Travel Tuesday: Scenes from Chicago

Chicago graced us with gorgeous, warm fall weather, blue skies, and good friends and family. We walked miles and miles and I took hundreds of photos, making it difficult to narrow down photos into blog posts.

Below I have included just a sampling of the sights we saw in Chicago. Stay tuned for some more specific recaps in the next few weeks.

We made a point to walk along Lake Michigan every day so we could take in as much of its beautiful scenery as possible. The Chicago skyline against blue skies and the grandness of the lake was breathtaking. I want a gorgeous, spacious apartment on the Gold Coast and a dog I can walk along the lake twice a day. Too much to ask?

We stayed at the Public Hotel Chicago, and it was absolutely amazing. Our room was simple, chic, and comfortable with an incredible view of the Sears Tower. The hotel decor was just stunning, and the bars served creative craft cocktails and great service. I was so sad when we had to check out of this hotel.

We visit an Irish bar in every city we go to, and after my friend finished the Chicago Marathon, we had late night drinks at Fado, where the bartender was from the same teeny tiny village in the West of Ireland as my brother-in-law’s dad, who was his family doctor. Small world indeed.

Chicago does it up for fall, and there were gorgeous mum displays, pumpkins, and more everywhere we looked. I adored all of the gardens, and it made me want to pay more attention to all of the beauty in my own city.

I am a huge fan of old hotels, so a visit to The Drake Hotel was a must-do for me.  Old wood and leather made for a great atmosphere, and strong Irish coffees warmed us up after walking around in the shade of Michigan Ave buildings. I love to imagine the heyday of old hotels, and of course I like to think there is a bit of haunting history in them.

Navy Pier was one of my favorite places the entire weekend. The sun was shining, a beer stand sold cold local beers, and we were able to take in the sun, sights, and sounds while relaxing lakeside. There is so much happening at Navy Pier. I loved the lush Crystal Gardens, and I want to return for some Shakespeare in the summer.

We had the good fortune of having Max The Urbanologist as our tour guide one afternoon, and we met at the famed Tribune Tower, which features pieces from famous structures around the world.

Max took us along the Riverwalk, showed us points of interest, and led us to the subterranean Three Dots and a Dash where we shared a Zombie Punch, a fun and very large tiki drink.

The Riverwalk was another favorite part of our visit to Chicago. I loved being able to watch the boats go by, and we made a couple of stops to Flanders Beer & Belgian Frites to grab beers (Matilda and Sofie, favorites from our Goose Island tour) and fries. I loved that we could take beers to go and wander with them around the Riverwalk. It’s something that would never happen in Boston, but it makes perfect sense and definitely made us feel like we were being treated like responsible adults. We found cocktails available to go in the train station, airport, and other places, and didn’t see anyone abusing the perk.

And finally, there was the architecture. We did an architectural boat tour, which I will recap in a separate post, but Union Station was one of the most spectacular buildings to me. I love old train stations just like I love old hotels, and even if you aren’t taking a train, Union Station is worth a stroll.

Have you ever been to Chicago? What was your favorite part?