What is there to see in Chicago?
My husband sold a product for a company in Chicago 10 years ago, so we spent the morning driving around his old areas and reminiscing.
Leaning Tower of Niles
On our way back into the heart of Chicago, we found this tower. It was completed in 1934 and is half the size of the leaning tower of Pisa. I was surprised by the location, seems very random, but fun to see nonetheless! I’ve never seen the leaning tower of Pisa, so this will have to tide me over for now.
Bang Bang Pies for Lunch!
This is a fun little restaurant on California Avenue. They take your order in the front and there’s an outside seating place in the back. We tried the chicken and tomato pie, the biscuits and gravy, and two types of dessert pie; raspberry buttermilk and peach rhubarb. Talk about little slices of heaven. It’s a little on the pricey side but everything was fantastic and the servers were helpful and wonderfully pleasant.
Lincoln Park Zoo
This is one of the few free zoos in Noth America, so my expectations weren’t high when we visited, but I was pleasantly surprised! They have a wide variety of animals and the grounds are beautiful. There are a few indoor exhibits and even a polar bear. The times vary for when it’s open throughout the week, so be sure to check their website. The zoo is free but there are things you can buy, like face painting and food. Also, it’s $20 to park in the zoos parking lot.
Chicago Architectural Cruise
We purchased tickets from GetYourGuide (thiugh there are tons of companies that offer tours). They will give you specific directions on a meeting place. Our meeting place led to an attendant at the top of the stairs on the northwest corner of the Michigan Avenue (DuSable) Bridge at the foot of the Wrigley Building. We went all the way down the stairs and had our tickets printed. We arrived an hour early just in case we couldn’t find it or in case something crazy happened. All went well, and a Ghirardelli store was right there on the corner waiting for us…so we just had to get a chocolaty treat.
The cruise was so informative. It was an excellent and quick way to get to know Chicago and some of the history, plus we love being on the water and the views were incredible.
There’s only one more day in Chicago for us, hopefully we have enough time to see everything we want to see tomorrow!