Breezing through the Windy City

I had never been on a double-decker train before, and while Chicago isn’t the only place with such trains, they only added to my sense of awe, riding into the city after spending the night out in the beautiful suburb of Naperville.

We arrived in the evening, taking a bus into the city, chasing the distant horizon, before this vast illuminated skyline suddenly began to dominate.

The sense of awe heightened as the buildings continued to grow. Strong gusts blew in from Lake Michigan, giving credence to its title of ‘the Windy City’.

Transport around the main city is extensive; it boasts an overground rail service that hangs unnervingly above the city streets, but, if you have the full day to traverse the city, walking is definitely an option.

With only a single day to see as much as we could, we headed straight from Union Station down the long east-west running streets of the gridded road network, towards Lake Michigan.

If you have a head for heights, you soon pass the Willis Tower, home to the SkyDeck, which is a glass sided and floored room off the side of the tower. It gives the grandest, if a touch terrifying, views of Chicago.

Closer towards the lake, you hit Millennium Park, home to the world-famous Bean, which really is a wonderful sight, if a little strange. The images, patterns and mind-blowing reflections surrounding the object are stunning and well worth a picture.

The rest of the park is filled with beautiful sculptures, surprisingly calm and quiet hidden corners. There’s also a huge amphitheatre which, in summer, is packed for free outdoor performances.
We headed north, away from the museum district, which is well worth the exploration. At the time, my inner Disney fan was fawning over an exhibition of old Disney archive material, from the very first hand-drawn cartoons to other pieces of work.

Heading north, there was a beautiful path along the river towards the lake, winding below the main level of the city, and as night was falling, it provided the most beautiful view of the city.

Looking behind, an amazing pattern of lights and sounds enveloped us as the moon came to its full brightness, and we headed towards Navy Pier.

This is a must during summer, and provides a great view across the lake to the state of Michigan, whilst offering a whole host of local Chicagoan merchandise and cuisine.

An exploration of Chicago is not complete without a taste of a traditional deep dish Chicago Pizza: often imitated, rarely equalled, never surpassed. Just two slices were enough after a day of wandering the city.

They were made to perfection! The topping was neither rigid nor did it fall apart when lifted, and the taste has not yet been beaten.