I forgot I never finished this post so I’m writing this about 5 mos after we went to Chicago…

After pretty much staying home most of the time while I was back in school, I wanted to GO SOMEWHERE when I graduated.  So, we went to Chicago by Amtrak.  I had been there several times as a kid…sort of…because when we’d fly to Germany to visit my family we’d always leave out of O’Hare.  However, we never took the time to visit or explore the city…so this time we did.

The train ride was fun, and we didn’t have any delays.  We got to Union Station after dark, and just took an Uber to our hotel which was on the outskirts of town.  We stayed Carlton Inn Midway, which was a clean and family-owned little place a couple blocks from an “L” stop and short walk to grocery store.

The first full day, we wanted to go to the Museum of Science and Technology and weren’t sure about public transportation yet so we Ubered there, too.  After that is was public transportation anywhere we went, which was a wonderful way to get around.

The Museum of Science and Industry wasn’t my favorite mostly because it was a huge field trip day and with all the kids and chaos it was a little hard to take in all the information and see the exhibits.  But the place does have a lot to offer on pretty much anything that falls within the “science and industry” category.

While in Chicago, we also hit the Field Museum which was my favorite!  We went on Saturday and it really wasn’t that crowded.  It is HUGE!  We literally couldn’t see all the exhibits in one day, so we will go back there our next trip to Chicago.

We took a water taxi from the Field Museum over to the Navy Pier.  We didn’t know anything about water taxis, but the lady at the restaurant/bar told us about it because we were looking at our map trying to figure out which bus took us there.  Be warned, a lot of the city workers (including SAFETY OFFICERS, which apparently are not cops) do NOT know how to get around town on public transportation, ESPECIALLY the water taxis.  There were a few different ways to get down to the water from the museum (dock was on other side of Shedd Museum) and no one we asked could tell us which way to get to the water taxis…some didn’t even know what we were talking about at all.  We guessed, and guessed right because we made it in the nick of time.  We used Shoreline, and it was $10 each.  That wasn’t bad for a couple, but could get pricey for a family.  However, it was a lot of fun and I think everyone should do it at least once.  It was SO MUCH FASTER than if we would have tried to take a bus from the museum campus to the downtown area we were headed.

We got off the taxi at the Navy Pier right in front of on outdoor bar…yes, of COURSE, I’ll have a fruity drink to walk around with!  I got one kind and the Mister got another, then halfway through finishing them we switched.  Navy Pier was cool to walk through and people watch, but it was mostly shopping and restaurants. At the end is a great area to sit and have a drink and listen to live music and OF COURSE I had to get a Chicago-style HOTDOG!

Other than the museums, we made sure to see The Bean, officially named Cloud Gate.  This is a MAJOR attraction and it was a lot of fun for me to just watch all the people doing selfies there, either solo or with groups of friends.  There is also a courtyard area with a cool outdoor bar to sit and get a drink.  ..lots of people on the streets playing music, too.

One place that is a must-see is the River Walk area.  That is just so cool!  We went in the evening and there were so many people just lounging, eating, drinking, and visiting on these huge steps that led down into the water.  We saw kayakers on the river, in addition to yachts, big tour boats, jet skis, and small boats.  I think that was my favorite place to be in Chicago.  If I lived there I’d probably be down there quite a bit.

Before leaving Chicago, we made sure to eat Chicago-style pizza at Giordano’s.  We got recommendations from our friends on where to eat, and Giordano’s came up in most suggestions.  It was really good!  We went to the downtown location, and was told it would be an hour wait just for the pizza AFTER we waited 20 mins to be seated.  However, it didn’t take that long…it took maybe a half hour.  Most patrons, however, seemed to have ordered ahead of time…I guess they know the drill.

Time to go home…a little tip:  when they start boarding the train, they’ll ask for families with little kids, older folk, and the disabled to board first and tell everyone else to remain seated.  However, NO ONE ELSE REMAINS SEATED!!!  SO GET YOUR ASS IN LINE NOW!  Otherwise you’ll be the dummies left in the chairs because you actually LISTENED to the rules.  Apparently, DO NOT DO THAT.

Over all… What a great time!  Now I want to go back to see the rest of the Field Museum and SHEDD AQUARIUM!  Chicago is a great long weekend trip by train from St. Louis.