Home Away From Home---Chicago

  

After having spent an entire month in a hotel, my husband and I finally decided that we would fly to Chicago and spend the Memorial Day weekend at our aunt and uncle’s place. We left from Texas on Friday, in the evening. The drive to the airport was the scariest drive of my life. It was raining like crazy. I did not speak a word and was praying for the rain to stop.  Thank God, it did finally and we reached the airport safe. :)

We arrived at Chicago at 08:00 pm. Tired, sleepy and hungry, we could not wait to eat home cooked food, after a very long time.  After a super tasty meal, we called it a day. I had heard a lot about Chicago from my cousin and uncle and was very excited to explore this city.

The Windy City - Chicago

We started our tour from the John Hancock Centre which is a 100-story, 1,127-foot skyscraper, located at North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, United States. In this center, we visited the observatory called 360 Chicago. This gives you a panoramic view of the city. I was speechless, the view was stunning. The city looked like a beautiful portrait. My husband likes adventure and thrill whereas I, run away from it. The new thrill at that place was TILT. You stand on a platform that tilts at three different angles to offer you a tilted view of the entire city. He purchased tickets for this without even asking my uncle and me. We thought it would be a normal glass window from where you see the city. After a while, this glass window tilted the first time. I least expected it and was shivering! The third tilt was horror! I could not wait for it to be over. 

The view from 360 Chicago.

The windows that TILT (from inside)

The TILTED windows (outside)

My cousin, who also lives in the states, always told me she loved shopping in Chicago. The next stop was shopping at the water tower. A lot of pretty stores, sadly, I had only an hour to shop and made maximum use of it. J It was a bright sunny day and we decided to take the world famous architecture tour. Unfortunately, the tickets were not available for that evening and we had to postpone the tour to the next day.

Our next stop was the Millennium Park. We walked along the magnificent mile and I will not be wrong in saying, “this is a shopper’s paradise”. I was lost and wanted to stay on that road forever. :) We finally reached the millennium park and headed towards the Cloud gate (Bean). This piece is sculpted by the Indian born British artist, Anish Kapoor. Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the place where a lot of concerts happen is also located in the Millennium Park.

The Cloud Gate

Buckingham Fountain

 Jay Pritzker Pavilion

It was late evening and time for us to head to our aunt’s friend’s place for a Dosa (Crepe, the Indian version) Party. My husband, aunt and uncle always told me how great their dosas were; I was looking forward to that evening. The food was delicious and I absolutely loved the time spent with their friends.

We started off the next day with the Architecture River tour conducted by the Wendella Boats. OH MY GOD, the view was super pretty. I’m someone who loves water and anything to do with it. This boat ride was what I was waiting for!  During this tour, a guide explained to us the history and architecture of the city. Our uncle told us a trip to Chicago is not complete without this tour and I could not agree more. Our next stop was the Shedd Aquarium. It is the home to many pretty fish and sea animals. The best part of this place was the Sting Ray experience. We were allowed to touch the sting ray. Scary right? The ones I met were young and friendly. :)

Navy Pier (Architecture Tour)

Lake Michigan (Architecture Tour)

It felt like this was the holiday I was waiting for. My husband and I got to spend time with family, eat home cooked food that we craved for and also be touristy in this very pretty city. This was not the first time for my husband, he has visited Chicago previously. However, it was my first time but, definitely not my last. I will  visit this city again, two days were too less. However, that did not stop me from falling in love with this city. Having family around made me feel at home. I could not have asked for a better holiday. :)