Like any average Indian working for a large IT firm, my husband was sent to the US for a project.
Unlike any average Indian, our motivation was to travel the country.of course only that amount which was feasible for us as we had great responsibility of arnu...
And so, as soon as we settled into my nice little apartment in Louisville, We began to formulate our extensive travel plans. As extensive as our paycheck would allow us, of course.
Chicago is supposed to be one of the cleanest cities in the Unites States of America. It is also supposed to house some of the best architecture in the country. And of course, it also boasts of a fantastic view of the Lake Michigan....so we were crazy and eagerly waiting for our journey!
We are living in the little suburb called Louisville in kentucky, believing that..that was America...Beautiful.. and yet... so devoid of pedestricians....
Believing that the whole country was as our little village was…vast.. empty.. completely devoid of pedestrians and small time hawkers!
Until the weekend we decided to visit this place everyone called “Downtown”I know now what it means to be enlightened!!!(only after visiting Downtown Chicago)...It was indeed beautiful!
I doubt I’m ever going to see any other city in the country that awesome! It was such a stark change from our place that my hubby was ready to move in right away and travel an hour to work every single day! And best of all, there were people on the road!!! I was tired of the lonely pedestrian-free highway-like roads of Louisville which harbours only fast moving cars. This looked real! I cant say anything has been as pleasant a surprise as Downtown Chicago was to me!
We travelled to chicago along with Swati and Nishant in rented Car...on friday(31st Aug 2012)..we started by 5.30 PM when nikhil finished with his office work and reached chicago by 12.00 PM...
Checked in room no..331...in O'Hare Inn and suites awesome lodging and room location which was on ground flr itself...Had delicious poori bhaji prepared by swati for dinner and decided to set off to see Downtown Chicago on Saturday morning.
Early morning...Had Garama Garam coffee and hot chocolate with pattices and biscuits for breakfast..And then we experienced Downtown!
We were supposed to have woken up at 7 and caught the Blue Line train at 8.Unfortunately, we got ready at 9 as was bit busy in doing daily chores of arnav!! Hurried through getting ready, travelled to cumberland station by our car... parked it,purchased ticket pass-We got a weekend ticket, which meant that for the three days, we could travel on the train or by bus unlimited number of times! And that was indeed amazing for all of us... rather Fascinating! and lovely!!!...clicked few snaps on bridge as were over excited and finally boarded our first train in chicago and headed for the Jackson station.
We passed all the little villages and towns on the way to the big city…and then, just as we were approaching Downtown , there was a drastic change in landscape! The countryside with the small cottages suddenly gave way to HUGE skyscrapers!! The open land was suddenly engulfed by buildings. Not an inch of free space was to be seen! We had arrived in the city of Chicago!
We were totally amazed to see..6 lanes and connecting rail platform on road...little station...Just two tracks and a little platform. There was a small walkway joining the main road with the platform and we had to cross that to board the train...My hubby enjoyed driving in chicago downtown...
When we got off the train, swati was little off-balance from the train ride. And so while she steadied herself, we set off to find out where the bus stop is...and from where we need to board the bus for Willis Tower.
Finally after boarding bus...fun filled enjoyment while gulping pringals we reached willis tower...And at the entrance of the Sears Towers was a sign saying “Skydeck open for viewing !”..
Curious, we entered bought our tickets after showing GO Chicago Pass...(of course!), went right to the top of the building and viewed the city from there!And it was such a gorgeous sight!!! We were taken up to the 103th floor in elevators that claim to be the fastest elevators in the world! It went up so fast we felt like we were in an aircraft! And our ears kept popping every 10 floors!
Intially it was detected that weather was bad and visibility was zero...we were sad to know this but finally deceided of giving it a try else can return very next day..
But to the surprise, when we stepped off the elevators, the city, with all its shining beauty, lay spread out below us and everything was clear!I believe the view encompasses a radius of some 50 miles! It was stunning! On three sides was spread out the vast countryside.
observed lovely skyline of Chicago...daytime beauty which was hilarious...
