Chicago – the Windy City

Now that I have finished talking about the cities that I have lived in, I will move on to other cities which I have visited and which have made lasting impressions on me.

When I was 18, I was working for Citicorp Savings of Florida. I had done virtually no travelling at this point. I had been around most parts of Florida, and had visited New York City 1 time. One Friday morning, my boss came in to me and asked me if I would like to go to Chicago. While Chicago was not a city that I knew much about, the idea of travelling anywhere was fun to me. That following Monday, which was in early February of 1985, I found myself on the way to Chicago. We stayed at the Chicago Hilton and Towers, which is in the South Loop area.

Since I knew so little about the city, I had virtually no expectations for Chicago. I quickly came to find out what a spectacular city Chicago is.

Being a Florida boy in Chicago in Winter, it was definitely an adjustment to get off the plane in February and deal with the cold temperatures and the wind. I ended up spending virtually that whole month in Chicago, but was fortunate to experience one of the mildest February’s in Chicago’s history.

One of the first things that strikes you when you walk around downtown Chicago is the marvelous architecture. There are dozens and dozens of skyscrapers, but unlike a lot of other cities, there is a great variety to the styles of these structures. On subsequent trips to Chicago, through visiting the Chicago Architectural Foundation, I learned a lot about the various periods of skyscraper architecture that are evident in the city – from the early skyscrapers in the late 1800’s to the modern skyscrapers (which are still being built – the Chicago Spire is proposed to be the tallest building in the US).

There are also lots of parks in and around Chicago.  Grant Park (on the lakefront) is one of the most beautiful city parks I have been to.  It includes the spectacular Buckingham Fountain (shown above).

Another thing that I love about Chicago is the ease with which you can get around the city without a car. In fact, to me, having a car in Chicago is a liability. The buses and subways (“el”) can get you just about anywhere you want to go within the city, including to and from either of the major airports (O’Hare and Midway). The El runs all night, so you don’t have to worry about what to do if you want to go out late. There are also lots of taxis that are reasonable. And since the distances don’t tend to be that great between the areas people want to go to, taxis are a viable option. Then there is my favorite option – walking. Chicago is an extremely walkable city (unless of course it is -30 °F with a 30+ mph breeze, in which case you should not walk [:-)] – and yes, I have been there for that).

One of my greatest “discoveries” in Chicago is the Art Institute of Chicago. This is by no means a secret. On my last trip to Chicago, there was a special exhibit there called “Cézanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde.” I remember the hour long lines to get into the museum and this exhibit.

The Art Institute is an extremely popular place to visit. It houses one of the best collections of impressionist art of any museum I have been to, with several paintings that are among my favorites, including Seurat’s masterpiece, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. Another personal favorite is Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte. The museum also has a great collection of cubist art. This is a period that has always fascinated me, and it is difficult to find examples of this period in museums. My favorite example in this museum is Robert Delaunay’s Champs de Mars: the Red Tower.

There are many other great museums in Chicago. Though not my cup of tea, the Field Museum is a very good Natural History Museum. The Museum of Science and Industry on the South Side is another top museum. The Shedd Aquarium is one of the better aquariums that I have been to. I particularly like the beluga whales and the penguins. One of the really cool things there is that the “amphitheatre” for the beluga whale show backs onto Lake Michigan. I saw the show during a snowstorm and it was very cool to see the snow falling over the lake behind the whales. Of course, beluga whales themselves are quite captivating.

So, enough about the museums. Let’s talk food!! Chicago is one of the top restaurant cities in the country. One place I really love is Ed Debevic’s. This is a 50’s style diner with attitude. By that, I mean that you will get a little sass with your food. But the food is good and the “sass” is actually a lot of fun. Another place I love is Edwardo’s Pizza. Chicago is the home of deep dish pizza, and Edwardo’s is my favorite when it comes to deep dish. Sure, there is Giardano’s, and Pizzeria Uno and Due, and many others that I am not familiar with. But I keep going back to Edwardo’s and I have never been disappointed. They can be found at various locations around the loop, but I will always love the location in Printer’s Row. There are so many other options when it comes to dining in Chicago. Fado’s is a great Irish place (which just happens to also have a location in Austin). While I generally am not a fan of Hard Rock Café, the one in Chicago is actually pretty good. Also, Carson’s Ribs is another real treat.

On one of my last trips to Chicago, I finally got to do something that I had long wanted to do, but never got around to – I visited the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park (just west of Chicago). Wow! What a treat that was. I highly recommend that anyone with any interest in architecture take the time to go out to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and do the tour, then walk around the neighborhood in Oak Park. The architecture is fantastic. Once a year, there is a special event called Wright Plus. This gives the participants the chance to tour areas of the FLW Studio that are normally off limits, and it also gives the participants access to homes that normally are not open to the public. Again – what a fun thing to do.

Another great treat in Chicago is the Lincoln Park Zoo, in the Lincoln Park area just north of the Loop. When I last went, this was still a free zoo, though I don’t know if it is now. There is a great collection of animals here, including polar bears. Nearby is the Lincoln Park Conservatory, which has great plant shows, particularly in the Spring. Both of these places are free and very enjoyable. I actually walked to the Zoo and Conservatory from Navy Pier with a friend. It is a little ways, but it is a beautiful walk along the shores of Lake Michigan.

Chicago is a vibrant city that is exploding with growth everywhere you look. Like many American cities, it is constantly changing due to this growth and the influx of new residents. While it does not get the recognition sometimes of New York or San Francisco, it is truly one of the great cities in America.

To see some of my photos of Chicago, click here.