I love Chicago
Chicago has to be one of the finest cities in USA.
Everything about it is great.
The architecture, the layout, the location on the lake and river, the cleanliness, the food, the museums, the culture, the sport, the people, and the excellent balance of nature throughout the city. To me, it feels the most like an Australian city, and apart from it's size, is very similar to my home town, Perth. It's also incredibly clean, even spotless in parts and even has a Singapore feel about it. I've seen a few of the museums and they are world class. The Field Museum is a masterpiece and has an exquisite collection.
hmmmm.... how did the rest of the country go so wrong?
Whilst in Chicago, I managed to pile a full agenda in:
I ate the worlds second best pizza at Numero Due's.
I did a boat architectural cruise which covered most of the river, 29 bridges and nearly all of the major buildings in the city.
I hiked to the top of Sears tower. The world's tallest completed building (if you count antennae).
I saw my first ever baseball game, although it was the White Sox at Cellular field and not the Cubs...
I ate a terrific steak at Smith & Wollensky's.
I walked the entire city and through the wonderful Millenium Garden.
I visited the Art Institute museum.
I got to hang out with my awesome cousin, his wife, and their two adorable children and did a tour of their neighbourhood - the ex-mafia hood of River Forest - with it's magnificent mansions.
I even discovered that Succotash (as in 'Suffering succotash!') is a food - and a delicious one at that!
My only dissapointment was the night life. Maybe I was unlucky, although I did sample a large selection of places. Maybe i've been spoiled, living in Europe. Maybe it's cos the drinking age is so old, that the people take a while to mature. But American's just seem to lack class. Everywhere I went people were either blind drunk, dancing like 17yo's, and mostly badly dressed. I dont see how a baseball cap and a college shirt can be considered acceptable evening wear. On top of that, the beer is terrible. It's all 'lite' which basically equates to 'watered down'. It's an attempt to reduce the calories. I've never even heard of such a thing anywhere else...even the cocktails were average. And despite the smoking bans, a large proportion of people still smoke, and in the clubs too!
Nevertheless, I look forward to my next trip to the Windy city!
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