Day Eight--Chicago, IL

June 2, 2006

Thanks so much to John, Judy, Rick, and Mary Beth for an amazing day!

Today, we'd finally go into the city again! I was very much looking forward to some in town Chicago time. We headed out around 9:30 and got the El. We got off the El and began to walk around. We went over and under the layers of street and sub-street that make up Chicago's streets. We got out of that for awhile, and walked over to Millenium Park, and started toward Grant Park and the famous Buckingham Fountain, but we realized time was short and we had a distance to walk yet to meet Dawn's Aunt Judy and Uncle John, her Dad, and Mary Beth by the river for the Architecture Tour.

I was so very excited about the tour. Everyone I'd talked to about Chicago who'd been spoke of its excellence. There are lots of tour boats on the Chicago River, but the Chicago Architecture Foundation offers a 90 minute boat tour with an informed docent who offers fascinating facts and insights about Chicago's varied buildings and skyscrapers.

About 2/3 through the tour, out of the grey, and without warning from any morning weather report, it began to rain! We thought we could handle it, but the drops were big and cold--so we took shelter below decks. The rain soon stopped, so we went back up top. The docent was very smart and very detailed--he showed us the health club where Oprah and Senator Obama are members. He offered interesting facts and figures about all the buildings, how they fit the landscape, how they were influenced by other, surrounding buildings, and essentially, why the landscape of Chicago is as it is...for better or worse.

There were giant disasters--The former post office, once the world's largest and has since been replaced by the new world's largest post office--was attractive structurally, but the internal space was ill managed across multiple floors so it had to be replaced. That and its on the National Register of Historic Places, so it can't be destroyed.

I learned thatThe Sear's Tower, the nation's tallest, is actually composed of 9 buildings, arranged in a way that would allow it to continue to go higher, not limited structurally from bearing more height, but only by the FAA who asked them not to build it any taller.

Buildings, old and new, all accompanied by stories frame the Chicago skyscape. It's an amazingly beautiful town, and if you go, be sure to take the tour. If you're from St. Louis or Michigan, be nice, even though the river is designed to dump the worst of Chicago onto you.

After the tour, we were all hungry. We headed down to Uno's for their famous deep dish pizza.

It was yummy. We had some beer, pizza, and good conversation. We learned that Dawn's dad had been there ages ago, and forced to endure onions on his pizza! Ew!

After a very lovely late lunch, we all walked down to the famous Marshall Field's store, which will sadly, be converted to Macy's. The retailer has a lot of history and tradition. After Marshall Field's, Rick and Mary Beth had to head back to the burbs, so we said goodbye.

We then hopped down and around the theater district for a few minutes, saw the world's tallest religious structure (Methodist for those of you who are curious), and for our last visit, the Palmer House, to take some pictures for my mom.

We said goodbye to John and Judy, who'd been wonderful tour guides and very generous, and hopped back onto the El for our ride back to the burbs.

We got back and we were kind of lying around. Our late lunch diminished around 9 and we went out for dinner at a local eatery--they are all over the suburbs--good food, variety...We shared a milk shake for dessert and then headed back for a nap. S i g h. We're really tired now.