Hong Kong John

There were probably potentially cheesier headlines I could have used for this blog post, although they would be hard to think up without injecting a tube of squeezy cheese into a vein somewhere (mmm, artificial). Anyway, my journey to Chicago lasted for an entire month as I was there to see friends. This post will inevitably be longer than most of the others where I visit a place for a few days to a week, so rather than give a run-down of everything I got up to, I shall attempt to cover everything that I believe would be of interest to a curious tourist such as myself.

It is sometimes argued where the term “Windy City” comes from. The two main arguments are that it either describes the weather there, or was referred to by the newspaper of a rival city (Cincinnati) in the 1800′s as ‘windy’ (i.e. full of it). Given the breeze on Lake Michigan, however, I’m more inclined to believe the former as the origin, made popular by the world admired vehicle of language, the American politician. A cool lesser known nickname is “New Gotham” as much of The Dark Knight (2008) was filmed here. It’s possible to spot many of the filming locations just from walking around downtown and the surrounding tourist areas.

Chicago was the first city I can remember visiting that operated on a grid system, which was a bit of a shock from somebody who was living in London. Roads quite literally last for miles and miles – Western Avenue for example is the longest road in Chicago which is over 20 miles long. So saying that somebody lives on a particular street or road really isn’t that helpful as I discovered very quickly. Something I also found amusing is that most buses seem to operate down a single street because of this. The only time I would spend an hour on one street in London is if I was in town during rush hour with nothing better to do and I couldn’t be bothered to get off and walk (which would almost always be faster at that time). In Chicago, it’s situation normal. So this is one of the only things I’d caution visitors not familiar with the grid system: it elevates guessing where something is into a bit of an art form. On the plus side, though, it’s quite difficult to get lost if given clear directions. Especially since most addresses involve turning twice at most.

It is easy to determine where the action is in Chicago. Skyscrapers and taller buildings litter the downtown area (a.k.a. “The Loop”) while the outer suburbs are almost entirely flat against the landscape. As long as you had a view of which way the tall things were, it was impossible to figure out where to go. Heading into town, my first stop was the “Magnificent Mile”, which is a portion of Michigan Avenue famous for shopping – something like three million square feet of shops, and an awful lot of designer boutiques line the way as well. For the ‘backpacker shopper’ this may not be such an amazing experience as I have yet to meet a hostel-traveller who packs Gucci, but you never know. It does not quite compare to the sheer compact nature of shopping districts in London and Hong Kong, for example, but the glamour and splendour (I can’t imagine how pretty it must look at Christmas!) is definitely worth taking in. The photo below is about as good as I could have gotten while perched precariously on a traffic island.

One of the first places I was taken was the John Hancock Centre (“the Hancock”) which stands as the second highest observation tower (at the 94th floor), although only the fourth tallest building, in Chicago behind the Sears Tower’s SkyDeck which I believe is on the 103rd floor. The view, however, doesn’t disappoint.

Looking out over the rest of downtown and the suburbs on this side of the Hancock I can see the twin antennae of Sears Tower around a mile and a half away. Apparently the SkyDeck is 300ft higher up but that doesn’t seem to be too apparent when you’re this far off the ground! There is usually a queue, especially in good weather, to get in, and it does cost (including photos in front of a “green screen” that allow you and your companions to pose in front of an unobstructed view) – but is quite a nice view. There is also a coffee shop on the observation deck, so to make the most of your visit have a slightly overpriced coffee and chill out while however many feet up you are. 

Now, because of the time of the year I arrived (nice weather nearly non-stop basically!) it was street fair season – a few arguably more quirky and fun than Market Days, to which I was invited because a friend was working there. For those that don’t know, Market Days is a gay pride fair – so the music and artwork on show was at times quirky, and the number of interestingly dressed people I encountered ranged from approximately a thousand to infinity. Brilliant stuff! More drinks stalls lining the street than you can shake a stick at and amusingly, even a public (you know at a gay pride fair this could end in waaaaaaay too many laughs) game of Twister or three. For reasons that my blog may no longer be suitable for all if I show photos from that, here’s a photo instead of the fair at literally the very beginning (before anything got interestingly wild):

There are already enough people here to make it lively, and the arrival of the rest of the crowd and hired dancers (everywhere!) only served to put more smiles on faces.

For some strange reason, this bar seemed to be getting a lot of business. Let’s put it that way.

This is just one of the examples of places I went, but you can check out a list of most of the major festivals in Chicago here and for a great list of things to do throughout 2010 I highly recommend this page right here. Local fairs abound in the summer time and it’s quite likely many of them aren’t even listed – but if you attend one, there’s good chances that if you ask a stall where they’re exhibiting or selling next, they will tell you another fair next weekend that you haven’t heard of and can also attend. 

