So - we arrived back Saturday morning from our 8 day trip to Chicago and I'm still jet lagged. The aul' body clock is still all over the place but I'm hoping it will get back to normal fairly soon. We had the most wonderful time. My friend Siobhan, was so good to us and drove us all over the place, she really did spoil us.
We were there for Paddy's Day and watched the "Six Nations" final in 'Fado Irish Pub' in Down Town Chicago. We were there at 09:50 am and were delighted that the queue or "the line" as they say state side wasn't too bad. Thankfully a kind lady standing in front of us over heard us talking and asked us if we had the VIP tickets. We were like "no, what tickets?" She told us that three of her friends didn't show up and we could have theirs. I then looked around the corner and realised the real "line" was a block and a half long. We were simply in the right place at the right time.
After cheering on Ireland to their Grand Slam victory we left Fado and headed towards the river. They dye it green for St. Patrick's Day every year and it truly is a site to behold. It's one of my fondest memories from the trip.
Things to do in Chicago:
The John Hancock Tower - Why not try a cocktail on the 96th floor of the tower?! It's views are breath taking just make sure you wait there until you get a window seat so you can really appreciate the view.
The Sears Tower - We did both of these towers on the same day. I would actually say the views are better from The John Hancock Tower however The Sears Tower has the novelty factor of "The Ledge" where you can stand out and feel like your standing in the air over the city. A bit nerve wracking at first but we soon mellowed out and took a few snaps.
The Home Alone House - This was one of my favourite things we did in Chicago. I think everyone loves Home Alone so I was so excited to get the chance to go here. The house is situated about 40 minutes North of the city. We were lucky because Siobhan brought us but you could get an uber out to it if you wanted to. It looks smaller in reality than it does in the film but it was a surreal experience being outside such an iconic house!
The Cheese Cake Factory - This is located at the bottom of The John Hancock Tower. It's obviously renowned for it's cheesecake but we went full hog and got mains and a cocktail as well. Definitely go here if you are visiting Chi city. The cheese cake is just beautiful.
The Magnificent Mile - It's basically a walk on Michigan Avenue from the river to Oak Street. It encompasses some of the world's most renowned retail stores as well as some of the finest places to dine in Chicago.
The Bean in Millenium Park - It's just one of those touristy things you need to do!
The Wiener Circle - This is a hot dog joint located in Lincoln Park. It's known for it's staff verbally abusing customers so we went in for the laugh but they didn't give us any abuse. I know how ironic- the one time you want to be verbally abused! I looked in to it more afterwards and it seems this normally happens more at the weekend and late at night. We ate our hot dogs and headed on our way.
Chicago pizza - Chicago is known for it's 'Deep Dish' pizza. A few people put us off it so we just went with normal pizza instead. We headed to Pequods Pizza - a hidden gem based in Morton Grove. The service here was top class and is definitely worth a visit, especially if you are staying in the north side.
That's my little round up of the 'Windy City'. My main tip for anyone thinking of visiting here would be leave the touristy stuff to the week days. Every where is crammed at the weekend!
We had the best time and met the best bunch of people. Siobhan has the loveliest friends there, a little family away from home for her.
I just want to say a huge thank you to Siobhan, our host for the week, our personal uber driver and most of all our wonderful friend.
As usual, if any one is heading to Chicago and needs any tips or advice drop me a line!
Love,
M
x
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