Yesterday, we once again ventured into the heart of Chicago, and discovered a little slice of heaven, high above the bustling city below. From their condo in Wicker Park, you can view a slice of the city skyline and what was once referred to as the tallest building in the world, the Sears Tower (renamed Willis Tower).
The view from Brian and Taryn's place
It has since been surpassed by another monolith in Japan as the tallest building, however, it has retained the title of the tallest structure...because of its radio antenna towers. Enough about the history lesson, let's get to the good part....we decided it would be fun to see the view from the tower, looking back at their condo..and so we did just that. Neither of them had been to the top of the tower, so we planned our day around a trip up to the highest point in the city...it is said that on a clear day, you can see 50 miles in the distance.....I now believe it to be true.
We jumped on the subway, which is less than 2 blocks from their place, and within a few short
minutes, we were on the sidewalk in the heart of the city. Since first being introduced to Chicago 3 short years ago, I've been in love with it for a number of reasons...one in particular...it's so clean!!! That may seem silly at first, and honestly, it's just one of the many attractive aspects of this area. In comparison, have you been to NYC and walked the streets.....morning, noon or night...there is garbage everywhere??? It was recently explained to me, that when the city was rebuilt after the great Chicago fire, they designed alleyways behind each street, so the trash stays hidden..brilliant idea...a city that stays clean, what a concept!
First stop Millennium Park...I'd been there before on my first trip with Stacey back in 2007, when she and I surprised Brian for his birthday by just showing up at his apartment, knocking on the door, and yelling "Surprise!" Thanks to Taryn's help, it was so much fun to keep the secret and arrange a visit to their new home.
Brian still a bit in shock from his surprise birthday guests--2007
My first visit to Millennium Park, on a record breaking warm October day--2007
Cool October day...the Chicago Bean with my Red Sox nut!
Don't forget to just look up...
....on closer inspection...a shiny gold topped building caught my eye...you never know what you'll see up where Mother Nature's sky meets man-made structures
Stacey and I both enjoyed our quick introduction to Chicago in the fall of 2007, and looked forward to more trips in the future. For Roger, this was his first taste of this beautiful, sprawling park-- right in the heart of the city...green lawns...incredible architecture, and just a great place to spend some leisurely time walking around downtown.
It was finally time to take the quick 60 second vertical trip to the top of the tower. You can feel your ears popping as the elevator whisks you up to the observation deck for your very first birds-eye-view of the city of Chicago. Absolutely amazing!
And to make things just a bit more interesting...how about standing out on a clear plexiglass ledge to get the full affect of just how high up you truly are...YIKES!
I'm not afraid of heights, but I understand that some folks feel physically ill from looking down from such a high vantage point. I went one "step" further, and decided to lie down to have my picture taken with the city directly beneath me, only a thick sheet of plexiglass separating me and the sidewalk 103 stories below.
Silly person that I am...it was fun, even though my photographer didn't quite line up the shot (his foot, scarf and the camera strap somehow made it into the picture), thanks honey for indulging the "child" in your daredevil wife :). Additionally, thanks to Taryn and Brian for also humoring me by stepping out onto the ledge for a couple quick shots.
If you look very closely..their condo is directly behind them in the distance.
It was very bright and sunny out on the ledge..and very cool to look down
I was out in my little plexiglass cube, taking a picture of them in theirs...just hanging off the side of a building....103 stories up in the air
It was time to venture back down to ground level and go in search of our lunch. All that walking and fresh air, had helped to build up our appetites. Roger wanted to experience a ride on the elevated train, so it was arranged that we would hop on the "L" and make our way over to another part of the city for our midday meal. We decided on a mexican lunch of mini-tacos and fresh guacamole....we inhaled that meal like we hadn't eaten all day. It felt good to get out of the cold, sit down...and enjoy a tasty treat. Next up...shopping or movies....hmmmm tough decision.
Marinated skirt steak and cheese...very tasty :)
After filling our tummies, the idea of spending a couple hours in a warm dark theater, appealed to all four of us...so we jumped in a cab and headed over to buy our tickets. Two hours later...it was time to return home to regroup for what remained of the day. It was Halloween, and these 4 trick-or-treaters would be spending a quiet night, watching a creepy movie, in the comfort of T & B's living room...sounded good to me :)
After a quick run to the most incredible Whole Foods store I have ever had the pleasure of shopping in, we toted our Halloween booty home to settle in for the night. It didn't take long for our busy day to catch up with us...I was dozing on the couch as I struggled to make it through the entire movie. By 11 pm, we were saying our goodnights and heading to bed.
It was a great day, visiting a great city, with the greatest tour guides we could possibly find. I know that I always find pleasure in sharing my love of Florida with anyone who comes for a visit. It was equally enjoyable to explore new places with T & B, to discover what they have to offer out-of-town visitors.....right in their own backyard.
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