We could see it up as far as the eye could see! scene was unbelivable...And on one side, was the city.. downtown Chicago . Huge skyscrapers that had us gaping in awe when we were on the roads were dwarfed in comparison with the tower we were on! It was as if we were looking down on Earth from the skies! It was lovely experience to look through transperent gallery ! At first arnu was friegthened but afterwards he too had jolly-good time with us...We saw lake too whose view was amazing!
Finally willis tower was successfully covered and we again stepped in bus ...This time we travelled with hop in hop off bus...
which guided us through all along the road...driver was explaining significance of each and every huge building on the road...
We were ravenous as we stepped off the bus, so we first hit the subway. Piled up on food, and then we decided to head towards a place called Navy Pier.
It’s at Lake Michigan , we rided in merry-go-round with arnav which showed thorough beauty of chicago from top...ferri wheel ride was amazing!...
Enjoyed finger-chips of MacD...and finally in the evening ...we took a Lake tour! It took us through the Chicago river, all over the city, and then right to the banks of Lake Michigan ! And we were stunned!!! It looked like the ocean!! We couldn’t see the other end at all! And they call it a Lake !
We went on to Navy Pier, which is basically a street extending into the lake...We really admired night view....beauty of skyline left us stunning!..It was just unbelieveble to cruise at night in lake michigan....Experienced beautiful moment of life...
At Navy Pier...there are tons of boats and ships also water taxis and all docked there. And people walking, cycling and enjoying all over! Arnav enjoyed his first ever Thomas ride at chicago...not once but twice...
There was too much crowd on road...along with blowing of cold breeze...all were in total masti mood. The view from the end of the pier was lovely.. the wide expanse of water… and the gulls in the sky..
Unlike any average Indian, our motivation was to travel the country.of course only that amount which was feasible for us as we had great responsibility of arnu...
And so, as soon as we settled into my nice little apartment in Louisville, We began to formulate our extensive travel plans. As extensive as our paycheck would allow us, of course.
Chicago is supposed to be one of the cleanest cities in the Unites States of America. It is also supposed to house some of the best architecture in the country. And of course, it also boasts of a fantastic view of the Lake Michigan....so we were crazy and eagerly waiting for our journey!
We are living in the little suburb called Louisville in kentucky, believing that..that was America...Beautiful.. and yet... so devoid of pedestricians....
Believing that the whole country was as our little village was…vast.. empty.. completely devoid of pedestrians and small time hawkers!
Until the weekend we decided to visit this place everyone called “Downtown”I know now what it means to be enlightened!!!(only after visiting Downtown Chicago)...It was indeed beautiful!
I doubt I’m ever going to see any other city in the country that awesome! It was such a stark change from our place that my hubby was ready to move in right away and travel an hour to work every single day! And best of all, there were people on the road!!! I was tired of the lonely pedestrian-free highway-like roads of Louisville which harbours only fast moving cars. This looked real! I cant say anything has been as pleasant a surprise as Downtown Chicago was to me!
We travelled to chicago along with Swati and Nishant in rented Car...on friday(31st Aug 2012)..we started by 5.30 PM when nikhil finished with his office work and reached chicago by 12.00 PM...
Checked in room no..331...in O'Hare Inn and suites awesome lodging and room location which was on ground flr itself...Had delicious poori bhaji prepared by swati for dinner and decided to set off to see Downtown Chicago on Saturday morning.
Early morning...Had Garama Garam coffee and hot chocolate with pattices and biscuits for breakfast..And then we experienced Downtown!
We were supposed to have woken up at 7 and caught the Blue Line train at 8.Unfortunately, we got ready at 9 as was bit busy in doing daily chores of arnav!! Hurried through getting ready, travelled to cumberland station by our car... parked it,purchased ticket pass-We got a weekend ticket, which meant that for the three days, we could travel on the train or by bus unlimited number of times! And that was indeed amazing for all of us... rather Fascinating! and lovely!!!...clicked few snaps on bridge as were over excited and finally boarded our first train in chicago and headed for the Jackson station.
We passed all the little villages and towns on the way to the big city…and then, just as we were approaching Downtown , there was a drastic change in landscape! The countryside with the small cottages suddenly gave way to HUGE skyscrapers!! The open land was suddenly engulfed by buildings. Not an inch of free space was to be seen! We had arrived in the city of Chicago!
