Travel Thoughts By Kim
Let’s go on an adventure together….to Chicago!
Looking down on Wrigley Field and the Chicago skyline from the press box level – play ball!
I am not a fan of big cities. But, there are a few that I’ve always had an interest in visiting. Chicago was one of them – it was actually on my bucket list. Well, I got to go the week of July 26-31. Some friends were going to visit a family member who lives there and they let me tag along. It was a great experience and one I happily checked off my list. We crammed a lot into the six day trip – it was rough on these old bones of mine, but we did it and saw as much of the city and key points of interest as we could.
Three of us stayed in an Airbnb condo and one stayed with the family member we were visiting. This was my first time using Airbnb. At first it was a bit frustrating – the first place we booked was through Vrbo and it was canceled on us. So, we started our search, again, and found an Airbnb. Unfortunately, that, too, was canceled on us. Both times, we got all our money back, but it still made us cautious about trying again. Third time was the charm, though – we found a condo a block from Wrigley Field in the neighborhood of Wrigleyville and just a few blocks from where our family member’s apartment was with a bus stop right at the corner of the block – perfect location! Even with the cancelations, I’d do Airbnb/Vrbo again if the situation was right for it.
Getting around Chicago was easy. We didn’t get a rental car and I would absolutely recommend you not bother with one for this city. The public transportation and availability of Ubers made anything we wanted to do easily accessible. We got a 7-day pass for the city transit system (buses) – $20 for unlimited use – and used Ubers when warranted. We also booked a 48 hour hop-on-hop-off tour, so we used that for our transportation for some of the main downtown sights. With all that at our beck and call, why pay for a car rental and all the city parking hassles and fees?
Chicago’s architecture is spectacular. We were amazed by all the different designs of the buildings – definitely not a “cookie cutter” city!
As for sightseeing, I think we did good! We saw the city from the top of a double decker open top bus – the architecture was spectacular! Most big cities all look the same to me, but Chicago definitely has a unique feel and the building designs varied greatly – definitely not a “cookie cutter” city! We ate at some good restaurants – I had a Chicago hotdog and really liked it even with all the odd stuff they put on it! We hopped off at the marker for the start of historic Route 66, Millenium Park, Grant Park, the castle-like structures of the historic water tower and pumping station built in 1869, and saw great views of Lake Michigan, the Chicago River, and the city of Chicago in general.
We booked a river cruise – one that focused on the architecture and history of the city. It was a 90-minute cruise down all three branches of the beautiful Chicago River while a wonderful docent talked about all of the buildings and their history. It was incredible and a “must do” if you find yourself in Chicago with time to do something like that. I highly recommend it – if you can only do one thing, do that!
The Chicago River is an integral part of the City of Chicago with a River Walk and boat tours. A “must do” if you’re in Chicago is the Chicago River Architecture Cruise!
I had hoped that the Cubs would be in town so I could go to a game, but they were away. So, we did the next best thing that actually ended up being even better than just going to a game – we took a guided tour of Wrigley Field. WOW! Just being in a major league ball park is a thrill – especially one this historic. We got to learn all about the history of the ball park and the Cubs. The tour took us into the stands, down on the sidelines of the field, a photo op with the famous ivy wall, up to the press box, and into the visitor’s clubhouse and dugout (there was a camp there that weekend and they were using the Cub’s clubhouse and dugout, so we couldn’t go in there). It was one of my highlights of the trip – if you have a chance to do this tour, do it! (But….don’t worry, I’m still a Yankees fan, even though the tour guide said we were all now honorary Cubs fans – haha)
We visited the famous “bean” – a sculpture that is actually called “Cloud Gate” in Millenium Park. That was cool! We also spent some time at the Navy Pier. While the others were inside shopping, I went out to ride the Centennial Wheel – a huge ferris wheel that overlooks Lake Michigan and the city. That was fun and the views from up there were awesome. And, we went to the top of Willis Tower – formerly known as Sears Tower – the tallest building in Chicago. I stepped out onto the “Ledge” – a glass enclosed balcony of sorts that sticks out from the 103rd floor with a glass floor looking down something like 1400 feet! I had to force myself to step out onto that glass floor, but I did it and I’m so glad I did! The sun was setting and the views were incredible!
The view of Chicago from the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower – formerly known as Sears Tower – at sunset.
My favorite place to eat was a fabulous super trendy upscale food court called “Time Out Market – Chicago” located in the Fulton Market. It is a huge place with communal seating and lots of different “kitchens” all around the perimeter. The food was awesome and the atmosphere was fun. I absolutely recommend you go there if in Chicago – you won’t regret it!
It was a great trip with dear friends and loads of wonderful memories made. To read the full story and see all the photos, visit my blog post: https://thoughtsbykim.com/2023/08/04/2023-chicago-adventure/
Happy Adventuring!
Kim Pritt
