Chicago, Illinois, USA - Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
As the plane banked towards Chicago I was graced with a stunning view of the city's skyscrapers and the grey waters of Lake Michigan.
Landing at O’Hare International late afternoon, I met Kelli in the arrivals lounge. We jumped into her Honda and drove northwest into Chicagoland.
Kelli had made reservations for us at a hotel in Crystal Lake, closeby to her house. Situated in southeastern McHenry county, Crystal Lake is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area and around a 52 mile drive from the airport. Despite the fact it was late December, the sky was blue and nearly cloudless, the only signs of winter being the leaveless trees and snow banks at the sides of the roads.
We arrived in a little over an hour and checked ourselves into the Comfort Inn. It was Kelli’s birthday so we went into Crystal Lake to find some dinner and celebrate. We settled on a nearby place, Village Squire, an English pub-type restaurant with live music and a popcorn machine. Kelli and I ate and drank a few Mai Tais and then went back to the hotel.
Monday 29th December 2008
Monday morning Kelli took me to breakfast at Around the Clock, a warm, family-run restaurant in Crystal Lake. I wolfed down sausage, bacon, eggs, and all-you-can-eat pancakes drenched in maple syrup and afterwards Kelli and I decided to visit the Volo Auto Museum.
The village of Volo in Lake County was a 25 minute drive away and the auto museum itself was huge. The museum had a fantastic selection of cars used in the film industry like the Ghostbusters car, the Batmobile from the 60s show, the DeLorean from Back to the Future, and Robocop’s car.
Kelli wanted to treat me to proper Chicago-style deep dish pizza so we paid a visit to Georgio’s Pizzeria & Pub in Crystal Lake. We ordered up and received a mammoth pizza; deliciously buttery tasting and so incredibly filling that we ended up reheating slices in the microwave at the hotel the next day.
Wednesday 31st December 2008
Wednesday evening Kelli and I caught a double-decker train from Crystal Lake bound for Ogilve station, as we wanted to spend New Year’s Eve in the city. The train was packed with people and there was an excited buzz in the air as we trundled into the city, the Sears Tower and the Hancock Building looming out of the darkness, their lights winking in the night sky.
Stepping out of Ogilve station I found myself craning my neck to look up at the buildings. The dry winds off of Lake Michigan brought a chill that cut to the bone as we briskly walked east to Millennium Park. Kelli wanted to show me the famous Skygate sculpture found in Millennium Park. Locally known as The Bean, Skygate is a large silver-coloured bean-shaped reflective work of art that we had fun taking pictures of ourselves in.
We left Millennium Park and soon succumbed to the cold, so ended up dashing inside a Subway to take refuge and eat sandwiches. Stomachs filled with sub-sandwich we made a decision to spend the countdown to New Year on Navy Pier. En route we found ourselves at the Water Tower, a 19th century landmark of yellowed limetstone, along the Magnificent Mile shopping district. The dark Hancock Building was towering over us, framed by a grey glow in the sky caused by the city’s light pollution whilst horses pulled carriages of tourists down the streets.
Kelli and I hopped onto a bus to Navy Pier, the 3,300 foot pier stretching out onto Lake Michigan. The pier was lit up with masses of people milling around inside the indoor area. Enjoying the warmth and the smells of hotdogs, popcorn, and pretzels, we ambled down the pier peeking into the multitude of souvenir shops. As the countdown to 2009 commenced Kelli and I joined our voices with the rest of the crowd to welcome in the New Year. My abiding memory, however, will always be of a man shouting "Please take the vipers out of your mouths, Hallelujah!"
Thursday 1st January 2009
Back in Crystal Lake, Kelli and I checked out of the Comfort Inn and drove over to Kelli’s house in the village of Cary, a 10 minute drive away.
A hilly village, Cary is made up of a series of small lakes close to the Fox River. Kelli’s house is situated on a quiet, tree-lined cul-de-sac; a large wood paneled house with a large backyard ending in woods. I met Kelli’s mum, Pat, and her mum’s boyfriend, Claude, who took us out for dinner that evening at a local Olive Garden where I ordered the garlic chicken scampi.
Sunday 4th January 2009
Kelli found some coupons in a local newspaper that offered discount at Medieval Times and deciding it was an opportunity we couldn’t miss, we made it our dinner plans.
Medieval Times is located in Schaumburg, about a 30 minute drive southeast of Cary. We pulled up at the giant mock medieval castle and waited inside at the bar for the show to start. Showtime was announced and Kelli and I were led through to a large jousting arena and sat in an area supporting the Green Knight. The show began with the actors making announcements and fights and jousts taking place during courses of soup and chicken on the bone. We cheered along with the crowd everytime a knight was dismounted and unfortunately the Green Knight was eliminated almost immediately.
Tuesday 6th January 2009
My last day in Chicago, Kelli and I visited the city one last time for a daytrip.
We hopped on a train from Crystal Lake bound for Ogilve with plans to first revisit Millennium Park. It was a chilly day and we were both bundled up in our coats and gloves.
As we walked the streets of the city the sky overhead was a pale grey and all around was the sound of the L trundling along its tracks. We reached Millennium Park to have another look at the Skygate sculpture. The park was crowded with people observing the sculpture and ice skating. Kelli and I took a few more reflective photos and then, deciding to visit the Art Institute of Chicago, we began walking south.
The Art Institute had been decorated for Christmas, with trees outside and its lion sculptures adorned in wreathes and red ribbons. We saw paintings by the likes of Van Gogh and Seurat and some original Native American headdresses.
We lunched that afternoon at Macy’s. A plaque on the outside of the building told us that it had originally been the Marshall Field and Company building. After lunch I said my goodbyes to the city and we headed home for Crystal Lake.
Wednesday 7th January 2009
I was sad to be leaving Kelli and Chicago behind but once on the plane back to Heathrow I was given a list view of the nighttime city skyline and felt excited for the future and the possibilities that future visits held.