We were totally amazed to see..6 lanes and connecting rail platform on road...little station...Just two tracks and a little platform. There was a small walkway joining the main road with the platform and we had to cross that to board the train...My hubby enjoyed driving in chicago downtown...
When we got off the train, swati was little off-balance from the train ride. And so while she steadied herself, we set off to find out where the bus stop is...and from where we need to board the bus for Willis Tower.
Finally after boarding bus...fun filled enjoyment while gulping pringals we reached willis tower...And at the entrance of the Sears Towers was a sign saying “Skydeck open for viewing !”..
Curious, we entered bought our tickets after showing GO Chicago Pass...(of course!), went right to the top of the building and viewed the city from there!And it was such a gorgeous sight!!! We were taken up to the 103th floor in elevators that claim to be the fastest elevators in the world! It went up so fast we felt like we were in an aircraft! And our ears kept popping every 10 floors!
Intially it was detected that weather was bad and visibility was zero...we were sad to know this but finally deceided of giving it a try else can return very next day..
But to the surprise, when we stepped off the elevators, the city, with all its shining beauty, lay spread out below us and everything was clear!I believe the view encompasses a radius of some 50 miles! It was stunning! On three sides was spread out the vast countryside.
Car Parking?? Seriously??!...
observed lovely skyline of Chicago...daytime beauty which was hilarious...
We could see it up as far as the eye could see! scene was unbelivable...And on one side, was the city.. downtown Chicago . Huge skyscrapers that had us gaping in awe when we were on the roads were dwarfed in comparison with the tower we were on! It was as if we were looking down on Earth from the skies! It was lovely experience to look through transperent gallery ! At first arnu was friegthened but afterwards he too had jolly-good time with us...We saw lake too whose view was amazing!
Finally willis tower was successfully covered and we again stepped in bus ...This time we travelled with hop in hop off bus...
which guided us through all along the road...driver was explaining significance of each and every huge building on the road...
We were ravenous as we stepped off the bus, so we first hit the subway. Piled up on food, and then we decided to head towards a place called Navy Pier.
It’s at Lake Michigan , we rided in merry-go-round with arnav which showed thorough beauty of chicago from top...ferri wheel ride was amazing!...
Did carousel ride with arnu..
Enjoyed finger-chips of MacD...and finally in the evening ...we took a Lake tour! It took us through the Chicago river, all over the city, and then right to the banks of Lake Michigan ! And we were stunned!!! It looked like the ocean!! We couldn’t see the other end at all! And they call it a Lake !
We went on to Navy Pier, which is basically a street extending into the lake...We really admired night view....beauty of skyline left us stunning!..It was just unbelieveble to cruise at night in lake michigan....Experienced beautiful moment of life...
At Navy Pier...there are tons of boats and ships also water taxis and all docked there. And people walking, cycling and enjoying all over! Arnav enjoyed his first ever Thomas ride at chicago...not once but twice...
There was too much crowd on road...along with blowing of cold breeze...all were in total masti mood. The view from the end of the pier was lovely.. the wide expanse of water… and the gulls in the sky..
It was already night by the time we had finished seeing Navy Pier, and there was so much more to see that we decided to go back to lodge soon and then continue exploring the city the next day...Thrilled with this experience, we set homewards on the train. Determined to come back the next day to see some more!
Nikhil and Nishant parcelled food from indian restaurant maharaja..which was awesome! we enjoyed it a lot!...Tired too much had sound sleep...
Thankfully, we woke up in time on Sunday morning and caught blue line train to Jackson...with the hope to meet famous Bollywood personality Aamir Khan...chocolate hero...but was in vain...from there we headed towards vivekanand street...clicked few snaps and again started haunting for bus-stop as this time our agenda was to go to the famous Oceanarium (Shedd Aquarium - Oceanarium) in the city which was located along the Lake.I wanna canoe too!
There we saw Alder planetarium and field meuseum also...just clicked snaps outside and continued with aquarium...We bought entry pass by standing in huge line, but it was all worth it! The place was huge! And filled with every kind of sea life form imaginable! Short of the large whales and dolphins, of course! Bad luck was dolphin show was full...
