Chicago

I accompanied Joe to the AMA conference in Chicago.  Joe has been the representative from the Air Force for the AMA since he was in medical school and he travels twice a year to their conferences (if he can).  Every June the meeting is held in Chicago and he has been trying to get me to go with him for about 10 years now.  He loves this city and this was the time to go.  Jim and Stephanie gladly came down to watch the kids for three days so I could check out this city.

We flew out on Thursday afternoon, June 14th.  When we arrived, it was right during rush hour so we grabbed a taxi from the airport to reach our hotel.  Our cab driver was from Africa and didn't speak any English or really acknowledge that we were in the car.  He would talk on his cell phone and completely ignore us.  It was pretty interesting since the rules of the cab were posted on the back of the front passenger seat and the first rule was "No cell phone use by the taxi driver".  In hindsight, I should have taken a picture of the rules because he broke about half of them.  I was stifling my giggles because Joe kept squeezing my leg and shooting me annoyed looks in the backseat.  It was the longest, quietest ride ever!  After 70 minutes of sitting in the taxi, we checked into our hotel.  We dropped everything off, freshened up, grabbed jackets and were off to find some dinner and check out the city before it got too dark.

We grabbed Chicago deep dish pizza at Gino's and stood in a line in the alley for about 30 minutes before sitting down to order.  The line went rather quickly and we visited with our line neighbors about the military and baseball (Cubs vs. Tigers that night).  We had a fun time swapping stories and experiences with them and when the time came to sit down for pizza, we were starving.  Deep-dish pizza takes about 45 minutes to cook so we ordered it first and then started with some bread and salad.  Everything was delicious and we loved just sitting outside.  We walked through the city and Joe pointed out various sites and buildings and decided to hit a movie before turning in.  We saw "Snow White and the Huntsman" and really liked it.

Friday was Joe's big day of meetings.  He left at 7:00 that morning and didn't get back until 7:00 that evening.  I slept in, got ready, and headed out along Michigan Avenue.  It was so fun to walk all by myself looking at different things and ducking in and out of stores with no time restraints.  I grabbed some lunch in the mall and walked the rest of the way down the avenue to the beaches of Lake Michigan.  I sat out there for a while watching people play volleyball, picnic, jet-ski, workout, and sunbathe.

Around 5:00 I headed back to our hotel to wait for Joe to get done.  He had reserved dinner at a nice French restaurant at 8:30 p.m. but I spoiled his plan by wanting to eat earlier and not so fancy.  He got back just after 6:30 and again we headed out along the streets. 

I had watched a show on the hotel channel about things to do and see in Chicago and decided that we needed to have a Chicago dog and Italian beef for dinner.  The most popular place was Portillo's so that's where we headed.

We then walked back towards the Avenue and grabbed some dessert at Ghirardelli's.  It was a toss-up between that and Hershey's but Ghirardelli's won.  We took our ice cream out to the courtyard of the Water Tower and relaxed there while watching people.  I love doing that!  When we finished up our ice cream we headed back to rent another movie in our hotel, "This Means War". 

Saturday morning was free for Joe so we grabbed some breakfast at Panera and walked towards the Cloud Gate, Chicago's museums and Millenium Park.  We walked and walked all along the park looking at everything.

Millennium Park is a public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago and was originally intended to celebrate the millennium.  It is a prominent civic center near Lake Michigan's shoreline that covers 24.5-acres.  The park features a variety of public art.  As of 2009, Millennium Park trailed only Navy Pier as a Chicago tourist attraction but planning of the park began in October 1997. Construction began in October 1998, and Millennium Park was opened in a ceremony on July 16, 2004, four years behind schedule.  The park has received awards for its accessibility and green design.  Millennium Park has free admission, and features the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Cloud Gate, the Crown Fountain, the Lurie Garden, and various other attractions. 

Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park.   Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its bean-like shape.  Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams.  It is 33 by 66 by 42 feet and weighs 110 short tons.
Said to have been inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline.  Visitors are able to walk around and under Cloud Gate's 12-foot high arch.  On the underside is the "omphalos" (Greek for "navel"), a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections.  The sculpture builds upon many of Kapoor's artistic themes, and is popular with tourists as a photo-taking opportunity for its unique reflective properties.

The sculpture was selected during a design competition. After Kapoor's design was chosen, numerous technological concerns regarding the design's construction and assembly arose, in addition to concerns regarding the sculpture's upkeep and maintenance. Various experts were consulted, some of whom believed the design could not be implemented.  Eventually, a feasible method was found, but the sculpture's construction fell behind schedule.  It was unveiled in an incomplete form during the Millennium Park grand opening celebration in 2004, before being concealed again while it was completed.  Cloud Gate was formally dedicated on May 15, 2006, and has since gained considerable popularity, both domestically and internationally.

 

This water sculpture was really cool and everyone loved staring at the person's face and waiting for the water squirting out of the mouth.

 

 

Crown Fountain

When it was time for Joe to get to his next meeting, we headed back along the pier and lake towards our hotel.  Right as we got close, it started to rain. 

While Joe was in his meeting, I took a short nap, read, and watched Raiders of the Lost Ark and when he was done a couple of hours later, we went back out to Navy Pier.  That was a fun place and very busy with tourists. 

 

 

We had a great time checking things out at Navy Pier all afternoon and then walked back to the hotel to get ready for the "fancy" dinner with the AMA group.  We ate at a delicious Italian restaurant and then headed back to finish off the evening with fireworks over Navy Pier.  It was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend with my guy.

Sunday morning we packed up and headed to the airport early to go home and celebrate Father's Day with our kids.  We had a wonderful weekend in Chicago and I loved the culture, architecture, and style that this unique city had to offer.  Thanks, babe, for showing me another fun city!

We found this fun store in the O'Hare airport so obviously had to stop for a treat and picture!