My Kind of Town

We just spent the last four days in Chicago and loved every minute of it. As we made our way across Lake Michigan from Michigan City, Indiana the city appeared as a still life – large skyscrapers meeting the lake with a quiet stillness that didn’t reveal all that was going on inside the city. As we got closer and closer we got more and more excited.

Around 2:30pm on Tuesday we were tied up in DuSable Harbor right in the heart of downtown. We couldn’t have been in a better location and had total access to the city. We were both anxious to get off the boat and go exploring. We put on our tennis shoes and headed into the city. We trekked around for hours going from the familiar Michigan Avenue to the river walk, which neither of us has ever walked before. Passing by the Trump building made us both cringe but for the first time since New York (2 and a half months ago) we were in a real city. We were both so happy. I never realized how much of a city girl that I am but after small town after small town and not having access to food and supplies that we needed I am convinced.

My good buddy from high school "Wies" (Mike Wiesenhaun) has lived in the city for years and we made a plan to meet up later for some Chicago pizza and drinks. Around 7o’clock we met up at Lou Malnati’s. We ate delicious Chicago pizza, salad and many beers. The place was packed and we were happy to be with Wies. After dinner we all headed back to the boat for more drinks, some card playing and bullshitting. I was very happy to see and catch up with my old friend.

The next day we decided we would have a day of culture and headed to The Art Institute of Chicago. What a beautiful museum with a very large collection. So large that we spent three and a half hours and still didn’t see everything. We did catch the highlights – Monet, Rembrandt, Picasso, Warhol, Van Gogh, Matisse and Dali and had a self guided audio tour to lead us through.  After the long morning at the museum we came back to the boat for a rest before our evening. That night we had a fun night planned thanks to Anthony Bordain and his TV. show Parts Unknown, which we are both big fans. We had watched an episode while still in San Diego where he went around Chicago to some of his favorite spots that were a bit off the grid. First we took an Uber to a bar called The Old Town Ale House. This bar has been opened since 1958 and not a lot has changed. When you walk in it’s dark and kinda seedy with just a few men sitting at the bar. The owner is a bit of an artiest and has decorated the entire bar with his paintings. Most of the painting are of regular bar goers and staff but there is also some political art like Vladimir Putin wearing nothing but a pink tutu and ballet slippers, Sara Palin buck naked with a gun in her hand and wearing a tiara. There is also Mitt Romney in his magic underwear. He’s a Mormon. The bars art keeps you entertained for hours. After a drink here we walked down the street in Old Town to Topo Gigio for dinner, again thanks to Anthony Bordain. It was delicious!! We were greeted by a basket of hot bread. We had a cocktail, wine, pasta and Jeff had a whitefish, which he stated was the best whitefish he’s ever eaten. Thank you Anthony.

We had planned to leave the next day (Thursday) but we were having so much fun and hadn’t had a chance to ride our bikes so we extended for a day. Thursday we took our bikes down and rode the lake front bike path. It was a scenic, flat path that took us 16 miles round trip. We felt good. After our ride we rested a bit then walked to the train station to venture out to Wicker Park at Wies’s recommendation. It felt nice to be on the train. How can you come to Chicago and not ride the train? Wicker Park was an eclectic mix of artists, hipsters, mom and pop shops and corporate chains. We strolled up and down the streets taking it all in. Finally we rode the train back to the boat. Since we had a bonus night we decided we could have Chicago Pizza again. Yum! This time we walked to Navy Pier that is right next to the boat and only a 5-minute walk to Giordano’s. We had some drinks and ate more pie. Stuffed and tired we made our way back to the boat in anticipation of leaving in the morning.

When I woke up Friday morning Jeff said that we weren’t leaving. The waves were too big on Lake Michigan and we would have to stay one more day. Fine by me. I was so happy to be in a city I could have stayed a week. Today would be an especially happy day for me because we were biking to Whole Foods. The Motherland. Being a vegetarian while traveling through all of these small towns has been very tough and I have been very limited with what I have been able to cook so going to a place like Whole Foods was great! They were playing their usual happy upbeat music and I was singing as I pushed the cart up and down the isles. I think Jeff liked it too. We made our way back to the boat with a full Travoy and backpack and all set for the week to come. The rest of the day we just relaxed, cleaned a bit and readied the boat for the departure in the a.m.

Today (Saturday) we woke up at our leisure, ate breakfast and took off for Calumet Harbor and Hammond Marina Indiana. It is a large marina, very industrial and omitting lots of pungent smells. Fortunately we are only here one night. We will lower our arch tomorrow and head out to Joliet, Illinois and begin our next phase of the Loop-The Rivers.