. There were only six of us, so the tour was pretty intimate and laid back. We saw more incredible architecture and heard more stories about Chicago. Rick, our tour guide, told us stories about gangsters, bank robbers and politicians who he put all in the same category. There were a couple of commonalities between our tour guides. Kathy was professional and still friendly, and Rick was acerbic and sarcastically funny but they both told us the same two things. First, that the name Chicago comes from a Native American term that means “stinky onion” and that the tallest building in Chicago is the Willis Tower and “Willis” is pronounced Sears. Apparently even though the tower was renamed in 2009, no one calls it the Willis tower. After our tour we decided we would continue our tradition and go to the Hard Rock Café for a late lunch/early dinner. The food was as expected and afterwards we bought HR pins and a t-shirt. Another Hard Rock visited – mission accomplished.
The DOGS in this prison slam their water dishes against the bars all night long and talk incessantly. I can’t sleep. Where is the manager?
Saturday brought weather in the low 80’s and joy for all the Chicagoans. Everyone we met was rejoicing about the weather. I would imagine it’s like how we Coachella Valley people react to a pleasant day in the low 90’s in the summer! We headed for the Field Museum in a Lyft (thank heavens they have Lyft here) and spent the next six hours marveling at the exhibits and the true grandeur of the Field (we’re told it is like Cher and just has the one name here in the city. No one calls it the Field Museum. We loved the Ancient American exhibit and spent nearly an hour and a half there. But, of course, the real star of the Field, is Sue the most complete and largest skeleton of a T-Rex ever discovered. We must say, she is pretty cool and awe-inspiring when you lay eyes on her. If any of you find yourself in Chicago with some time, she is worth the price of admission. After six hours, our brains were overstimulated, and our feet were exhausted so back to the hotel we went and sat at the bar drinking diet coke and sparkling water (you can guess who had what). We met a very nice gentlemen named Brad while sitting there. He is from St. Louis, but wouldn’t you know it, he is planning on moving to Palm Springs! We connected on Facebook so he can keep us apprised of his progress towards moving to the Coachella Valley. For dinner, we saw an intriguing restaurant called “Lure” in our wanderings, so we decided to try it. We were able to get in without reservations because it was still fairly early, and the sushi was delicious! We are batting 1000 for food so far this trip.
Bread and water. I hope they are having fun. It’s just bread and water here.
Sunday is our last day in Chicago, and we debated what was a “must-do” for this trip and decided on The Art Institute of Chicago. We believe we made the right choice if, for no other reason, the Impressionist art. They had so many Van Goghs, Monets, Manets, Cezannes, Toulouse-Lautrec and Degas that we were left a bit dazzled. But we both agreed that it was the Renoirs that truly enchanted us. They have over a dozen in two rooms and we found ourselves lost in them. For dinner, we decided we would go back to Lure since we loved it so much. We explored a few different things on the menu and loved it just as much as the night before. Tomorrow we are off to Cleveland.
Remember me? Will you remember to pick me up? Hello?
