Chicago Odyssey (June 2000)
Our Chicago Odyssey took place before we had a digital camera, so you'll just have to believe us when we say that we got some great shots with our SLR cameras! The pictures that appear below are courtesy of our friends, the Wernings. Thanks guys!
Malc was working with Motorola and had to travel to Chicago for 2 weeks work, so he took a week's vacation and travelled out early with Nic. We stayed in the Red Roof Inn at Arlington Heights, which is only about a 10 minute drive from the Arlington Heights railroad station. A week's travel pass was great value and enabled us to head downtown every day. The train ride takes about 50 minutes, you get a great view of the Chicago skyline as you approach downtown and you pull into the first floor of a skyscraper!
So, what did we do downtown? We went on a river and lake cruise, where you get an architectural talk as you cruise down the river and then you go out onto Lake Michigan to see Chicago's fantastic skyline. If you go at night, the skyline is amazing and the Buckingham Fountain has an illuminated musical show that you can watch from the lake. One of our favourite films is The Negotiator, which was filmed in Chicago and so we loved this tour!! We also went on a free architectural tour on the El (the elevated train), where you go round the loop 3 times (the loop is an area of downtown bounded by a big circle in the El). Again, it's a great way to see the city and it's really neat riding on the overhead trains that are so familiar from The Blues Brothers and ER! We spent a day down at Navy Pier, which has a covered street market and big outdoor ferris wheel. You're spoilt for choice when it comes to museums in Chicago and we can thoroughly recommend the Field Museum and the Science & Technology Museum. The Hancock Tower is perhaps not as well known as Sears Tower, but the views from the top are amazing and the Hancock is slightly closer to the lake front. Our advice - live a little and do both! Take the time to wander around Union Station if you can, it's very lavish and you'll probably recognise it from The Untouchables. If you're into shopping, check out Michigan Avenue. But whatever you're into, we reckon you'll have a great time in Chicago.
This, of course, leaves the question of what did we do out in the 'burbs? Well, the Woodfield Mall was very close to our hotel and has a great choice of shops, plenty restaurants and a movie theatre. Upstate is the Gurnee Mills outlet mall, which is huge and you can easily spend a whole day there! But, more importantly, we visited our friends the Werning family who live in Mundelein. Malc and Kathy met via Motorola in 1996 and have kept in touch ever since. Kathy and her husband John very kindly took the time to introduce us to Bill's Pizza restaurant, as well as Emily, Becca and John Jnr. The kids were a scream and made sure we were also introduced to the joys of frozen custard. It might sound strange, but believe us - it's lovely!! Everyone made us feel so welcome, we cannot thank them enough. When Nic returned home and Malc stayed on to work, the Werning clan were very kind and really looked after him - inviting him for dinner, taking him to see the Jordan IMAX movie and spending a Saturday with him at the Illinois Railroad Museum.
The team that Malc worked with were also fantastic - the Godek family hosted a barbeque at their house in McHenry, Frank Godek and Bill Cross took him sailing on Lake Michigan in their yacht and Charles Szaukellis introduced him to Mickey Finn's Micro Brewery in Libertyville. The rest of the team were just as welcoming and it was great to work with people of such a high calibre!
If you ever get the chance to go to Chicago, then DO IT and go for as long as you can! Take comfy shoes, lots of camera films and enjoy yourself. We did...