Looking for tall buildings was not as challenging as stalking grizzlies and wolves. But it was still fun to recognize the famous ones. Sears Tower, now called Willis Tower,was not hard to find. Checking in at 1451 feet, it is still the tallest building in North America. The Donald's shiny silver spectacle was obvious as well. Garish at first, Trump Tower grew on me and became one of my favorites. The Aon Center and the John Hancock building were also easy to spot on the famous skyline. But in my opinion, the coolest (and most menacing) landmarks in town were the giant gargoyles on the top of the old Downtown Library - I wouldn't have wanted to meet them in a dark ally.
The Art Institute was beautiful in a serene and quite way. Unfortunately, we made it to the door minutes after it had closed for the day. The bad news is that even with very little to be responsible for on this trip, we continue to be chronically late for just about everything that we do. The good news is, so what? We strolled around the Art Institute's beautiful gardens and wandered over to Millennium Park, where we were very politely asked to leave (Layla can be a real buzz-kill at times.) We were asked to leave a second time, not so politely, after I insisted that Hilary take Layla back for a picture in front of the "giant bean." Still such outlaws...
Getting lost in the city was a great way to get a feel for some of the neighborhoods. While looking for "Lou Malnati's" (best deep-dish in town,) we fell in love with the area around Lincoln Park and Sheffield/DePaul where we were reminded of the lower villages of Manhattan. While trying to find Mother-Hubbard's (great River North sports bar,) we cruised around the Gold Coast which had more of an upper west side flavor with its gorgeous brownstones and trendy bars and restaurants. We got turned around in The Loop several times and were reminded of Wall Street's long dark corridors where only small patches of sky were visible.
A very "east coast sensibility" was palpable in Chicago. They say "youse guys" and call people "Joe" and "Moe." And at times we noticed a kind of brashness that was very New York. When we wore our Giants shirts, for example, people would shout "Hey San Francisco" and then proceed to ask us this, that or the other thing. And an old lady in the locker room of one of the pools, pointed to the scar on my leg and said "What happened to you? I usually see scars like that on the big fat ones." Actually, that one was pure Jersey.
Just when we thought the two cities were alike, though, we'd notice something that reminded us that Chicago was not New York - buildings that looked a little newer, people that seemed a little friendlier maybe. It was hard to put my finger on the exact differences, but Chicago was definitely it's own city.
The people of Chicago know this well and they love their city with a passion. They love their sports. They love their food - the best in all of the world according to our cab driver, "Rain Man." This guy knew about the food in the city. But he knew other stuff as well. He asked us to tell him our birth dates. Within seconds, he accurately told us the day of the week we were born. When we asked how he figured this out, he spent the rest of our 15 minute cab ride explaining his mathematical theory in a monotone that lulled us into a trance as we drove from Grant Park to Wrigleyville. And yes, he was an excellent driver.
We were a bit surprised by the exclusivity of many of the outlying communities. We stayed in Glenview, a suburb about 20 minutes north of the city and quickly found out that most of the community recreation facilities had strict "members only" policies. So we knew they discriminated against human outsiders. We were still unprepared for the shock of finding out that the dog park too had a "members only" policy. Layla looked at us as if to say "you've got to be fucking kidding me." We knew exactly how she felt. But it was no joke - the "Glenview Bohemian Club" was off limits to poor Layla. We put our collective tails between our legs, slunk back to our Motel 6, and got directions to a beach along Lake Michigan - where even the riff raff (human and canine) were allowed to run free.
Speaking of Lake Michigan, are we sure its not an ocean? It looked like an ocean; we could see for miles in all directions. It sounded like an ocean; there were waves even. And apparently, it's dangerous like an ocean. The sign on the white sand beach at Evanston, home to Northwestern University, said "Swimming In Lake Michigan May Cause Grave Injury Or DEATH." Yikes. It was too cold for us but Layla disregarded the warning and took her chances. She managed to survive and as we walked around the campus of Northwestern University, watching the fall colors explode before our eyes, I understood why so many people chose this part of the country as their home. Still, they all seemed to dream about one day moving to San Francisco...
Welcome to Chicago
It's all about the buildings here - the biggest is Sears (now Willis)
H & L in front of Trump Tower
Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park - Can you tell it's windy?
Hilary points out famous buildings to Layla
The old Downtown Library was my favorite
We were late and didn't get inside the Art Institute
Layla unsuccessfully looked for another way in
So we walked around the gardens
They were quite lovely
And across the street from the Symphony Hall
The bean - worth getting busted?
My favorite city shot
Lou's won the prize for best deep-dish
Evanston won for best houses on the lake
Trees at Northwestern University, Evanston
Where they have quite a view of the city
Life is good when you stop to smell the roses