Another once-a-year event I was lucky enough to see while I was there was the Chicago Air and Water Show. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan on North Avenue Beach in the city, demonstrations from, you guessed it, boats and aircraft entertain visitors to the beach over a weekend. Everything from police boats to stunt helicopters (I have never seen a helicopter do barrel rolls before…I wasn’t aware it was possible!) were on show, and the military, taking a small break from bombing, tend to seize the opportunity to show off both their new and vintage stuff as well. It’s brilliant!

To really appreciate the show though, you have to understand just how close the beach is to all the action. At one point a C130 transport aircraft was paraded in front of us, and I swear it was close enough to give anyone on one of the yachts on the lake shellshock. The photo below is one of the smallest planes that were on show (but the acrobatics were incredible)! Everybody just goes about their own way, chilling out like this kind of entertainment is expected ’round here. One word: awesome.

Even if the show isn’t on, though, North Avenue beach is a fantastic place to visit for a day out in the sun, and especially so if you’re into beach volleyball. As some of my friends pointed out, the sport’s good and the views are better…

Reluctantly, I now moved on to something quite important in defining Chicago – Deep Pan (or even just “Chicago style”) Pizza. While Chicago is a place where good food is all around, this style of pizza is definitely unique to Chicago. In some places, the crust around the ouside of the pizza can be as high as 3 inches, effectively making the pizza into a pie, what with the enormous amounts of tomato, cheese, and toppings (more like middle-ings?) that adorn the inside. As someone who loves food, I was keen on it and eagerly went with another friend of mine – so imagine my horror when I found out I could only handle one measly slice! Clearly I have shamed myself…although perhaps the photo below might clear up some of the ‘why’ I was unable to finish the pizza. It was leftover lunch/dinner for a good five or six days!

Moving on to some of the less cuisine-defined culture: another thing I noticed about Chicago, which is obviously a culture that has developed over the years, is the sheer number of comedy clubs and galleries / art institutions around. To the observant visitor, it might sometimes seem that half the city is either an artist or a comedian! It is practically impossible to miss the signs and entrances to these places regardless of where you walk in any populated district with shops. For that reason, it’s an absolute must that you visit some of these places. I’m not much of an art person myself, I admit, but I found the Art Institute of Chicagoquite a nice walk around. I was also lucky enough that they had a temporary photography exhibition on at the time, which was nothing short of breathtaking for me as photography is a hobby of mine.

Comedy clubs are nearly everywhere and make for a good night out with friends as amateurs and professionals alike try out new material on a crowd. Some (but nowhere close to all) of the more well known comedy clubs are listed on the LocalChicago website but it would not be hard for any visitor to walk into a few clubs on an evening strolling around town. One unforgettable night out was with a comedian friend who chose to perform at The Globe Pub on an open mic night. About ten minutes into the evening, I realised that 90% of the audience were actually comedians waiting for their turn on stage. I turned to my friend and perhaps stupidly said “I bet I could do five minutes to this lot if they’re all comedians”. After approaching the M.C. and getting a slot, I proceeded to make fun out of comedians rather than pick any typical material! Considering I had never done anything similar before it was a fun experience. Several of the comedians even came up to me after the evening had ended with praise, which was really uplifting! I bet I had more than a few glares from those that took their profession rather seriously, though.  Haha.

Perhaps following naturally from the arts scene, Chicago is also home to a big following of film. I was lucky enough to be there during the 2009 Chicago Outdoor Movie Festival which screened a different free movie every Tuesday at Grant Park, which is the larger park entity that encompasses Millennium Park – comfortably in The Loop / Downtown and easy to get to. Later on in the year, typically in the autumn, the Chicago International Film Festival is also held.

There are places throughout the city that also are associated with film, including the Art Institute discussed earlier and the Chicago History Museum (much of early American TV is described here). A personal favourite that I was introduced to was the Dark Room Bar, where friends and I went to a free screening of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth – not your typical theatre but a real eye opener into how things were done in the past! I’ll never watch stop-motion animation quite the same way again (and David Bowie still gives me nightmares!).

My next tourist stop a few days later was actually the John Hancock again – but for an entirely different reason this time. During the summer, fireworks (not just for the 4th of July!) are let off to a series of different soundtracks off of Navy Pier. The schedule for the 2010 fireworks is here. I was told to go back to the observation deck of the Hancock to witness this for myself – and it was indeed breathtaking, especially seen from above!

Most definitely a view one would normally expect to see on TV or similar, rather than as someone stood watching from ground level. It’s absolutely gorgeous and I’d recommend anyone in the area at the time to seize the opportunity and go! Looking out into the suburbs at night is also very beautiful. One thing I would say, though: because of its location being much nearer the pier, I would not recommend the Sears Tower Skydeck over the Hancock to watch the fireworks from. Do keep this in mind.

Finally, before heading home for the evening, I highly recommend (after wrapping up as it will be windy on the Lake!) a walk up and down Navy Pier itself; it’s very pretty and tranquil in the evenings. There are still a few shops and restaurants open for those who wish to savour the evening even more, but at any rate it’s a lovely walk.

