Niagara and Chicago 2012 - A Trip in Review - Day 5 to 8

Man oh MAN I loved Chicago!

My husband says he still prefers New York City… but I don’t think I agree.  I will need the novelty to wear off before I can say for sure, but Chicago resonated on a deeper level if that makes any sense.  Right now, I just can’t wait to go back.

I am a city girl, I like tall buildings and the “downtown” vibe but I also love being by the water, (especially when having a meal and extra especially when I am having a meal on vacation) so Chicago was perfect for that!  Sky scrapers by the River, and Lake Michigan in close proximity to it all… It’s the perfect mix! I love it.

Because we had our friends acting as guides (great ones!!) I was not able to get the mental map clear in my head. I was being lazy and just followed as opposed to studying a map and really learning the plan of the city.  I kept thinking we were based south of the river and when we crossed it we were going NORTH… but we weren’t, we were going SOUTH!  I am still mixed up!

And until JUST NOW when I snapped this map-shot do I realize the proximity of the Marina Towers to Trump Tower to the Chicago Tribune Tower…  in my mind, they were not this close! or in this order! … Plus, I had it in my head that they were on the other side of the River.

I would say that’s the only down-side to having a guide… the laziness it generates in the guidee.  Then again, I COULD have tried to learn.  It wasn’t until Saturday morning when I went out on a final “Goodbye Chicago” walk, that the street plan just started to gel in my mind.

I already listed our daily activities in my Fields Reports, so I don’t want to bore you by going over them all again in too much detail, but I am pleased with all we accomplished in what was really only two-and a half days! Out of my Fodor’s Top 25 Guide, we hit 9 ½… (I can’t count “Loop Public Sculpture” a whole one)

We arrived on Wednesday around lunch time, and goal #1 was Deep Dish Pizza. I was told that Pizzeria Uno is the place to go but unfortunately the wait was 45 over minutes, so we went to Pizzeria Due instead. I was underwhelmed. It was not bad, but it wasn’t amazing either. I am not going to write deep dish pizza off yet! I’m still willing to give it another try next time I am in town before I come to a final decision on it’s merits.

That night, we were still so full from lunch that we took it easy for dinner and had free wine and canapé at the Hotel. Was very nice! … and very free

Out of all the meals we had, my favourite was lunch at Smith & Wollensky… probably because I had some EXCELLENT wine (I think it was called Atwood) and because we were outside near the water. I only had a salad because I was saving the stomach-space and calories for supper, but the rest of menu intrigued me… 
Too bad this picture is blurry

Because my husband and I are such early birds, we were up and out the door by 7:30 AM on Thursday and Friday. Our friends on the other hand are night owls but it all worked out well, we would go out in the mornings and explore more of the city on own own for a few hours and then we met up with them around 9:30. It was a good schedule! Accordingly, we did not have very many late nights either, but we still managed a few night shots on the way back to the hotel after dinner on Thursday:

Our days were pretty full, the attractions highlight was probably the Skydeck Ledge of Willis Tower (formerly: Sears Tower). A glass “pop – out” 103 stories up. 

We were a bit nervous about stepping out there at first, but there were SO MANY kids running around – not showing the faintest glimpse of fear – that it helped us get over our apprehension.
The picture is a little grainy because I took a picture of the picture with my Ipod. Still, you get the idea…  we are really standing out there 103 floors up, it’s not a green-screen.

Another highlight was Cloud Gate, commonly referred to as “The Bean”. That thing is SO COOOOL!!!!

All good things must come to an end and Saturday morning came too fast I was sad; I feel like we only just scratched the surface!! I still wanted MORE! But it was also the start of a 7-day heat wave with temps flirting near 100°F! It’s just as well that the visit ended on that day…  however, the museums would have been air conditioned! Ah well, next time.
That morning, the hotel buffet breakfast didn’t even come close to tempting me, so I suggested to my husband we go next door to Einstein Brothers Bagels at the corner of the block instead. It was right next to the hotel - practically underneath!

OH. MY. GOD.  THANK GOD we don’t have these in Montreal! too delicious!!! too tempting!!  Too piggish!
I had one of their “Egg-Citing” Bacon & Cheddar Egg Sandwich Bagel :

THEN, as it that was not enough, I had Spinach Florentine Gourmet Bagel:

And THEEEEEEN, I had a Tuscan Pesto Bagel (not pictured)…  Oh God. I was unstoppable!!

