Our previous visit to Chicago was in the middle of the winter. The lake and rivers were frozen solid, and we couldn’t do one of the famous boat tours. This time the river was rippling away, so we took the opportunity to do a boat tour.
Morning
As we reached the hotel door, I had flashbacks of walking out into the bitter cold during our last visit. However, it was lovely and warm and only getting hotter.
We had booked our Architecture River Boat tour for first thing. We were running a bit late, but thankfully it was well signposted, and we found our boat for the next 90 minutes. Nicola was trying desperately to get a suntan, so she sat in the ever-increasing heat. Megan and I lasted a minute in the sun before making our way to the shade at the back.
Sitting at the back had its benefits! I got a beer, and Megan got a coke, both unnoticed by Nicola at 10am in the morning :-).
The tour was brilliant, and the 90 minutes flew in. We learned so much about the buildings along the river and the river itself. The guide was very enthusiastic and told the story in her unique way.
While $123 will sound expensive, we found it a great experience and would recommend to anyone who visits Chicago.
Once back on dry land we headed for the rides at ‘Navy Pier.’ This place is a complete tourist trap. The rides are expensive, but we promised Megan she could get on them previously. Before bankrupting ourselves, we told Megan she would be limited to two rides.
The first choice for her was the swings. She waited patiently to get on, got her swing, and waited to go. Nope, everyone off they had to get someone over to do something as the ride had failed (becoming a common theme of something breaking!) Megan looked as white as a ghost, so Nicola rushed off to buy a ticket to sit beside her. Thankfully, no one flew out of their seats like Megan feared!
Only off her first ride a matter of seconds, and she was away sprinting to her second ride. This was one of those rides which go up and high and drops you down from a height. Megan and I have been on these in Blackpool, it is one of her favorites, but one went slightly higher.
Check out her face in the video clip. I got the cold shoulder when she got off as I was crying with laughter.
Afternoon
Megan had been on the lookout for some ‘Air Jordans.’ We had seen a nice pair the night before, but sadly they didn’t have her size.
They were all she had been talking about, so away we went on a 2-mile walk to check out a ‘Footlocker’ and another sports shop.
Neither Megan nor I were loving life at this point as sweat lashed off us. I was developing huge blisters on my heels which wasn’t adding to my happiness.
As you would guess, neither shop had any Jordan’s. You can imagine this led to a delightful walk back!
On arrival back at the hotel, we ordered some Uber eats, had a beer, and chilled out in the air-conditioned room until we got ready for our night out.
Evening
We have been to plenty of sport this trip and tonight was no exception….
We made our way over to the historic Wrigley Field for the Cubs game against the Mets. The initial plan was to sit on one of the roofs on the building opposite, but the price of those wasn’t in our budget, so we took the normal people’s seats inside the stadium.
As we arrived at Wrigley, I was surprised by how busy the area was. There wasn’t room in any of the bars, so we headed for the entry gates. Then out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a ‘Lucky Strike,’ and away we went.
If you have never been to a ‘Lucky Strike,’ they are a class place for family and friends to spend time. Primarily a bowling alley, they also have a bar that sells food and a huge arcade. The arcades are mad, an attack on the senses. We love them and recommend you visit at least one in the USA
I got a beer, Megan topped up her player’s card, and we went mad at the games until it was time to leave.
At this point, I was starting to get the ‘Fenway Fear.’ If you remember the last baseball game we went to at Fenway, we paid $300 to sit behind a post. I knew this stadium was old and had the same issues.
We rushed through the concourse, not taking in a single thing, and up to our seats. To my relief, there was no post in our view, and we could see everything.
Fear gone we went back down into the concourse and had a look around. I grabbed a beer, and Megan got a bag of crisps. We loved milling about and soaking up the atmosphere, before returning to our seats for the start of the game.
If you are a Cubs fan, tonight’s game will probably never make the highlights reel. It ended in a convincing win for the Mets.
Thankfully the train which leaves Wrigley stopped at the ‘Grand’ station, the correct one, not the random one we visited the day previous. From there it was a short walk back to our hotel and straight to bed for a deserved sleep.
Thanks for taking the time to read about us travelling across the USA.
The Lewis family.
