We arrived in Chicago about 11:30 pm on Monday night, Sept 20th. We got a cab and went directly to our hotel, the Intercontinental on Michigan Avenue. We stayed in the historic tower which had beautiful murals and woodwork. Our room also was beautiful with the dark wood. On Tuesday Doug had to check in for his board meeting at noon, but he had some work to catch up on so I started my day with by going swimming in the hotel pool.
The pool is well known and has a lot of history behind it. It is a junior Olympic size, and has beautiful tiles and the room is beautiful with a tiered seating for spectators. Johnny Weissmuller (the first Tarzan) actually trained for the Olympics here and went on to win 5 gold medals in 1924 and 1928. Supposedly John F Kennedy also swam in this pool but I haven’t been able to verify it. 
After my swim I went down to Michigan Avenue and boarded the Chicago Trolley Hop on – Hop off tour bus. I sat on the upper level of the double- decker bus. The guide gave us all the history of the landmarks along the way. One of the stops was at Millennium Park so I got off there. The weather was in the 80’s but it was also very humid. I walked around the park and stopped at the Cloud Gate, the famous “bean” shaped silver sculpture. I also walked over to Daley Plaza which was next to Millennium Park. I bought my first Chicago hot dog from a vendor in the park.
Later I boarded the bus again and made my way over to Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower). This is the tallest building in Chicago, and for years was the tallest in the world. I rode the elevator to the observation deck (Skydeck)and had a good view of the city. In May they completed several enclosed glass ledges that stick out from the building and give you the sense of walking on air. It was fun to look down through the glass to the street 110 stories below. I got back on the tour bus to complete my tour before meeting up with Doug for dinner. His conference was having a reception from 5pm -7pm. Once that was over several of us went to Gino’s East for Chicago Style deep dish pizza. We had a great dinner of pizza and salads, and Gino’s was a fun place to go. We walked back to our hotel and were in bed by 10:30. On Wednesday Doug got up early and went to his conference and I went swimming again. Once I was ready to leave I took a taxi over to Harpo Studios where the Oprah show is filmed. The week prior I had signed up for last minute reservations for Wednesday the 22nd, however I hadn’t received a response. My intent this Wednesday was actually just to go to the Oprah store which was across the street, however when I saw the audience lining up I decided to join them. Eventually I was able to talk to someone who indicated that I needed to be in the standby line, which at that point had about 7 people in it. So we all waited and talked and after about 2 hours we were told that the show was full and only a few of the standby people would get in. I wasn’t able to get in so I went over to the store instead. I bought a few little things then hailed a taxi and went back to the city. Once there I took the train over to Oak Park. 
Oak Park is a beautiful upper class neighborhood, with some beautiful architecture. I saw Ernest Hemmingway’s birthplace and toured Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio. Afterward I walked around the neighborhood where there were several more homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. He was a great archetect. 
I rode the train back into the city and walked back to our hotel to meet Doug for dinner. We decided to walk down to the Navy Pier and get a bite to eat there. We went to Charlie’s Ale House after walking around the pier for awhile. Nothing great – but the pier was nice and we hoped to come back later. On Thursday Doug went to his conference again and after my swim I packed our bags to get us checked out. We moved over to the Palomar Hotel for the next 3 days. Carol & Mike and Ruth & Earl were flying in to spend time with us. They both got there around 4:30pm. The conference was over about 4:30pm also so Doug walked down from the other hotel to meet us. The Palomar serves wine in the lobby from 5pm – 6pm each evening so we sat and visited for awhile before Doug and I had to leave to go the Cubs/Giants game at Wrigley Field. We had purchased our tickets with several other colleagues of Doug’s. We got to the stadium and found our seats at one of the Rooftops. 
On two sides of the stadium, across the side streets are rows of buildings that have been converted to “rooftops”. Each one has stadium seating on the top and several floors for gathering and viewing the game. Your ticket includes food and drinks and it’s a great way to see the game. We had a lot of fun even though the Giants beat the Cubs 13-0. After the game we met up with Carol and Ruth and hubbies back at the hotel for awhile. In the morning we met for breakfast at the Corner Bakery and made a plan for the day. Carol and Mike decided to go to the Art Institute, and Ruth & Earl, Doug and I decided to go to the Chicago History Museum in Lincoln Park. Prior to that the guys both wanted to catch up on some work so Ruth and I walked up the Magnificent Mile and shopped a little, hitting the Gap, Macys and Feline’s Basement. We got back to the hotel and met up with the guys. We took the bus up to the museum which gave us an opportunity to see more of the city. After visiting the museum we walked over to where Second City Theatre was, and then walked back from there to the hotel. The weather was nice so it was a pleasant 2 mile walk. On the way we passed Moody Bible Institute campus so we walked through that. Once we got back to the hotel we rested for a while before we headed for dinner. Dinner Friday night was at a great French Vietnamese restaurant called Le Colonial. It wasn’t too far from the hotel. The food was great – we ordered several things family style and had just the right portions. Afterward we took a taxi up to Second City Theatre and watched “Spoiler Alert- Everybody Dies”. The show was good – there were 2 scripted acts, then a 3rd act that was improv with some audience participation. At one point during the show an elderly woman in the front fainted and the paramedics were called. We were all impressed with how quickly everyone responded – a few doctors in the house responded immediately. We were told at the end that the family had called and told them that she was at the hospital and she was going to be fine. 
On Saturday morning we ate breakfast at the hotel, and then headed over to the river to take the Chicago Architecture Society tour. After several days of 90 degrees and muggy weather we got up to cold and windy weather, however it wasn’t raining. We took the 9:30am tour and got some gorgeous views of the Chicago architecture. Our guide was very informative and told us a lot of the history of the buildings. After our tour we went to Portillo’s for lunch which is well known for the Chicago hotdogs. It was fun and inexpensive. Then the guys left to go on the Untouchables Tour, which is a fun tour that takes you around the city to see some of the famous mafia hangouts and crime scenes, including the place where the St Valentine’s Day Massacre took place. The guides dress up like gangsters and make it a fun tour. While they were on that tour Carol, Ruth and I rode the train up the Armitage area which has all kinds of little shops. Once we got back we spent a little time resting before dinner. That night for dinner we had reservations at Keefer’s, a local steak house. It was elegant and fun and the dinner was excellent. We were able to walk to the restaurant since it was close. Afterward we took a leisurely walk back to the hotel. Carol & Mike were leaving early in the morning so we said our goodbyes. In the morning we slept in, and I went swimming for awhile, one last time. After we checked out we visited with Ruth & Earl in the lobby of the hotel until they had to leave for the airport. Doug and I had a couple hours so we walked around one last time before heading to the airport. Beautiful city, wonderful time, and I already miss my sisters!
If you would like to see more pictures, click below.
