Oh Chicago, city of
wind, aggressive drivers, and really pretty potted plants, how Ryan and I love
your hot dogs. Portillos was our first stop downtown after dropping off the car
at my cousin’s lovely flat and riding the subway downtown. For those of you who
aren’t familiar with Chicago dogs, there’s the Portillo way, and then there’s
the wrong way. The perfect Vienna beef hot dog (pictured below) has relish,
tomato slices, a pickle spear, mustard, two hot peppers, diced onion, and sits
snugly in a steamed poppy seed bun. It’s simply the best!
After lunch Ryan and
headed towards the lake, crossing Michigan Avenue along the way, (seriously the
potted plants were really pretty) eventually arriving at Navy Pier. Much of the
pier is under construction, but Ryan and I enjoyed the view from the pier and
chasing seagulls. We even stopped into a little stained glass window exhibit
from the Tiffany Stained Glass company.
We walked up
Lakeshore Drive to the Field Museum of Nature and Science for a different view
of the city. Bikes, runners, and tourists on Segways provided ample people
watching, especially at intersections of pedestrian paths. Fisherman watched
lazily over their poles along the walkway with million dollar yachts bobbing a
short distance off.
We then headed to
Grant Park and walked back north via its shaded pathways and lovely flower beds
toward Millennium Park. Here we ran into the Lurie garden, which
afforded one of our favorite parts of the day, a nice wading pool that was the
perfect temperature to chill our tired feet. The garden surrounding us was
absolutely beautiful, providing serenity while the high-rises of Chicago shaded
us from the late afternoon sun. I won’t forget that lovely garden, which is
planted and maintained by Chicago volunteers, and we were reluctant to put our
shoes back on.
But of course we had
to find the Bean.
 |
| The buildings are bending!! |
You can easily find
Ryan in this photo, but can you find me?
Feeling like we’d
accomplished all the touristy things we could in the city, we meandered back to
the subway (Ryan and I were very proud of our ability to navigate public
transit as well as we did) and headed back to meet my cousin for dinner. We
chose a tasty sushi spot in downtown Andersonville (still a part of Chicago
proper) and enjoyed a cold beer from the liquor store across the street. By
some legislative miracle, some restaurants in Chicago allow BYOB rather than
applying for their own liquor license. So Ryan and I enjoyed a taste of my
hometown with 6-pack of New Belgium Snapshot.
 |
| An example of the decor via Google Images |
After dinner, my
cousin took us to a real treat, the Green Mill, an old speakeasy frequented by
Al Capone. A live jazz singer and her troupe including an upright bass,
guitarist, and drummer serenaded the darkened bar. Carved oak paneling framed
painted murals above the booths and the bar sported an old cash register easily
from the 20s. Green glass lamps lit by tea candles dotted the tables and bar
adding to the overall ambience. My cousin leaned over and whispered that rumor
has it below the Green Mill are a series of catacombs, excavated during the
prohibition era and still in function today. My eyes widened and as I turned to
repeat this snippet to Ryan, a bar attendant emerged out of nowhere from behind
the bar, turned and closed what I would assume was a trapdoor in the floor. I
turned and gaped at my cousin, who smiled, “welcome to Chicago!”
Ryan and I were sad we
couldn’t stay longer, but left early this morning heading for Michigan. We
stupidly decided to take highway 41 along the lake for as long as we could,
leading us right into the lovely neighborhoods of South Chicago. We looked at
each other, plugged a route into the GPS to get us outta there, and prayed that
somehow no thugs would notice an Acura MDX with a cargo box on top and two nice
bikes on back with two idiot white kids inside. In Ryan’s words, “Could be
worse, we could need to get gas.”
We survived and now we’re
on our way to Hartwick Pines in Michigan. Reception may get spotty, but I’ll
post when I can!
No comments:
Post a Comment