It housed almost every kind of fish from oceans, and the rivers from across the world.. and even lakes! And then they had a section completely dedicated to Corals! And one for the Caribbean ocean life. The most exotic thing I saw was the Sting Ray! Deadly, and yet so fascinating! And the corals and the sea anemones looked so lovely and colorful!
We watched Jellies...big python that left us stunned and lot more...the whole place was filled with excited little kids running all over thrilled at all the fishies they were seeing!! We watched penguins..arnav's pingu...different types of frogs which were amazing!
Also on the way had a look at agora...fascinating leg structures.....
Having spent a couple of hours there, we headed for the architecture tour and parks in the city.
The buildings were just so delightful! Not only for their sheer heights, but also the way they are designed. Each unique and in its own league.Our tour guide-best ever experienced guide we ever had-explained us in detail about each and every sky-scaper that came along with city's history in a very good manner...
we saw 'just married' couple on bridge...The bride was dressed in a lovely gown and they were walking hand in hand along the road!
Finally after biding farewell to Navy-pier...We were just walking on the roads and looking at all the sky scrapers! We saw limousine on road and were overjoyed...We smiled and walked on towards Millennium Park.we bumped into another couple in wedding attire! !! All decked up and smiling! It was so wonderful to see that! soon the day was coming to an end saw night time view on vivekanand street..clicked few snaps near cloud gate or bean...
Well, after all this, we were pretty exhausted, and so we headed back to the train station. and left..towards O'Hare...
Now on monday the last day of our trip...we catched red line train and moved towards John honcock tower...
on this day we enjoyed ice-cream at mac-D...According to me...it was super expensive! (Yeah, we were still converting Dollars to Rupees!)..he he he
And always its like, what they call small, is what we Indians would call extra large!!! Thus we got a big cone of ice-cream..and we just could hardly finish it!Its true for everything here, you know. Everything is mega sized. Even the people who are thin, are big boned. Tall. And you can imagine what the fat ones would be like!
When we went shopping for woolen clothes in louisville, I was surprised to see the size ranges.In India , I buy clothes sized Large Or extra large. Here I have to buy clothes from the medium shelves!! (That actually feels very nice!)
Thus we had ride through magnificient mile...while moving towards hancock....saw famous band...live show and performance by hollywood people and were totally astonished...view from hancock tower was fantastic...cars were looking like gaming cars from top.Thankfully the weather remained clear and sunny and absolutely lovely for exploring the city!Arnu played alot in crown fountain at millenium park...which marked the end of our trip...
What can I say?? For sometime I felt as if Chicago was a forgotten city. Maybe not to many Americans, but yes to the international community I always wondered if people knew anything more about Michael Jordan, Oprah, and Barack Obama.
While Chicago is a major American city, it was always my impression that when international visitors thought of a trip to the United States, places like New York, Los Angeles or Miami would be the places they'd like to see....but why the city of chicago is given last preference?
During one of those days when we were walking in the busy streets of Chicago I told my husband, I think I will consider Chicago to be my top 5 favorite major cities in the United States! I have this feeling that even though it is an enormous and sophisticated city it is still with in my reach! What I mean by that is that even though the city looks important with the huge magnificent skyline it has still manage to maintain it's down to earth characteristic. I mean, you see a lot of working people...you bump into them on the streets but they don't look harassed, at least from my own observation.
Chicago is a bustling city and yet one will have a chance to slow down because there are flowers everywhere to encourage someone to stop if not to smell them at least appreciate these pretty sights along the sidewalks! Thats the most amazing part !That is perhaps why these career people does not look rushed up.....
Chicago is also cleaner and very green (at least in most areas I've visited) than many other big cities (not just NYC). Like there was a certain spot where I saw the skyline of scrappers but in the foreground are very green lined trees!
I love Chicago because it is easy to get around. There is a ton of public transportation and the city is on an almost perfect grid. As far as big cities go, it is very clean. Those who are driving their vehicle in the city are disciplined and not even once did I hear any honking of car horns! The people who live in this city are friendly most of the time(while not perfect). I also noticed the fantastic diversity of people and so the food is -- from the famous deep dish Chicago pizza to hotdogs to barbeque ribs to caramel popcorn, etc!
