Today was an early start and the parting of our waves. My daughter was to be dropped off at Terminal 1 O’Hare for her United Airlines flight back to London Heathrow. After driving together for 1300 miles and across Illinios, Iowa and Nebraska today was going to be all about the ‘Windy City’ of Chicago.
‘Our kinda town Chicago is!’
I travelled out with two suitcases that were virtually empty and my daughter was returning with two suitcases with some of my swag in it with the idea being that we would meet up again when back in the UK for an exchange and retrieve my second suitcase. The car, a Nissan Sentra had a boot (trunk) nearly large enough to accommodate all the luggage which was excellent because we had been a little concerned about having something on show whilst in the ‘Windy City’.
Now parking is an issue in downtown Chicago with kerbside restrictions and limited availability close to where we were heading which was on South Michigan Avenue so very handily instead of paying $3.50 an hour on the street we booked parking under Millennium Park for $20 for four hours. The hourly rate if you don’t book in advance is $26 per hour. For more information on Millennium Garages Chicago
The signage at the entrance to the south entrance was very visible and hard to miss. The width of the ramp was narrow and carefully we approached the barrier where an attendant asked if we had a reservation. A simple scan of the QR code allowed us in. Space was found on the next level close to the stairs up to the Van Buren Street exit.
For those that are in the know Chicago Illinois is the BEGIN or END of Route 66
East Jackson Street is one way running East and East Adams Street is one way running West. Both streets have an Illinois Historic Route 66 sign. Jackson has END and Adams has BEGIN. There is always a buzz around the signs and cars were constantly dropping off visitors to take photos of the signs. The END sign was quiet in comparison to the BEGIN sign.
What a let down though. As we approached the BEGIN sign from behind our faces must have been a picture in their own right. There was hardly anything of the sign to see as earlier visitors had stuck stickers all over both the sign and then the BEGIN sign just underneath. I mean what a let down I was so disappointed.
The Chicago Art Institute is just opposite at Millennium Park and just as we waited for the crossing light to change I glanced behind me and to my delight was a high up, virtually un-stickered sign at the junction. So thank you Chicago for being so accommodating on such a small but important detail.
The other sight not to miss in Downtown Chicago is the Bean in Millennium Park. Also known as Cloud Gate this sculpture is enormous and the reflections of the city around it are stunning. Unfortunately it wasn’t open to the public and there were limited views of it. The whole area was cordoned off, although that didn’t keep the crowds away eager to admire this work of art.
The park is a busy and vibrant place to visit and there seems to lots of things going on there, not least an eating event called Taste of Chicago which opened at 12.00 and there were hundreds of people flooding into the area. Entrance into all corners of Millennium Park and nearby Grant Park were subject to security searches and tightly controlled.
The River Walk along the Chicago River was completed in 2016 and offers visitors food, drink and souvenirs as well as stands to buy tickets for boat tours. There was such a good vibe around the area without the cacophony that New York blares out. Chicago’s main shopping street is the ‘Mag’ Mile (Magnificent Mile) and all the top brands have flagship stores on both sides. It runs from the Chicago River to Oak Street to the North and Michigan Avenue to the South. Sights to see are the Old Chicago Water Tower built in 1869 and the 100 story John Hancock Centre with it’s famous 350 degree tilting windows.
Turning away back towards where the car was parked and in search of an art work of a bubble blowing moose near the Auditorium Theatre and where the ‘L’ subway runs the crowds thinned out.
The Moose Bubble Gum Mural by Jacob Watts hangs on a blue wall in the South Loop of Downtown Chicago and measures 48 feet by 43 feet. The ‘L’ crosses just above the streets there and is about 10 minutes back to Grand Park. The last thing we wanted to see was the famous Buckingham Fountain but we couldn’t get close because of the Taste of Chicago event preventing access for a great picture.
The intention was to eat as out last meal either Chicago Style hot-dogs or Chicago Pizza Pie. In the end we did neither and stopped at IHOP on the way to O’Hare.
After goodbye hugs it was me in the driving seat in search of Kenosha – Wisconsin for two nights. A reasonably short drive in comparison to earlier journeys and only a distance of 43 miles. I was staying in a small suburb of Kenosha called Pleasant Prairie and the hotel was conveniently located just of I294.
States 46 & 47 (Kenosha WI – Milwaukee WI – Chicago IL) Days 7 & 8
States 46 & 47 (Deerfield IL – Waukegan IL) – Day 5
States 46 & 47 (Altoona IA – Deerfield IL) – Day 4
States 46 & 47 (Council Bluffs IA – Altoona IA) – Day 3
States 46 & 47 (Moline – IL to Omaha – NE) – Day 2
States 46 & 47 (Chicago IL to Moline IL) – Day 1
USA Road Trips by Max 
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