My trip to Chicago was fantastic! We went because Tom had a conference and I tagged along. It was my first time there and I loved it.
The trip started with us arriving in the late afternoon to Chicago. We grabbed a cab and headed to our hotel. When we arrived at the hotel, check in was fast and easy. The room was great but we were starving! We had to decide where to eat. Luckily, my friend Melanie tweeted that I should try Cafe Iberico. So we headed there.
Cafe Iberico was fantastic. It had some great Spanish tapas. We ordered Sangria and a few tapas and had a great meal. It is so nice to have choices! We ordered tortilla espanola, chorizo, shrimp in garlic sauce, goat cheese in tomato sauce and much more. We were so hungry and tired I didn't even take pictures! I know, wth? After a fantastic dinner, we headed back to the hotel.
On Friday, tom has his conference all day long so I was left alone to my own devices. This is always bad. I had no idea what to do. Plus, it was so darn cold. I had a CityPass booklet that gave me entrance into several places so I decided that I would use one or two of the passes. I got dressed and headed out into the cold.
I decided to walk over to the Navy Pier to see what was there. I walked down by the river and then crossed the bridge. As I was walking, I saw two people standing on the street by a sign that said
Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Bus. I stopped and asked what that was and they gave me the down low. They had taken the bus the day before and said it was a great deal. You could hop on and off at will and only cost $40.
Since I am lazy as sin and had so little time, I felt I would take this tour because I would be able to see a large part of the city and not have to walk! Score! So when the bus came around, I hopped on and went on an adventure.
It was so cold that no one was on top of the double decker bus. We all stayed down for a while. Our first stop was the Navy Pier. Then we headed to the Magnificent Mile, a shopping area. then we passed through some other smaller neighborhoods. We then stopped at the John Hancock Building. I wanted to go to the observatory but by this time I decided I would take the full tour and then come back later. From there we saw tons of other sites. The tour took about 2.5 hours.
We drove by the Bean, Art Institute of Chicago, Field Museum, the Planetarium, the Aquarium and Lakeshore Drive. Our tour guide, Harrison, was great. I not only saw a lot of Chicago but got a history lesson as well. We changed tour guides a few times. And when we reached the John Hancock Building I hopped out and went to the Observatory.
After the Observatory, I hopped back on the bus. By this time, although it was still very cold, I went upstairs because I wanted to see everything. I decided to hop off again close to the hotel because we were given a free t-shirt but had to go get it from their store. I hopped off and got my free tee. Then I started walking to the hotel. I was starving so I decided to get a bite to eat.
In willy-nilly Carolyn fashion, I started walking down side streets looking for food. I ended seeing a small restaurant called
Billy Goat Tavern. It was small and open so I went in. It wasn't until I was inside and ordering my food that I realized that his was the place that was made famous by the Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger SNL skit. Who knew? So I ordered a cheeseburger and fries. The food was good, not great.
Then I headed back to the hotel that was a few blocks away. It was a long day but I saw a lot of Chicago and it was well worth. it. For dinner we headed out to have Deep Dish pizza. I never had it and we wanted to try it. We ended up at Lou Manelti's. OMG, deep dish pizza rocks the house. It was so different than the pizza I know. It was loaded with cheese and sausage and pepperoni and it was this huge delicious thing. We decided on a small pizza and that filled us up. I want more.
The next day, we headed over to the Bean at Millennium Park. It was a short walk away but it wa still cold. The Bean is amazing. It is one of the best sculptures I have ever seen. It was amazing. We headed over to the Art Institute of Chicago. Now if you have read my blog, you know I am not a museum person. I get bored easily but this museum was not bad.
We saw some awesome art before I got bored and wanted to leave. Tom, on the other hand, loves museums so I am always nice about going to a museum when we travel. After the Art Institute we headed over to the Frontera Grill. I have always wanted to go there because I love Chef Rick Bayless. I have watched his show for years. All I can say is the food wa AMAZING!!
We ate guacamole and chips. Then we both got soft tacos. Tom got a huge platter with chicken, pork and steak. I got steak and it was all good. I wanted to eat more but didn't. I did, however, order the most fantastic dessert ever. I had chocolate pecan pie with Kahlua whipped cream. OMG, heaven.
Tom was a little sick on this trip so we headed back tot he hotel so he could nap. When dinnertime came around, we opted for room service because he was not well at all. So we had soup and sandwiches. It was a good thing because by the next day Tom was still not well.
The plane ride home was interesting. We got on the plane and took off and then about 20 minutes into the flight the pilot announces we were headed back to Chicago. Apparently, a door was left open. They said a communications door but we never got a straight answer. But it was probably serious because we were already headed back tot he airport when the pilot made his announcement. And then he was flying super fast. Once we got close, the plane was allowed to land immediately.
It was definitely bizarre and a little disturbing. But once it was done, we got back into the air and arrived in Asheville safely. It was a fantastic trip and I definitely want to go back again. I loved Chicago.
Stay tuned. I will have more pictures!