Ya...yipee we enjoyed deep dish pizza at pizzano...
I enjoyed our long walks in the city despite the wind chill because there are so many work of arts (sculpture, modern art pieces, landscape, statues and of yeah the mix of modern and old architecture) in almost every corner! We didn't even notice we've already walked miles away.....That makes it fabulous!
We also came across to a lot of shopping complex but they are not as enticing as other places! The commercial ads are slightly represented so it gives me the impression that Chicago and its artisitic character should be enjoyed more than shopping!
Thus I can conclude that Chicago has to be one of the finest cities in USA.Everything about it is great.
The architecture, the layout, the location on the lake and river, the cleanliness, the food, the museums, the culture, the sport, the people, and the excellent balance of nature throughout the city. To me, it feels the most like an Australian city, and apart from it's size, is very similar to my home town, Mumbai except cleanliness.
Whilst in Chicago, I managed to pile a full agenda in:
I ate the worlds second best pizza at Pizzano
The mighty Chicago skyline with Sears tower in poll position.
Deep pan pizza is a revolution and I dont understand why it hasnt taken over the world.
I did a boat architectural cruise which covered most of the river, 29 bridges and nearly all of the major buildings in the city.
I hiked to the top of Sears tower. The world's tallest completed building (if you count antennae).
I walked the entire city and through the wonderful Millenium Garden.
I got to hang out with my sweet arnu..adorable hubby,kind and good natured swati with her family...at crown fountain at millenium park...It was mini niagara for all of us....arnu enjoyed playing in water a lot...and video memories were catched by us especially by swati...makes us feel very happy and contented .
Anyways, that’s what our Labor weekend out was like! The city is such a drastically different place from where we live! Bustling with people and beaming with energy! But at the end of the day, it was nice to come back to our quiet little village and our home :)
Nevertheless, I look forward to my next trip to the Windy city!
There we saw Alder planetarium and field meuseum also...just clicked snaps outside and continued with aquarium...We bought entry pass by standing in huge line, but it was all worth it! The place was huge! And filled with every kind of sea life form imaginable! Short of the large whales and dolphins, of course! Bad luck was dolphin show was full...
It housed almost every kind of fish from oceans, and the rivers from across the world.. and even lakes! And then they had a section completely dedicated to Corals! And one for the Caribbean ocean life. The most exotic thing I saw was the Sting Ray! Deadly, and yet so fascinating! And the corals and the sea anemones looked so lovely and colorful!
We watched Jellies...big python that left us stunned and lot more...the whole place was filled with excited little kids running all over thrilled at all the fishies they were seeing!! We watched penguins..arnav's pingu...different types of frogs which were amazing!
Also on the way had a look at agora...fascinating leg structures.....
Having spent a couple of hours there, we headed for the architecture tour and parks in the city.
The buildings were just so delightful! Not only for their sheer heights, but also the way they are designed. Each unique and in its own league.Our tour guide-best ever experienced guide we ever had-explained us in detail about each and every sky-scaper that came along with city's history in a very good manner...
we saw 'just married' couple on bridge...The bride was dressed in a lovely gown and they were walking hand in hand along the road!
Finally after biding farewell to Navy-pier...We were just walking on the roads and looking at all the sky scrapers! We saw limousine on road and were overjoyed...We smiled and walked on towards Millennium Park.we bumped into another couple in wedding attire! !! All decked up and smiling! It was so wonderful to see that! soon the day was coming to an end saw night time view on vivekanand street..clicked few snaps near cloud gate or bean...
Well, after all this, we were pretty exhausted, and so we headed back to the train station. and left..towards O'Hare...
Now on monday the last day of our trip...we catched red line train and moved towards John honcock tower...
on this day we enjoyed ice-cream at mac-D...According to me...it was super expensive! (Yeah, we were still converting Dollars to Rupees!)..he he he
And always its like, what they call small, is what we Indians would call extra large!!! Thus we got a big cone of ice-cream..and we just could hardly finish it!Its true for everything here, you know. Everything is mega sized. Even the people who are thin, are big boned. Tall. And you can imagine what the fat ones would be like!
