8. ILLINOIS

CHICAGO (April 14th – 16th)

It was a three- hour drive to Chicago and we arrived around 2pm and as it says on the tin, it was very windy! We checked into the Hilton Home2suites a little early and our our rooms were not quite ready, but because of the wait we were given a free room upgrade which was deee geee (different grade)! Ang & Den had gone to return the hire car and they walked back having a very bad hair day in the wind (ha, ha).

In the evening we went to try the famous Chicago deep dish pizza in a nearby Italian which was delicious and a must try if you ever get to Chicago.

The next day after a great breakfast we headed off to the hop on, hop off bus tour. On route we passed Soldier Field NFL stadium, the home of the famous Chicago Bears, so that was an added bonus. It was actually raining, so a first for us on the trip, but it quickly dried up and we managed to get upstairs on the tour bus. As usual the tour was uber informative and it really is a great way to get some quick knowledge of the city and orientate yourself with all the major landmarks, including Trump Tower! It took a good couple of hours to do the full loop and then, after a coffee we headed back to the hotel for a chill. In the evening we were heading out to the Ice Hockey at the United Centre (also home to the famous Chicago Bulls basketball team and of course, a Michael Jordan bronze statue).

The ice hockey was a blast, but before we get to that, our dinner consisted of a loaded ‘prime rib’ bun which has to be one of the best things you could ever buy at a sports event, normally it’s fish & chips, pizza, chicken tenders, burgers or hot dogs! Back to the Ice Hockey, the Chicago Blackhawks were playing the San Hose Sharks (from California) and the Yanks certainly know how to put on a show, including a very, very enthusiastic rendition of the USA national anthem. The Blackhawks are a very young team, but we got a glimpse of the future as they came from behind to beat the Sharks 5-2 with a great performance in the last period. We got back to the hotel around 11pm, which wasn’t bad given the traffic.

We headed out in the morning to a nice boat cruise along the Chicago river. Actually the trip’s official name was an ‘Architectural River Cruise’ where they tell you all about Chicago’s important and famous buildings that you cruise past. We were just looking forward to a relaxing boat trip and great views of the city, however our tour guide, Alex, was fantastic and he made it very funny and informative. He said it was his 3,167th time doing the trip, so needless to say, he was well versed.

In fact, he was so good that, having been inspired by Elvis and Mohammad Ali’s ‘service to others’, we discussed bringing Chris, the tour guide from Louisiana (remember him?), on an all expenses trip to Chicago to spend a month with Alex and learn how to be a funny & engaging tour guide. This would be a great service to the tourists of Louisiana who wouldn’t have to suffer the old Chris anymore (ha, ha).

After the boat cruise, we said farewell to Alex, with a good tip, and headed for a coffee. We found a ‘boujee’ Starbucks overlooking the ‘boujee’ Burberry building on ‘boujee’ Michigan Avenue. This is also known as Chicago’s Magnificent Mile because of its upmarket shops and restaurants.

Next we had a quick stop in the Harry Potter shop where Den (Gryffindor, or teacher’s pet), Keith (Slytherin, enough said) and Ang (Ravenclaw, possessing intelligence? & strong memory skills) all tried the sorting hat on. Ian didn’t bother as it was obvious he would be Hufflepuff (kind, hard working & full of wind. That’s not very nice is it).

Then we headed off to the famous Navy Pier, which is the official start of Route 66 (cool) and there is a big sign to celebrate that (even cooler). The Navy Pier is ¾ mile long entertainment hub, with lots of restaurants, bars and shops, a compulsory big wheel and a various jetty’s to take cruises out onto lake Michigan.The weather was a sunny 25 degrees so it was a nice walk looking back at the amazing Chicago skyline.

In the evening, for dinner, we tried a local diner, just round the corner from the hotel, very nice, had a few games of UNO and headed off to bed. We had an early start in the morning to negotiate the busy Chicago traffic for a 9-40 flight to Rapid city, South Dakota and a quick visit to the national presidents memorial at Mount Rushmore. Then it’s onto Denver, Colorado, for a few trips into the Rockies.