Visit to Chicago

7 - 10 May 2010

Chicago is the other must-go city on my list. Just by coincidence, my colleague is going there for work, so she invited me and her other friends to join her in Chicago for the weekend. So I also took a few days off and spent a long weekend with them.

The bus from Toronto to Chicago took about 10 hours or more, with the border checks and stops along the way. Our driver was hilarious! Love his cool humour! He was asking if the temperature was alright, some were saying it was too cold, and he replied, "If too cold, sit a bit closer to your buddy." This really cracked us up! :)

On another occasion, after the 20 minutes break, we were still missing one guy on the bus. Soon the guy appeared. While he was taking his own sweet time strolling back to the bus, our sadistic driver intentionally drove away slowly, and guess what, that guy was frantically chasing after us...that was uproarious! Everyone clapped when the guy finally got onboard..what a lesson for him!!!

1) Millennium Park:
One of Chicago's most popular attractions is the Millennium Park, which includes the Frank Gehry-designed Pritzker Pavilion and steel-ribbon bridge, Cloud Gate reflective sculpture and the Crown Fountain.


Jay Pritzker Pavilion and the Great Lawn


Cloud Gate - with reflections of half the city being captured on the metallic cloud...


Crown Fountain

2) Art Institute of Chicago:
This being Chicago's premier cultural institution, houses treasures and materpieces from around the world, including a fabulous selection of both impressionist and post-impressionist paintings.


The Art Institute of Chicago is known particularly for its collection of French Impressionist masterpieces.


Garden Park - beside the Art Institute...feels very peaceful and calm...


Buckingham Fountain - The fountain rises more than 7m high and consists of 3 layers of bassins surrounded by four pairs of bronze seahorses. Each sea horse symbolizes a state bordering Lake Michigan (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin) while the fountain represents the lake itself.

3) The Loop:
The historic commercial center of downtown Chicago is known as the Loop.


Some important landmarks in the city skyline include the Carbide & Carbon Building, where the exterior of the building is covered in polished black granite, and the top of the tower is coated with gold; and the Wrigley Building that serves as the headquarters of the Wrigley (chewing gum) company since 1920.


The Chicago River runs through the heart of downtown.


Chicago City Hall


This statue outside the Daley Center is more well-known as "The Picasso".


Chicago Theatre

4) Restaurants:
Another agenda for the trip is the search for good food. Chicago is a dining haven, with loads of great restaurants to choose from.

We went to Cafe Lux, Cheescake Factory (both by the same management), Weber Grill, Melting Pot for fondue etc. Heard it is a must to go to Uno Pizza and Fontera Grill, though we did not manage to do so...


If you want to catch a quick bite over the counter, Wow Bao is the place to go, which is fast and easy to pick up something for quick relief of hunger pangs.


Chanced upon this interesting building on Randolph and State Street, and realized that it was actually a tea house called Argo Tea. It has a good selection of hot and cold specialty teas, hot snacks and yummy pastries. There is a section displaying a collection of tea leaves and teapot sets, and also tea brewery located inside the building.


Creamy and buttery Garrett popcorn at Navy Pier ~ must-try!

5) Fight for Heights:
The Skydeck at the top of Willis Tower (ie. 103rd floor) offers a paranomic view of the city and many views for a great photo-taking experience.



We visited the Signature Room on top of John Hancock Observatory on the 96th floor. It was quite a good deal for $25 buffet and the magnificient view of the north and south coast of Lake Michigan.


6) Magnificient Mile:
This mile-long strip of Michigan Avenue is a concentration of high-end chain retailers and many-stars hotels.


The Fourth Presbyterian Church


The historical Water Tower is significant in the history of public water supply. This is one of the two structures that survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.


The Navy Pier houses more than 50 acres of gardens, shops, restaurants, rides and attractions including a 150-feet high Ferris wheel.

7) Lincoln Park:
Take a walk along the Lake Shore Drive to Lincoln Park, and enjoy the breeze and sun from Lake Michigan.



Over the few days spent in Chicago, weather changes within seconds; sunny for a bit, and rainy for the rest of the day. Beside the rain, wind is the most unbearable! Indeed, Chicago lives up to its reputation of being the Windy City! Overall, I really had fun with the other 3 crazy ladies, eating, biking, and exploring the city! :)