The Windy City

When one hears of Chicago, Illinois there are several things that come to mind. Scarface and the Mafia, Chicago Thick Crust Pizza, Illinois Politics, Mike Ditka and Da' Bears and of course the curse on the Cubs. Being our first visit into this metropolis we were excited about what we would see. The city did not disappoint. From the moment we arrived and walked out of the parking garage we fell in love with the city. The busy activity of cars everywhere and people packed onto the sidewalks. Tall buildings that seemed to bend toward the sky when you would look straight up.

We were also surprised at how much "green" space spread around the city. This park in the picture above held an interesting piece of art. A huge reflective bean. The surface is polished to a mirror finish and as you get closer you can see the skyline of the buildings around you reflected in this curved piece of art.

With several rivers cutting the city apart there are over 50 bridges that keep the city connected. Another way to explore the city was to jump on a River Cruise and take in the sites of these beautiful buildings. With the tour guide trying to quickly give a brief history of each building we passed we sat with our heads turned up looking at these fingers touching the sky. There is the new Trump building going up...there is the building that Oprah lives in...there is the tallest building in Chicago.

The second day we brought our bicycles with us and rode along the Lake on a wide path filled with joggers, walkers and bikers. We started down at Solider Field, Home of Da' Bears and peddled all the way up to North Beach. An area large enough to hold 12 volleyball courts and plenty of sand leftover for people to relax by the always cold blue water.

We were thankful that during our visit we never encountered Bobby the Shoe or Jimmy the Hit Man with mini machine guns strapped under there London Fog Rain coats. Instead it was just the normal busy crowds of a big city. It seems at every turn in this city you will find a hidden gem.

Enjoy this slide show of all the great places we visited.