When we went shopping for woolen clothes in louisville, I was surprised to see the size ranges.In India , I buy clothes sized Large Or extra large. Here I have to buy clothes from the medium shelves!! (That actually feels very nice!)
Thus we had ride through magnificient mile...while moving towards hancock....saw famous band...live show and performance by hollywood people and were totally astonished...view from hancock tower was fantastic...cars were looking like gaming cars from top.Thankfully the weather remained clear and sunny and absolutely lovely for exploring the city!Arnu played alot in crown fountain at millenium park...which marked the end of our trip...
What can I say?? For sometime I felt as if Chicago was a forgotten city. Maybe not to many Americans, but yes to the international community I always wondered if people knew anything more about Michael Jordan, Oprah, and Barack Obama.
While Chicago is a major American city, it was always my impression that when international visitors thought of a trip to the United States, places like New York, Los Angeles or Miami would be the places they'd like to see....but why the city of chicago is given last preference?
During one of those days when we were walking in the busy streets of Chicago I told my husband, I think I will consider Chicago to be my top 5 favorite major cities in the United States! I have this feeling that even though it is an enormous and sophisticated city it is still with in my reach! What I mean by that is that even though the city looks important with the huge magnificent skyline it has still manage to maintain it's down to earth characteristic. I mean, you see a lot of working people...you bump into them on the streets but they don't look harassed, at least from my own observation.
Chicago is a bustling city and yet one will have a chance to slow down because there are flowers everywhere to encourage someone to stop if not to smell them at least appreciate these pretty sights along the sidewalks! Thats the most amazing part !That is perhaps why these career people does not look rushed up.....
Chicago is also cleaner and very green (at least in most areas I've visited) than many other big cities (not just NYC). Like there was a certain spot where I saw the skyline of scrappers but in the foreground are very green lined trees!
I love Chicago because it is easy to get around. There is a ton of public transportation and the city is on an almost perfect grid. As far as big cities go, it is very clean. Those who are driving their vehicle in the city are disciplined and not even once did I hear any honking of car horns! The people who live in this city are friendly most of the time(while not perfect). I also noticed the fantastic diversity of people and so the food is -- from the famous deep dish Chicago pizza to hotdogs to barbeque ribs to caramel popcorn, etc!
Ya...yipee we enjoyed deep dish pizza at pizzano...
I enjoyed our long walks in the city despite the wind chill because there are so many work of arts (sculpture, modern art pieces, landscape, statues and of yeah the mix of modern and old architecture) in almost every corner! We didn't even notice we've already walked miles away.....That makes it fabulous!
We also came across to a lot of shopping complex but they are not as enticing as other places! The commercial ads are slightly represented so it gives me the impression that Chicago and its artisitic character should be enjoyed more than shopping!
Thus I can conclude that Chicago has to be one of the finest cities in USA.Everything about it is great.
The architecture, the layout, the location on the lake and river, the cleanliness, the food, the museums, the culture, the sport, the people, and the excellent balance of nature throughout the city. To me, it feels the most like an Australian city, and apart from it's size, is very similar to my home town, Mumbai except cleanliness.
Whilst in Chicago, I managed to pile a full agenda in:
I ate the worlds second best pizza at Pizzano
The mighty Chicago skyline with Sears tower in poll position.
Deep pan pizza is a revolution and I dont understand why it hasnt taken over the world.
I did a boat architectural cruise which covered most of the river, 29 bridges and nearly all of the major buildings in the city.
I hiked to the top of Sears tower. The world's tallest completed building (if you count antennae).
I walked the entire city and through the wonderful Millenium Garden.
I got to hang out with my sweet arnu..adorable hubby,kind and good natured swati with her family...at crown fountain at millenium park...It was mini niagara for all of us....arnu enjoyed playing in water a lot...and video memories were catched by us especially by swati...makes us feel very happy and contented .
Anyways, that’s what our Labor weekend out was like! The city is such a drastically different place from where we live! Bustling with people and beaming with energy! But at the end of the day, it was nice to come back to our quiet little village and our home :)
Nevertheless, I look forward to my next trip to the Windy city!