After all that, I was extra keen to take one last walk around town!!!
I felt so sad to be leaving,  I can’t wait to go back! (by plane )

Niagara and Chicago 2012 - A Trip in Review - Day 3 & 4

We left Milton around 9AM and most of that day was spent on the road.  Knowing we had the entire day ahead of us free and open, we took our time and set the Cruise Control to a leisurely 100 KPH.

We crossed the boarder into the US at Sarnia / Port Hope around noon.  I find American border guards mean business; I have never EVER seen one crack a smile EVER! I find them intimidating – like drill sergeants. The one we had, adopted an almost accusatory tone with us. “So, what’s going on in Chicago?”  almost like it was a trick question as opposed to an inquiry on our intentions.

Canadian border guards on the other hand, have just as much credibility but in my experience are always nicer. Is it because the guards are stricter with foreigners entering their country and more human with residents coming home? I will have to ask my American friends about that.

For lunch, we stopped at Olive Garden in Port Huron. This surprises people I know, but I am even MORE surprised by how good it is! Seriously! Is it because my standards are low?  Now, I am not expecting a gourmet meal, but for what I consider to be “fast food Italian” I have to say I think it’s great!

This love-affair with olive Garden started on a rainy day in NYC when we plunked down at the Olive Garden in Time Square and had a loungy 2 hour + lunch and loved it! We still rave about it years later.  Stopping here for lunch this time was almost a test to see if it would match up to that experience…  and it did!!! 

I had one of their “Taste of Tuscany” Specials:

Grilled Sausage tossed with sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli and orrecchiette pasta in garlic butter sauce with Fresh Spinach, Roasted Asparagus, and a glass of Robert Mondavi Cabernet….  It was delicious! However, as good as it was – it was still pasta and after a heavyish meal, if all you are going to do is get back in the car and drive, you are bound to feel a little sluggish in the afternoon – and I did.

We decided we would stop in Ann Arbor Michigan for the night, I heard it was a nice university town and figured it would be a decent place stay. I wanted to wander around and enjoy the city a little more in detail, but I was overruled by my husband’s fatigue so we explored by car instead. We drove around for a while and finally checked into a Comfort Inn in the outskirts near the Interstate.

I liked Ann Arbor a lot from the little I saw, and I would easily stop there again – especially because there were SO MANY NICE RESTOS!!!  We picked Café Felix, but sadly we were not that hungry after lunch at Olive Garden, so couldn't take full advantage – still, it was very nice (I am there sitting at the far right of the picture).

---

The next morning, Tuesday, we hit the road again onwards to South Bend Indiana to meet our friends [that we met on the cruise]. When they visited us in Montreal last fall, they told us that he makes THE BEST Osso Bucco around. Well, we could not just let that go! So when we made these plans to go with them to Chicago, we decided to spend a night at their place before heading out so we could judge for ourselves!!

We made it to South Bend very easily by lunch time and had a leisurely meal at The Emporium.

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on their back yard deck, having drinks, chatting, catching up…  it was lovely!

… and the Osso Bucco? It was great!! I also tried marrow for the first time, and it wasn’t bad… less gelatinous than I had anticipated and a very very concentrated flavour!

 

End of part 2

Niagara and Chicago 2012 - A Trip in Review - Day 1 & 2

Another vacation come and gone…  sigh.

This was the first Road Trip I ever took, and quite frankly I hope it’s the last. I LOVED Chicago, but next time I am flying. All that driving was a lot of wasted time and I did not enjoy it. It’s boring, there is nothing to see, and my husband is very “destination oriented” so impromptu stops along the way are out of the question.

Flying from Plattsburg to Chicago would be affordable (would not fly from Montreal – THAT is too expensive / Plattsburg is about an hour away by car), just look at the prices I got for flights when I entered random dates in July… ok, these are insanely long routes, but keep in mind it’s for JULY, when everything is pricey!

I rather pay 500$ for a flight that gets me there in a day, as opposed to gas, hotel and meals that would get me there in two. In fact, I am willing to wager it would be cheaper!

However, in this particular case, we did go to Niagara Falls on the way there, so it wasn’t SOOOOOO bad.

---

My aunt is visiting from Switzerland and she was keen on seeing Toronto and Niagara Falls, so the 4 of us (my husband and I & my mom and her sister) went for a visit.

