I recently stopped off for a days in Chicago before continuing on to the East Coast. I had changed planes in Chicago many times, but I had never really "been" to Chicago. From O'Hare Airport I took the Blue Line train to my hotel in downtown having to change trains only once. I checked in at the Essex, the cheapest hotel I could find in downtown but one which I would highly recommend. They played jazz in the lobby - some great Charlie Parker licks I had never heard before, and there were art reprints on all the walls. The TV remote actually worked! Also it was centrally located on Michigan Avenue just across the street from Grant Park, Chicago's Central Park (pardon the NYC centric-ness). The only unfortunate thing abouut the hotel was that the pool, which was very nice, was closed for remodeling. So I had to get up early and take the Red Line subway to the New City YMCA in north Chicago where I got to swim for free with my San Diego Y card. In fact I swam for free at all the various Y's I used on this trip including Summit, NJ and the Sussex Count Y, located near Hamburg, NJ. Such a deal! By the way click on any picture to make it larger.
Michigan Avenue is one of the finest streets in Chicago: many fine hotels and restaurants. Just up Michigan Avenue from the Essex is the Art Institute of Chicago, my primary destination and one of the finest art museums in the world, certainly the best in the US for European art from the Impressionist era. They were having a special exhibition: "Vollard: From Cezanne to Picasso." Vollard was the art dealer who handled most of the Impressionists' and post-Impressionists' stuff and got rich in the process although the same couldn't be said about most of the Impressionists. But more about that in a separate blog just about the Art Institute. For now the photo album is available here.
After checking in, I headed up Michigan Ave to Millenium Park, a new and glitzy part of Grant Park featuring a stage and area for outdoor concerts and other productions. Along the way I got some neat shots of some of Chicago's signature landmark buldings such as the Aon Center, Prudential Plaza, CNA Plaza (painted bright red).Then I did a little walking tour around the circumference of Grant Park. Not as well developed as Central Park in NYC, neverthelesss, the park contains an assortment of monuments and fountains including the most famous: Buckingham Fountain. As it was gettting dark, I headed north on Michigan Avenue and back to my hotel.
The next day I walked around downtown snapping pictures (my favorite thing to do) until it was time for the Art Institute to open. There are a lot of architecturally splendiferous buildings including the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the world till 1996 and since the demise of the World Trade Center, the tallest building in North America. I circumnavigated downtown along the Chicago River staying mostly on Wacker Ave (wonderful Wwwackerrrr, I couldn't help saying that, with apologies to George Carlin). There are lots of gleaming towers in downtown Chicago such as 311 South Wacker, and lots of famous department stores including Sears Roebuck, of course, as well as Macy's (formerly Marshall Fields), and Carson Pirie Scott as well as all the usual mall varieties such as Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom's.
There are some unusual condos along the Chicago River and Trump (who else!) is building more.
The "El" an elevated train makes the rounds around downtown known as "the Loop." There is also a subway containing the blue line, the red line and an assortment of other colors.
After my day at the Art Institute I took a brief nap at my hotel and then headed out again. I decided to walk the "Magnificent Mile" that stretch of Michigan Ave located north of the Chicago River which is the premium shopping area of downtown Chicago. Additionally, there's the Wrigley Building, the Chicago Tribune building and the John Hancock building among others.
Figuring I'd walked a good ten miles that day including the 5 hours I spent at the Art Institute, I retired to my hotel. That night a serious storm blew in off Lake Michigan. The next morning I seriously wondered whether I should go to the Y and swim or not. But I decided, what the heck, and ventured out. I never came so close to being blown off my feet. The snow was blowing horizontal! I made it to the Y (one of few who did), then, on the way ba, got off the Red Line at Jackson for a Starbucks I'd recently found (I'd had to settle for Dunkin Donuts the previous day), got back on the Red Line and went one stop to Harrison, the closest stop to my hotel. I got my stuff, checked out, and gingerly walked the 4 blocks back to the Harrison subway stop in the slush almost getting blown off my feet again.
After changing to the Blue Line, I arrived in plenty of time for my 1:50 PM flight to Newark only to find out my flight had been canceled. I finally got on a flight 10 hours later. I had booked a rental car with Enterprise in Newark; then I noticed from my printout that their office closed at 11 PM. I inquired what would happen if my flight was arriving later than the office was open, and Enterprise told me they would cancel my reservation and I could come back the next day and see if anything was available. I immediately rebooked a rental car with Hertz whose office was open 24/7 at Newark Airport. Live and learn: the cheapest rental car is not always the best deal!
For the complete Chicago photo album click here.
