Chicago – M’s POV
In April of 2021, we took a trip to Chicago, Illinois. Mom was flying out to Oceanside for her monthly volunteering commitments, so we decided to make it a little 2-3 day trip. When we first got to Chicago, we did a little bit of exploring. But before we could do some exploring, we needed to feed ourselves. We headed over to Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery for a drink and a snack. Liv and I shared a large soft pretzel that was pretty good, and the view from the rooftop dining area made it even better.
After we finished our snacks and drinks, we went to the coast of Lake Michigan. We found a spot along the sea wall and sat to enjoy ourselves for a few minutes. The lake was massive. For a second I forgot that I was in the middle of the country, and I thought that Lake Michigan was the ocean. Even on a clear day, you can’t see fully across it. It just goes on for miles and miles. When the sun hit the water just right, it was a blue-ish color.
Once we got back into the car from our few-minute stop at the lake, we decided to go check-in to our hotel. The hotel was like a lot of the other hotels we’ve stayed in, artsy-fartsy. It was a different kind of artsy-fartsy than I was expecting. It was modern. The name of the hotel was 21c Museum Hotel. From the name, you can probably tell that there was a museum in the hotel. The museum was full of art. The art was all modern pieces. Mom didn’t have the chance to look through the museum a whole lot, but Tom, Liv, and I got to go through it on the last day that we were in Chicago.
When we got checked into the hotel, we went up to our room to drop off our bags and freshen up a little bit. Once we got cleaned up and unpacked, we went to a restaurant to meet up with one of mom’s friends. I can’t remember what the restaurant was called, but I do know that it was in a shopping center with an ice skating rink in the middle of the plaza. After dinner, we headed back to the room for the night.
The next day, we woke up and went to breakfast before dropping mom off at the airport. After we dropped mom off at the airport, Tom, Liv, and I went into the heart of the Windy City to explore. The first matter of business was riding the L around Chicago. It looked just like a normal train, but since the tracks were elevated, you see things from a new view. It was fun to ride around the city for a while.
We got off the L and hailed a cab to the Lincoln Zoo. We got to the zoo earlier than when we reserved, and it was hot, so we wanted some ice cream. It was just our luck that as soon as we wanted ice cream, the man with the ice cream cart pedaled away. Tom and I left Liv at the park right outside the zoo and walked down the block for milkshakes.
By the time we were back and our milkshakes were finished, it was time to head into the zoo. This zoo was small. A lot of the enclosers were empty. Even with very few animals, we made the most of it. We saw Flamingos, African Dogs, Camels, and a few other animals.
Walking around the zoo worked up quite the appetite. We called an Uber to take us to Giardino’s, a Chicago-style pizza place. We got a stuffed crust pizza. It was delicious, but I couldn’t eat more than two pieces. After we finished our pizza, we went back to the hotel for a little bit.
After relaxing for a little while, we got an Uber to the Bean. The Bean is a ginormous piece of reflective metal shaped like a bean. The Bean was the only thing I was really wanting to do, so of course, we went. When studying it, we found out that it is the prettiest at sunset. Because of Covid, there was a fence built around the main plaza of the Bean. Even with this obstruction, we still got a few awesome selfies to add to our collection. Right by the Bean, there were giant projections of people smiling. That part was creepy, but it was a part of the Art Institute. After our visit to the Bean, we got some more ice cream for dessert and headed back to the hotel for a night full of rest.
When we woke up on day three of our trip, we got ready and packed our bags to leave. After packing up, we took our bags to the car. Once the bags were in the car, we got an Uber to the Hancock Tower. The elevator ride up to the 98th floor was long and my ears popped. The view was super pretty though. Liv and I did the Tilt! ride. You held onto these handles and the floor and window tilted out over the city. The entire time I thought I was going to fall through the glass, but I didn’t. The view would have been even prettier on a clear day, but it was kind of rainy and cloudy. You could still see everything below you. The people walking down the street looked like ants from how high up we were.
After the Tilt! We went to the Art Institute. When Tom said that this place was huge, he wasn’t joking. You could have walked around for days. Since we were leaving later that day, we didn’t have a lot of time to look around, only two or three hours. The artwork that we did see was some of the coolest art I’ve ever seen. My favorite piece of artwork from the entire museum was a painting of a zombie-looking dude. He had various pieces, both human and mechanical falling out of his body. It was really cool.
Before we explored the Art Institute, we went to a small coffee shop called Goddess and the Baker. We had hot caramel and pastries for breakfast while we were waiting for the Institute to open. We also took a selfie in front of the Route 66 sign.
After we were done walking around the Art Institute, we called an Uber to take us to Gino’s Pizza. The pizza from Gino’s was much better than the pizza from Giradiano’s. All over the inside of Gino’s was covered in graffiti done by the people while they ate. Of course, it was allowed and it was used to get people more interested in the place. While Liv and I were still eating, Tom went to pick up the car. After we finished eating, Tom was outside and we got in the car and left Chicago. While we were driving, we realized that we needed some dinner. Right by the college that Tom used to go to, was an Italian place called Avanti’s that Tom remembered most for the Gondola sandwich that he always got. Deciding that this was as good a place as any, we stopped and got Gondola sandwiches. They were super good. I would have one again.