So here is a question. What would you want to do if you have only a day to see Chicago?
You should choose to delve into the architectural history of downtown Chicago. The best way to do that is to take the architectural river boat tour. It is a 75 minute long time machine discussing the history of rebuilding Chicago after the great fire. The great fire of Chicago happened in 1871, and is one of the largest U.S disasters of the 19th century. It destroyed a lot of the central business district of the city aka the downtown area or the “Loop”.
Fun fact about the great fire of Chicago - it is documented that the fire was started by a cow kicking a lantern. How hysterical is that?
The boat ride was my first real-life architecture 101 class. I now know that there are different eras of architectural styles and you can see all of them in downtown Chicago. From classic to neoclassic to modern to post modern architecture. No one building looks ordinary or the same as the other.
Luckily my trip coincided with the St Patrick’s’ day weekend which made my Chicago trip not a regular one. Fun fact – St. Patrick’s Day parade of Chicago is one of the largest parades in the country. It was an absolutely beautiful Saturday morning and we were squeezed in a sea of green people. Even though we were right where the parade was happening I could barely catch a glimpse of the parade because I am a short, petite woman in a crowd of tall Irish descendants or the “pretending to be Irish for a day” locals of Chicago. Nevertheless that was a different experience all together. The Chicago River is dyed green and green beer and Irish coffee is the drink of the day!
Art scene in Chicago – Apart from being one of the biggest business centers of America, Chicago has a very strong art and theater scene. You see two kinds of people when you walk in downtown Chicago: the prim and properly dressed business people, and then there are the other kind in thick glasses and interesting dressing styles who are the artists and designers. One must go place I would recommend is The Art Institute of Chicago. I wish I had the time to visit the Art Institute. That will be the first thing I will do next time I am in this city. Fun fact –Chicago has the largest collection of impressionist paintings outside of Paris.
And of course the millennium park, the Bean and the Sears tower (name changed to Willis tower) – But you already know you have to see that. The unique shape of bean (also known as the Cloud Gate) was inspired by liquid mercury droplets and it proudly reflects the stunning city skyline on its stainless steel body.
Also there is the aquarium, zoo and the museums which I did not get a chance to visit. One can only do so much in a day.
Last but not the least – One of the best things about visiting a new place is the new kind of food. We waited for 2 hours to have the best deep dish pizza in town from Giodarno’s. Also do not forget to try the “Garrett popcorn.” It is no ordinary popcorn, trust me!! No other popcorn selling places you will see long queues in front of its store.
The Chitown has so much to offer that someone rightly said, “Either you love Chicago or you are wrong.”
That was my trip to the Windy City. How was yours?
