Today Was A Good Day

SATURDAY JULY 22, 2006 ~ Day 7: Rochester, MN to Chicago, IL

We started out the day early so that we could head to Chicago and do some sightseeing. It was my first time in Chicago, so we we're total tourists.
When we checked into the Palmer Hilton Hotel on Monroe we were in shock because it was SO much nicer than the places we’ve been staying at. This was NO Holiday Inn. Check out our bourgeois lobby on the 23rd floor:

And here is their elevator. Each one has their own television. Cah-razy!

I loved the location of our hotel. The L train was right next to us.

But we we’re right in the middle of the city so we were able to walk around everywhere. Millenium Park was just a block away, which I guess is Chicago’s equivalent of New York’s Central Park. Everyone and their mother was there enjoying the great weather and the water. If I would have known there were fountains all over the place I would have dressed more apropos with some flip flops and shorts. But I still had fun watching all the kiddies enjoy the Crown Fountain:

As we were walking in the park we saw this round metal sculpture from a distance.

There were a lot of people crowding around it so we decided to take a closer look. Here’s what we found:

Cloud Gate by British artist Anish Kapoor is a 110-ton stainless steel sculpture measuring 66 ft long and 33 ft tall with a 12 ft high arch in the middle serving as the gate inviting visitors inside.

Pretty cool huh? It’s neat how the Chicago skyline is reflected behind you.

Here's a snapshot of Frank Gehry's Jay Pritzker Pavilion which one of the city's outdoor concert venues.

Larnie: "Great Architecture"

After walking through the park we headed up Michigan Ave to take a boat cruise around the river and lake.

We went on Wendella’s Chicago River Architecture Tour. Larnie and I loved it even though we’re not architecture buffs like Andrew. The tour guide gave us great insights into the design of some of the great buildings of Chicago’s beautiful skyline.

Can you believe that in one building it costs $20,000 for a parking spot! And that's only for 1 year! WTF! I can buy a freakin car w/ that money! Forget that ish!

After the hour long tour we walked up and down the famous Magnificent Mile and finally got to do some serious shopping. We spent a good hour and a half just @ their H&M, where I found my new favorite traveling bag for only $7.50! Love that store! I can’t wait for em to finally come to LA!

Then we took the free trolley to the Navy Pier. We walked around and got some Chicago deep dish pizza @ Connie’s and grabbed some beers from Charlie's Ale House. mmmm pizza & beer. That's some good stuff!

Look how happy we look after dinner. Those are some 2 satisfied customers!

After that great meal we picked up some caramel popcorn from Popcorn Palace and picked out an awesome spot to watch the fireworks show. We had a great view of the skyline and the water.

If you don’t know, fireworks are one of my favorite things in life. Watching the colors explode onto the night sky just puts me into a giddy mood.

Afterwards we took the trolley back to Grand & hopped onto the train that stopped right in front of our hotel. I love cities with great public transportation systems!

Good Times!
MISSION 7 ACCOMPLISHED! 2712 miles traveled