My boyfriend and I were in Chicago for just one day, sadly enough, since he had training the rest of the days I came to visit. You know what that means? We HAD to leave the house early enough to maximize the time we had. The 2.5 hour drive from Indianapolis to Chicago wasn’t very exciting. There was a whole bunch of dirt, sticks (trees without leaves), and snow. Not to mention, it was freezing! I thought I was prepared, but coming from California you can never really be prepared for 18 degree weather.
We also thought we hit the jackpot when we saw the toll was only 80 cents. I mean 80 cents compared to $5 to pretty much cross any bridge in the Bay Area sounds like a steal right? Little did we know there was about four different tolls we had to go through on our adventure that would equal to about six or seven dollars which is obviously more than California. So unless you have FastTrack, or a couple spare dollars in your wallet (who carries cash anymore), then I suggest stopping by the ATM ahead of time.
Right as we pull into the parking garage to go explore North Michigan Street, filled with all these amazing stores, I realize I forgot my gloves at home! Of course, I get out and think I’m fine. One block later, my fingers feel like they are going to fall off. This was a cold I’ve never felt in my life. Everyone was dressed like Eskimo’s and they don’t call it the windy city for nothing. First stop on Michigan Street: CVS for gloves. By then I was convinced it was over for my poor little hands. However, Nordstrom Rack saved me with some beautiful black leather gloves, but I kid you not, seventeen degree weather is not normal. You shouldn’t be outside.
Once we got comfortable, well as comfortable as you can be in the cold, we headed over to Millennium Park. It was beautiful with the snow everywhere, and buildings surrounding us! If you ever go anywhere, I HIGHLY recommend Chicago. The bean, also known as the Cloud Gate, was a sight to see. Stunning, absolutely stunning. Not only that, if you can handle the cold weather, there is an ice rink right below it during the winter. Everyone skating around and drinking hot chocolate makes for a perfect day.
After seeing the beautiful bean and eating some lunch, we drove to the Sky Deck. I read on google that it was a must see in Chicago, with a crazy 47 floor, 360 view of the city, so I knew we had to go. They have these windows that hang over the building and are pure glass so you are literally just held up by one piece you are standing on with nothing below you. It makes for an awesome picture; however I was WAY too scared to try. I’m thinking my next trip I’ll suck it up for the photo.
I know what you’re thinking, it’s getting late, I’m only in Chicago for a day, how could I not try the Chicago Pizza? Someone told me about a place called Gino’s and when I heard you get to write on the walls, I couldn’t resist. The wait was over an hour for a small pizza to go but I was determined to try it so we waited. To leave our mark, we had to purchase one of their sharpies since we didn’t have our own and it did not work good AT ALL. If you’re goin to go, BRING YOUR OWN SHARPIE and make sure its white or silver. This is advice I wish I had got before I went. This terrible marker, along with the dark walls that already had writing all over them didn’t mix well, but we made it work. The pizza that we waited over an hour for was not a ten in my book. It was more like a pie and you had to eat it with a fork. Chicago Pizza is nothing like California pizza. I repeat nothing like California pizza. Nonetheless, Chicago is definitely one of my favorite cities I’ve ever visited. I can handle going without pizza for a couple days if it means I get to visit again.
Yours Truly,
B
