Chicago with my favorite Brits

Chicago, Chicago. You did not disappoint me at all.

There were 3 cities on my « where to go » in 2012 for the East coast: Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago. I’ve been in those 3 cities, and I just loved them. No deception, and it was always better than what I was expected.
Chicago had always been in my mind the place I would go as soon as classes were over. And when Emma and I got closer, that became our plan right away. We would travel there together and it would be awesome. And then, when my friends’ plans got more concrete, it became clear that Jyoti would join us, it would be the three of us and it would be amazing.

My two British girls just for me for 5 days -how awesome that was.

We took our tickets in March, we would be leaving from NY, La Guardia, around 8.30am on tuesday the 21st. We had two different flights, 5 minutes apart, because I booked a round trip and them, a single way. For them, it was the beginning of their trip in the USA, for me, the beginning of my vacations in the US.

And we didn’t really see it coming. It just happened. That was it, they had moved out from their apartment and we had to get ready.

Let’s summarize how it went.

Leaving the apartment at 10.30pm when the cab finally came, Bus to NYC at 11.30pm, Subway + Bus in NYC from 3am to 4 something. Slept a little however we could. Boarded around 8am. Arrived to Chicago around 10.30am 🙂 (won an hour ouhouu)

Tuesday 21^st : We wandered downtown and walked to Millenium Park. Spent a little time in front of the Bean to take tourist pictures, and silly pictures, because Jyoti was here 😉

It was quite hot outside, so when we found a nice spot near a little fake river, we just sat there for an hour, talking, resting (let’s just say that spending the night sleeping on a table in LaGuardia is not the funniest thing I’ve done !). We walked around again, just admiring the architecture of the city, enjoying its atmosphere, discovering this new world.

And at night, we got our first Deep Dish Pizza Chicago Style. Yummy yummy.

Wednesday 22^nd : We spent our morning in Jane Addams Hull House, a very nicely done museum.

It was raining outside, but still quite warm and in the afternoon it became sunny again !

We went downtown again, visited the Museum of Contemporary Photography and walked around, as usual ;), stopped by the Chicago Cultural Center etc.

 

Home made dinner at night!

Thursday 23^rd : Windy day. Like really really really windy. That is to say, freezing.

We started by following a precise path to see all the buildings/art creations that we hadn’t seen downtown.  And then we took “El L” direction Lincoln Park to spend hours in the Chicago Historical Museum, after having stopped by the Public Library. What a great museum, but so much to see ! And then we walked around in the Old Town of Chicago…

don’t even ask why this was there, no idea…

Our evening was already planned: around 6.30 we would go to the Sears Tower (because no one calls it Willis tower!) to see the sunset and enjoy the view.

Pretty amazing. Could have spent hours over there…

Friday 24^th: We went on Michigan avenue in the morning, to admire all the shops that we couldn’t even afford to go in ;), stopped by the Chicago Tribune building, saw the Water Tower, and went to Portillo’s to get one of the famous Chicago Hot-Dog. Best One EVER.

And then direction Lincoln Park, the beach, the zoo etc. Lovely weather, lovely place, lovely friends, lovely day. Great combo J !

Got our last dinner together, even got Margaritas ;), until we meet again in the UK or in France next summer…

Saturday 25^th: we had until 4pm, before I would have to go towards the airport. So basically we just wandered in others neighborhood, fancier, more vintage (bought a nice skirt J) etc. And then at noon, went back more downtown to try the place where the Deep Dish pizza is originated. Had to wait an hour before being seated, but so worth it !

And my two lovely friends even went with me to the airport, got to say goodbye, trying not to be too emotional. But that’s only because I know I’ll see them again before going back to France.

They say it’s the people you meet that make your life worth living. Never gonna argue with that.