It's not supposed to be raining!
Today is our first day in Chicago so we pre-booked tickets for a hop-on hop-off bus tour with the Chicago Trolley & Double Decker Co. I always find it's a great way to get your bearings and figure out "what else" you want to do on your visit.
We decided to walk to Starbucks (yes, I know but I needed internet to post my blog!) and have a large latte and a croissant to fuel us up for the morning. After Starbucks, we boarded the double decker sightseeing bus to our first stop, the Willis Tower.
I'm sure you have heard of the Sears Tower, well, this is it, just re-branded! And trust me, Chicagoan's have not taken kindly to it. Our guide on the bus tour was still calling it Sears Tower. The tower is famous for the Sky-deck, an observatory located on the 103rd floor. Visitors can enjoy 360 degree views spanning up to 50 miles and in good weather, you can apparently see 4 states (Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin). The best part of this experience is "The Ledge," where glass balconies extend more than 4 feet outside the building; I couldn't wait but Iain was secretly terrified!
The weather was not ideal in the morning but as we exited the tower, it started to rain. We jumped back on the top of the tour bus, which unfortunately only last 15 minutes as it started to bucket down. There were only 4 of us on the bus so we basically had a private tour, except you couldn't see anything outside as the windows were covered in rain. Here are some pictures before we were forced downstairs!
It was now 2pm and we were starting to get hungry. We got off the bus at Navy Pier as we were told we could get a proper hot dog here. Chicago Dog is an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating from Chicago. I had the Chicago Dog and Iain had the Baltimore Dog; only the toppings differ. My hot dog was topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices, pickled sport peppers and a dash of celery salt.....Delicious!
After lunch, we decided to walk along the river walk as it had stopped raining. We walked along the side of Lake Michigan towards the John Hancock Centre where we were planning another sky-deck experience. As we were walking, the rain started to come down and the path we were walking on was becoming drastically non-existent. The weather in Chicago is apparently about 1 month behind so it has been raining a lot; this means that the lake is about a foot deeper and the path has flooded.
We walked as fast as we could to the John Hancock Centre and headed up in the lift to the Signature Room, a restaurant on the 96th floor. If you bought 2 drinks, you basically had a free view of the city; by this point, we were both gasping for a beer! We stayed for an hour or so before walking the short distance down Michigan Avenue to our hotel.
On the way out, I was told to take a visit to the ladies bathroom; WOW, what a view!
It was now nearing 5pm, so we got changed for dinner and headed out to a bar for an hour before dinner. We ended up going to a "Dive" bar called Streeters. A dive bar is a colloquial American term for a disreputable bar or pub; we loved it! It was $9 for a pitcher of coors so that was Iain sorted. The bar was a bit strange, particularly the toilets which had one-way glass (looking out to the bar, thankfully!). Iain took the below picture while he was at the toilet.......
After an hour, we booked an Uber to Band of Bohemia; the first Michelin Brewpub. I had booked the restaurant in advance and I'm very glad I did! After a 25 minute taxi ride, where the driver lost GPS and I had to give him my phone for directions, we made it to what looked like a converted warehouse. We went inside and it was made to look a bit like a living room and was very laid back; I was wearing fancy trainers so its very casual.
I started with the cocktail of the day; a bright pink thing with mescal, which I am not particularly fond of but it went down a treat. We had already ordered the 5-course Tasting Menu along with matching drinks; Iain chose beer and I had the wine. The food was amazing; here is the menu and some pictures!
At $75 per head and an additional $20 for matching beer and $45 for matching wine, this was an absolute find! I thoroughly recommend it.
We were planning to go watch the fireworks at Navy Pier but the weather was awful. Instead, we got an Uber back to the hotel. The plan was to go to a bar but we were shattered, so we decided on an early night in preparation for the food tour tomorrow.
We decided to walk to Starbucks (yes, I know but I needed internet to post my blog!) and have a large latte and a croissant to fuel us up for the morning. After Starbucks, we boarded the double decker sightseeing bus to our first stop, the Willis Tower.
I'm sure you have heard of the Sears Tower, well, this is it, just re-branded! And trust me, Chicagoan's have not taken kindly to it. Our guide on the bus tour was still calling it Sears Tower. The tower is famous for the Sky-deck, an observatory located on the 103rd floor. Visitors can enjoy 360 degree views spanning up to 50 miles and in good weather, you can apparently see 4 states (Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin). The best part of this experience is "The Ledge," where glass balconies extend more than 4 feet outside the building; I couldn't wait but Iain was secretly terrified!
The weather was not ideal in the morning but as we exited the tower, it started to rain. We jumped back on the top of the tour bus, which unfortunately only last 15 minutes as it started to bucket down. There were only 4 of us on the bus so we basically had a private tour, except you couldn't see anything outside as the windows were covered in rain. Here are some pictures before we were forced downstairs!
It was now 2pm and we were starting to get hungry. We got off the bus at Navy Pier as we were told we could get a proper hot dog here. Chicago Dog is an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating from Chicago. I had the Chicago Dog and Iain had the Baltimore Dog; only the toppings differ. My hot dog was topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices, pickled sport peppers and a dash of celery salt.....Delicious!
After lunch, we decided to walk along the river walk as it had stopped raining. We walked along the side of Lake Michigan towards the John Hancock Centre where we were planning another sky-deck experience. As we were walking, the rain started to come down and the path we were walking on was becoming drastically non-existent. The weather in Chicago is apparently about 1 month behind so it has been raining a lot; this means that the lake is about a foot deeper and the path has flooded.
We walked as fast as we could to the John Hancock Centre and headed up in the lift to the Signature Room, a restaurant on the 96th floor. If you bought 2 drinks, you basically had a free view of the city; by this point, we were both gasping for a beer! We stayed for an hour or so before walking the short distance down Michigan Avenue to our hotel.
On the way out, I was told to take a visit to the ladies bathroom; WOW, what a view!
It was now nearing 5pm, so we got changed for dinner and headed out to a bar for an hour before dinner. We ended up going to a "Dive" bar called Streeters. A dive bar is a colloquial American term for a disreputable bar or pub; we loved it! It was $9 for a pitcher of coors so that was Iain sorted. The bar was a bit strange, particularly the toilets which had one-way glass (looking out to the bar, thankfully!). Iain took the below picture while he was at the toilet.......
After an hour, we booked an Uber to Band of Bohemia; the first Michelin Brewpub. I had booked the restaurant in advance and I'm very glad I did! After a 25 minute taxi ride, where the driver lost GPS and I had to give him my phone for directions, we made it to what looked like a converted warehouse. We went inside and it was made to look a bit like a living room and was very laid back; I was wearing fancy trainers so its very casual.
I started with the cocktail of the day; a bright pink thing with mescal, which I am not particularly fond of but it went down a treat. We had already ordered the 5-course Tasting Menu along with matching drinks; Iain chose beer and I had the wine. The food was amazing; here is the menu and some pictures!
At $75 per head and an additional $20 for matching beer and $45 for matching wine, this was an absolute find! I thoroughly recommend it.
We were planning to go watch the fireworks at Navy Pier but the weather was awful. Instead, we got an Uber back to the hotel. The plan was to go to a bar but we were shattered, so we decided on an early night in preparation for the food tour tomorrow.
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