We drove to Toronto on Saturday where we dropped them off at their hotel in Downtown Toronto, had lunch with them while they waited for their room to be ready, and then my husband and I went off to stay with his cousin in Milton. Ironically, his wife was in Montreal that weekend! – Go figure.

I like my husband’s cousin, I like his attitude.  It seems every time I see him he is always in a good mood. Look at how pleasant he seems in this picture! What’s not to like!

We were very comfortable at his place. I was EXTRA impressed with the guest-bed!!! This looks like a normal wall-unit...

But look!! The bed folds down like a Murphy Bed, and the desk (now underneath) remains intact and flat, so no need to clear anything off!  It's GENIUS! ... and was very comfy too.

Milton is a cute little town, but it just confirmed that I am a city girl. It’s too small for me…  nevertheless, they had lots of nice restos and we had a great dinner at Casa Americo. A good Italian meal with live music. It was a really enjoyable evening!

Love this picture of my husband and his cousin:

---

On Sunday morning, we drove back to Toronto to pick up my mom & aunt, and headed out to Niagara Falls.

The last time I saw the Falls was in 1990, my husband was in the 70s and we both said it was nothing like we remembered it!

I found the little town around it a fascinating collection of American chain restaurants!!  Quite amazing.  As for the Falls themselves, kitschy or not, they are something impressive to see!

I liked the views from the Skylon Tower the best:

My aunt was blown away! She loved it and repeated mentioned she could not believe she was actually there. That was nice, it helped me appreciate it more myself!

We had lunch at The Edgewater's Tap & Grill, and because we were a little on the early side, we got a fantastic table on the terrace with a full-on view on the American Falls from our table. It was really nice…  and infinitely better then being enclosed in an American Chain Restaurant!

---

When we were done with the Falls, we drove to Niagara On The Lake to see a what that town had to offer.

I have to say that for a place that is pretty much only shopping, I liked it anyway! We arrived and parked the car just in time to hear a band playing the Canadian and American National Anthems in honour of the 200 year anniversary of the war of 1812.

We walked around for a little while, then had drinks at Shaw Cafe & Wine Bar. It was really lovely!!  My picture has too many distractions in the way, so I had to swipe this one from Street View

We decided we’d stay in town for dinner, which I think we all kind of secretly regretted because it was getting hotter and hotter and our motivation for sightseeing was fading! 

We decided on a nice light snack at the Golf Club Patio overlooking Lake Ontario. It was really picturesque! The food was ok, I had some wine and cheese and my mom and aunt had nice salads…

I have very few shots because my husband was getting fed up and wanted to hit the road, but I did take this one of the view with my Ipod…  better than nothing!

Afterwards, we dropped them back off in Toronto, and returned to Milton to rest before we hit the road for the U.S. on Monday.

End of part 1

Chicago 2012

I love Chicago so far! I feel like we'll only be able to scratch the surface on this trip, but that just means we have a reason to come back again!

By the time we are finished on Saturday morning, we'll have done a very good job hitting the sites in my Fodor's Top 25 Chicago Guide.

So far, we've done:

• A drive along the lakefront with a stop at a beach (forget the name now).

• Hancock Tower. Instead of the observation deck, we went up to the bar for a drink. Came out to the same price, excellent views, and more comfortable to linger around.

• Magnificent Mile. We walked up and down it, you know I am not a shopper, but it was still nice.

Over the next two days, we plan:

• Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise.

• Lincoln Park Zoo.

• Millennium Park. (this includes 'The Bean').

• The Rookery

• Willis Tower (a.k.a. The Sears Tower)

That 8 out of their list of 25 in less than 3 days. Not bad! Plus, there are quite a few I don't want to do anyway (like museums) because the weather is so nice, I want to enjoy it too!

For lunch yesterday, we were planning to go to the famous "Pizzeria Uno" for Chicago's famous deep dish pizza, but it was a 45 minute wait, so we went next door to have it at Due instead. It was good, but so crazy filling we were full all day with no room for diner! We just had cheese and crackers at the hotel.

Great hotel by the way!! Big room on the 23rd floor. We booked last November and got a CAA discount, so it costs 170$ per night. This morning, I notice they slipped the guy next door's bill under our door, and he is paying 399$!!!

The only bad thing, is that our camera broke! My husband dropped it TWICE. Thank God it was him and not me!! LOL... I'd have never heard the end of it!!! So we are going to start the day with a trip to Best Buy.

Here are some pictures I snapped with my IPod of the Hancock Tower and the view from the bar on the 96th floor: