March 28-30, 2013
Chicago, Illinois
For all the Girls’ Getaways we’ve been on in the past, Di
and I had never taken a trip just the two of us together but when I mentioned
that I was planning to drive out to Chicago for the weekend to celebrate the
birthday of my friend, Bobbie, Di said she was in! On Friday morning we met at my place, packed
up the car and headed west on the Ohio Turnpike, through Indiana and into
Illinois. We had an easy drive and
arrived in the early afternoon. Although
our hotel was charging $49/day for valet parking, we found a parking lot just
one block away through BestParking.com that charged only $50 for the weekend- score!
Our room at the Embassy Suites- Chicago Downtown (600 North
State Street) wasn’t yet ready so Di and I set off on foot to explore the
city. We headed toward the Magnificent
Mile to commence what was to become approximately 13 miles of walking tours
around the city (walking tours found on Metrowalkz.com). We walked past fabulous shopping and many
beautiful buildings including the Trump Tower, the Wrigley Building and the
Tribune. Interesting thing about the
Tribute Tower: small fragments of many
famous structures from around the world are incorporated into the lower levels
of the building. Di and I had a blast
walking around the perimeter pointing at the pieces of so many historical
edifices. 
We came upon a place of steeped in local history during our
walking tour of the Magnificent Mile- the Billy Goat Tavern (430 North Michigan
Avenue- Lower Level). Legend has it that
the Chicago Cubs have not made a World Series appearance since the owner of the
tavern declared the Cubs cursed because his billy goat was refused entry into
Wrigley Field. Being a Cleveland fan, I sympathize
with other sports cursed cities. Anyway,
the Billy Goat Tavern isn’t at street level .
It is in a subterranean area that Di and I called ‘Underground Chicago’,
a dark and dingy place that exists under the shiny and upscale shops of
Michigan Avenue. Di and I shared a
double cheeseburger and enjoyed a few of the Tavern’s signature drinks while
examining the photos of celebrities, politicians and dignitaries that lined the
walls
We made our way along the River Walk and explored a little
more of the Magnificent Mile before heading back to check into our hotel. The Embassy Suites is well-located close to
public transport stops, shops and restaurants downtown, just a few blocks from
Michigan Avenue. Although check-in was
crazy (hotel staff said that Spring Break is one of their busiest times) we
were well treated by everyone from the manager Juan to the doorman/bellhop
Nate. We were pleased with our
comfortable and roomy suite.
That evening Di and I made our way to Millennium Park by
train (okay, I may have initially led us onto a train going the wrong way) and
on foot to view the Cloud Gate aka The Bean, walked around the Pritzker Pavilion
and wandered around the Lurie Garden.
From there we headed to Gino’s East of Chicago Pizzeria (633 North Wells
Street) to enjoy a delicious deep dish pizza.
I’d had Lou Malnati’s pizza during my previous visit and have to say
that Gino’s East gets my vote in a pizza vs. pizza competition. We spent a little time watching March Madness
to wind down at the end of the night.
After enjoying the hotel’s complimentary breakfast on
Saturday morning, Di and I headed out for another packed day of Chicago
activities. First stop: the Navy Pier
(600 East Grand Avenue). We’d gotten a
great deal on admission to the Imax film ‘The Last Reef: Cities Beneath the Sea’
through Groupon and enjoyed the experience of being in the waterscape as
depicted on the giant projection screen.
We spent a little time in the Crystal Garden, a giant greenhouse of
sorts, before making our way down to the end of the Navy Pier, which juts out
into Lake Michigan and provides great views of the Lake and city skyline. The Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows was
one of the sights I most wanted to see and enjoyed strolling past stainless
glass windows of all sorts: windows that gleamed with color or sparkled with
crystal, ones of religious or historical motifs and some with more humorous
subjects. Before leaving the area, we
walked around the sculpture garden near the entrance of the Pier, then walked
across the street to the bus stop. As it
turns out the walk from the hotel to the Pier was kinda lengthy and Di and I
both agreed that taking the bus to our next destination was the way to go. That’s one of the awesome things about
Chicago- well-organized public transportation made it easy for us to get all
around the city by bus or train. 
Another Groupon deal we snagged before heading into Chicago
was for the Goddess & the Grocer (25 East Delaware Place), a gourmet deli
in the Gold Coast neighborhood. Pretty
much every single item on their menu looked delicious but, of course, I opted
for the Magic Mushroom portabella sandwich with brie. Di had the Greek Goddess vegetarian wrap. We were lucky to find a table for two during
lunch rush and enjoyed just relaxing for a bit before continuing our tour of
the city.
Lincoln Park is located northeast of Old Town and was our
next stop. Although we did not have the
time to visit the zoo or botanical garden, we were still able to enjoy
leisurely meandering through the southern end of the park. It was a beautiful spring day and many were
out and about jogging, playing soccer, walking their dogs and doing any number
of activities that typically take part in a city park. Along with great views of Lake Michigan,
sculptures are placed around the park for visual interest. After an afternoon of walking, Di and I
enjoyed just sitting near the Grant Memorial and relaxing a little.
From there we embarked on walking tour of one of the richest
neighborhoods in the world- Chicago’s Gold Coast. Wow, this place is ritzy! We walked up and down quiet, tree-lined
streets looking at huge mansions and upscale brownstones. But behind all this pomp and circumstance,
there is evidence of what really drives the human race behind closed doors- in
the Gold Coast amongst the well-landscaped and fenced-in lawns around opulently-decorated
homes, sits the original Playboy Mansion.
After our walking tour of the area, we went to the nearest bus stop
located on Lake Shore Drive. There was a
sign noting that this bus stop would be discontinued in the near future. It struck me that the residents of the Gold
Coast must not be bus people. 
Let the celebrating begin!
After getting ready for a night out, Di and I met up with the birthday
girl, Bobbie, her boyfriend Todd, mutual friend Liz, her husband Ian and Di’s
friend Chelsea for dinner at the Weber Grill (539 North State Street),
conveniently located right across the street from our hotel. After dinner, we walked to the Hancock
Building (875 North Michigan Avenue) and waited in a long line for the elevator
up to the 96th Floor so that we could have drinks at the Signature
Lounge while enjoying spectacular views of the city. We met up with friend Rachel and her fiancé
Matt and indulged in an assortment of spirits- I most enjoyed my Clementine
Passion Martini and wish I could go back right now to have another!
After enjoying many drinks, the group headed by taxi to the
Briar Street Theater (3133 North Halsted) to see the Blue Man Group. We were seated in the Splash Zone and
provided with plastic ponchos to protect our clothes from getting sprayed with
paint, baby food or anything else squishy the Blue Men might send our way. Before the show began, I totally got a stage
shout-out: a lighted sign declared that
I was the 2012 Olympic Curling Champion and asked that I get up and wave. The same sign indicated that Ian was to lead
us all in the Star Spangled Banner before the show. What a fun way to engage the crowd before the
performance. The Blue Man Group was
unlike any show I’ve seen before. Like I
said, there were substances that splashed around. Audience members were pulled on stage to
participate. Huge balloons dropped from
the ceiling and by the end we were totally covered in tickertape. What an indescribable show! 
Before leaving on Sunday morning, Di and I wanted to do one
last walking tour- the Chicago Loop Architectural Tour. Doing this tour on Sunday could not have been
any better- the area was nearly deserted on a Sunday morning and we were able
to walk up and down the city streets viewing buildings like the Sears Tower,
the Carbide & Carbon Building and the Rookery without getting in the way of
people rushing to work or meetings. 
We made our way back to the car and out of the city. We’d packed a lot of activity into the weekend
but were able to see quite a bit without spending too much money by utilizing
Groupon deals, doing self-guided walking tours and visiting free
attractions. Di’s and my first trip
together was a huge success and I am excited to see more of Chicago with my
girls sometime soon! 