I had spent a lot of my time in Chicago relaxing and finally realising I haven’t seen all there is to see yet – so off I went again into the Loop on the very next day to have a stroll around Millennium Park. There are regular outdoor art exhibitions and special events going on here, so depending on when you go there will definitely be things to do. The two most famous things to see and experience in my opinion, however, are the Cloud Gate sculpture by British artist Anish Kapoor (more commonly known in Chicago as “The Bean”) and the Crown Fountain, which is undeniably a favourite with children!

The Bean is basically just that – a giant stainless steel bean that distorts the skyline in a pretty cool way – you can walk underneath and around it and it’s generally a very fun ‘House of Mirrors’ style experience. The Crown Fountain uses faces of local Chicagoans projected onto two massive LED screens, that spout water into a reflecting pool. It’s great fun even just to look at!

I also took the opportunity to pay a daytime visit to Navy Pier to try one of the tourist attractions there recommended by a friend. There are large speedboats that take members of the public out onto Lake Michigan for a lovely view of the Chicago skyline, and the company that operates these is called Seadog. However, that wasn’t what I was there for: one particular boat (I believe these ones are red rather than the yellow of the rest) is called the ‘Seadog Extreme’ – no prizes for guessing why. They are advertised as 30% faster but I suspect in practice they give it a bit more welly than that. Don’t sit by the sides if you mind getting wet!! Wonderful views of the city combined with a healthy dose of G-forces and a few bucketfuls of water made this a thoroughly great experience!

After drying off, I did manage to head to Sears Tower (I believe few Chicagoans refer to it as the Willis Tower even though the name was changed in July 2009, in case anyone’s wondering…at least I know it as the Sears Tower) as well before retiring for the evening. If 94 floors up in the Hancock wasn’t enough, then perhaps the SkyDeck on the 103rd floor could provide a reasonable alternative! Most of the same things that I experienced at the Hancock were also here: the obligatory Green Screen photo before heading up to the top and the slightly generous entrance fees – but for the experience it was, of course, worth it. The elevators are pitched as a feature of Sears Tower as well, taking about a minute to get to the SkyDeck from ground level which is pretty impressive. Also good so that on days when there are long queues, there aren’t any corpses who failed to make it to the front of the line!

The view from the top, because it’s not as near to the lake, is perhaps not quite as spectacular as the Hancock even though it’s further up. However, it does have its own unique feature that will surely make you want to visit even if you had no opinion before – I think the photo below says it all. Hope you’re not afraid of heights!

With my trip coming to an end, I had a few days left just to relax. I decided to head to the Shedd Acquarium which is famous for being one of the largest acquariums in the world. It’s also just adjacent to the Field Museum, which I sadly did not visit. The Field Museum is the Natural History museum in Chicago, and is also home to ‘Sue’, the largest T-Rex ever discovered. When I head back, it will undoubtedly be worth a visit!

The Shedd is absolutely huge and could easily take over a day to walk around if you were interested in this sort of thing. I was lucky enough that they were training for a new, extended water show in the amphitheatre – and was able to see a shortened version of what the new show would be like. You can expect the ‘usual’ performance, I suppose, similar to that from aquatic theme parks, but the actual amphitheatre and the background (looking out onto Lake Michigan and seeing the Adler Planetarium – the oldest planetarium in existance today and the first one ever built in the western hemisphere, just a short walk away) is absolutely breathtaking.

The exhibits and tanks in the acquarium in general are also simply huge – and can very easily keep you mesmerised for hours.

The Shedd also has several good cafe’s, including one on the first floor with an outdoor seating area allowing you to look out into the harbour and lake. Reserve a full day out, perhaps, for this one – but it will most certainly be a good one.

My remaining few days in Chicago I spent mostly with friends, but did walk past a few landmarks that could be interesting to some. Firstly, for the sports fans out there, Wrigley Field stadium is the home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. It is served mainly by the “Addison” stop on the CTA (equivalent to metro / underground / subway / take your pick), and the surrounding area is abundant with lovely cafe’s and shops designed to serve those who travel to Chicago from elsewhere to watch the games.

As a bonus quirk for any architects or civil engineers about, Oak Park is well worth a visit to take a look at some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture which is still very much present in the residential neighbourhood there, with many of his original designs still in use. I must admit, as somebody who still knows next to nothing about architecture, it was still pretty cool looking at some of the houses he designed – well worth reading up on before you head out there so you can gain a better understanding of why things were done the way they are. I was lucky enough to be accompanied by a friend who knew an awful lot more about architecture than I did, but a good alternative is to look up the Oak Park Trust and inquire about the walking tours (either by yourself or with someone else).

Chicago definitely feels like one of those cities that, while can be explored by a mere tourist in several weeks or a month, has a lot more underneath the surface that I’m pretty sure I’ve barely scratched. To a local who knows ‘where to go’ and ‘when to be where’, it definitely gives off the vibe of being a city that can be comfortably lived in every day of the year without getting too bored (unless snowed in during winter, perhaps). I’m looking forward to my next trip!