Chicago Vacation

[RockyMountainOySker]

Well we are back home now. Took the Amtrak from KC to Chicago and back. Stayed a block off of Michigan. Did the short boat tour (had to wait for fog to raise) went around Navy Pier. Shopped some down town. Ate Armenian and of course deep dish pizza from Gino's east (it was close).

 

General observations:

Cabs were the way to go - car rental and parking would cost $70 - $100 a day. When a passenger gets in a cab and tells the driver to "Step on it" is ridiculous. The more fares the more money and to get more fares is to spend less time on each trip.

 

Deep dish is delicious

 

Note to cities with tall buildings: don't host air shows down town. Especially after 9/11 I have never seen more jumpy people when the jets flew over.

 

Some one mentioned using a charter "Husker Special" train to away games or from Omaha to Lincoln. Very enjoyable trip, like a low stress air trip. Conductors often are funny (jokes about getting beers and using emergency evac slides) the ride was mostly smooth. It took 7 hours with 6 stops.

 

Lots of Michigan State T-shirts, few Wisc and one Michigan

Glad to hear the trip went well. I wish I could have helped more. Good pick with Gino's East for pizza....pretty good place. Funny how you brought up the air and water show near the buildings downtown. I've been spoked a number of times just by traffic copters near my window. It is definitely Big 10 country up here....I will say that both Nebraska and Kansas have huge support as well.

[HUSKER 37]

Willis Tower - I actually work in the Willis (84th floor with a window).

 

Words cannot express how jealous I am of you.

 

But parking - are you set, or is it a bear? When I worked on Market St. in San Francisco parking was a daily battle. I'm OK parking across the street from my building and walking a flight or two in the garage here in Lincoln.

I actually don't drive to work ever. I live on the North side right by a train so my commute is pretty painless. Takes about 15-20 minutes if I time the trains right. The first photo is from my office looking southeast and the second photo is from the board room looking northeast.

 

 

Wow!

 

I always pictured Chicago as looking more like Elwood's apartment ..with the trains rattling the cupboards every 20 seconds.

 

[krc1995]

I know you said she is not a sports fan, but can you do a tradeoff? Like one afternoon of being a BleacherBum at Wrigley for a trip to Ikea in Schaumberg? Games at Wrigley are so special, get their earlier and listen to fat guys in the bleachers give the other team hell when they are warming up. Plus if you like your beer, be a little nostalgic and drink Schlitz- its cheaper and it tastes so bad you won't have too many.

 

The Museums are special- second only to New York. Even the kids musuem is fun. I literally sat there and watched chicks hatch for an hour.

 

The pizza is the best- I much prefer deep dish and I think the one we liked was Ginos. It was in a basement under the train and rumbled everytime the train came by. Then there is Rush street if nightclubbing is your thing.

 

Note- it's been 10 years now since I've been and things have probably changed.

[krc1995]

whoops- didn't see the where you'd already been.

[huKSer]

whoops- didn't see the where you'd already been.

That's OK

[Chef K]

I've been to Chicago probably 100 times to visit family. The Sears/Willis tower is OK, but it's pricey. The John Hancock tower's observation deck gives you a pretty good view of downtown and costs less.

 

The boat tours are a must. They're fun and a neat perspective on seeing the city. Just make sure you're not floating under the Dave Matthews Band tour bus when you go.

 

The museums are top-notch, especially the Field Museum where you can see Sue, the most complete T-Rex fossil in the world. Don't forget Shedd Aquarium, which is not far from the Navy Pier/Magnificent Mile area.

 

The food is excellent all over, but you have to get a true Chicago deep-dish pizza. I'm partial to Giordano's, but tastes vary. You could also do a deep-dish pizza tour. I've never done one, but it seems interesting. Also be sure to get a hot dog from Fat Johnnie's. The Mighty Dog and the Mother-In-Law are crowd favorites.

My wife raves about Giordano's. Me personally, real pizza is New York style, cracker thin crust and the sauce UNDER the cheese.