Windy City Chicago

Over the past weekend, I visited Illinois. This marks a trip to my 20th state in America. There was a Midwestern warmth and welcoming atmosphere. Flying from New York’s JFK to Chicago O’Hare International Airport was just under two hours to my surprise.

Of course the first stop was the Willis Tower which was once known as the Sears Tower. Anyways it’s 110 stories high and 1,451 feet up. It was an impressive skyscraper. There really is an amazing architecture scene in the central business district called The Loop. Viewed from above, one can truly appreciate what people built to contribute to the city’s history.

It’s crazy to think about 57M people visit Chicago to take in the culture. Next on the list, the American Writer’s Museum was mesmerising. Learning about how creative and impactful innovators crafted words into meaning truly made me appreciate literature even more. Following that, the Chicago Cultural Centre captivates bits of the city’s aura and visual arts that draw you in.

As it came to lunch time, we made a pit stop for a glizzy. It’s the local language term for an all beef hotdog with yellow mustard, green relish, sweet onions, tomato bits, piping peppers, a dash of salt and no ketchup. Let’s just say it was delicious and as messy as it sounds. Afterwards, the infamous mirror-shaped bean structure was close by. It felt as though my husband and I might as well get our photo while walking along South Michigan Avenue. Thus we popped over to see Cloud Gate in Millennium Park. The park was beautifully landscaped with gorgeous greenery everywhere.

Then this led us to the Art Institute of Chicago. This was my favourite place! The featured displays included a collection of photography and media section, miniature room works from America and Europe, William de Kooning exhibition and must see pieces from all around the world. To mention a few familiar names, we enjoyed seeing artists from different eras: Paul Cézanne, Georges Seurat, Vincent Van Gogh, Bernat Martorell, Georgia O’Keefe, Pablo Picasso, Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali, Grant Wood, Edward Hopper and more.

For an afternoon delight, we stopped by Nubes Icecream Shop. They have cool flavours such as blackberry, blueberry, guava, lulo, morocho, passion fruit, soursop, tamarillo and others. Later on, we thought why not check out the second oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball? If you can, imagine that Wrigley Field was built in 1914. The Friendly Confines conveys an old school vibe for your sports experience with epic views. For dinner, it was deep dish time at Pequod’s Pizza. It was enjoyable but we’re clearly a thin crust family. Lastly, we stayed at Chicago Marriott Suites O’Hare to be close to the airport. The lovely location was worth it.

Chicago is one of the best big cities in the States. I would definitely recommend it for a weekend away!