Chicagoland

We opted to take public transportation into Chicago from Portage Indiana. This way we'd save ourselves the hassle of looking for parking in downtown. After calculating the cost of driving the truck the 40 miles one way, plus toll fees, plus parking fees, the $7.50 one way ticket on the train didn't sound so bad. The South Shore Line ran a pretty good schedule, with trains departing the Portage station almost every hour. We caught the 9:08 train in the morning, and after the hour and 20 minute commute, we were dropped off right in the middle of downtown at Millennium Station.

Catching the train to Chicago

We didn't have a specific plan for the city, just a short list of must-see items, so we picked up a tourist map at the visitors center and walked wherever our feet would take us. Seven hours later we caught the 5:28 train back to Portage. On our way home I was looking at the map of the city and started counting up the distance of where we had been that day. Turns out we'd walked 10 miles in Chicago, in one big loop. No wonder we were wiped out! We had been so mesmerized by the gorgeous buildings, the sparkling lakefront and the beautiful fountains that we didn't even realize we had walked that far.

We were really impressed with Chicago, the Windy City. The city blocks were reminiscent of New York's Manhattan: tall, awesome skyscrapers; intricate architecture, well manicured central parks. Chicago has a great riverfront that runs through the city, and it also has a great lakefront of Lake Michigan.

I could try and describe what all we saw there, but I figured it would be better to show you. Here is our journey through the city in photographs:

The Chicago Theater on State St.

Marshall Field Clock on State St.

Crossing the Michigan Ave. bridge on the Riverwalk

Clock tower of the Wrigley Building on Michigan Ave. 

Donald Trump skyscraper on Michigan Ave. 

Walking the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Ave. 

The Historic Water Tower on Michigan Ave. 

The historic millionaire tycoon mansions of the Gold Coast neighborhood 

Oak Street beach

The fountain in Gateway Park at the Navy Pier

Inside the Crystal Gardens at the Navy Pier

The Chicago Ferris Wheel on the Navy Pier

The view of downtown from the Navy Pier

Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park

City of Chicago Public Library on Michigan Ave.

The Cloud Gate (aka The Bean) in Millennium Park

The Bean up close

The Crown Fountain in Millennium Park

And while wondering around downtown, we ran into an old friend on the street! Matthan moved to the city to sing opera at the Chicago Opera Theater. We caught him just as he was leaving a rehearsal. I don't think I've seen Matthan since we graduated high school. It was great running into a familiar face in such a big city.

An old buddy!

We had meant to go into the city multiple times, but because of the long commute we decided we'd come back another time. Chicago is better visited while staying in a hotel smack in the middle of downtown so that you can walk and explore all the city has to offer easily. I also heard that you don't really get a true sense for Chicago until you've explored the neighborhoods outside of downtown. We look forward to coming back and staying a while and really exploring the city.

To see more pictures of Chicago, click here.

Happy Windy City walking,

M.