April 24-27 Chicago, IL (Part I)

“If your absence doesn't affect them, your presence never mattered.” - Suyog Potdar 

My parents both grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and I spent a lot of time here as a child. My grandma would take us down to the Loop...making sure we got to ride on a bus, a train and the L (elevated train). We visited all the museums and the large department stores. It was a true experience for a young child from the country and I have wonderful memories of the time I've spent there. But it's been over forty years since I've visited the area and things have changed a lot. 

We're staying at the Pendry Hotel on Michigan Avenue. It's in The Carbide & Carbon Building that was built in 1929 as the regional office of Union Carbide and Carbon Co. The Art Deco building was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1996 and converted into a hotel in 2004. Stan worked for Union Carbide for over 30 years, so it's kind of neat staying in this beautiful building. It's located within the Loop in the heart of the city. This area comprises some of Chicago's most iconic attractions, including historic architecture, river cruises, Millennium Park and the Chicago Riverwalk, which includes incredible dining and shopping.  

Walking the streets in Chicago is like walking through a museum...the buildings are beautiful and the architecture is internationally renowned. We truly enjoyed taking in the sights.

Looking north on Michigan Ave. The Wrigley Building on the left and the Tribune building on the right.

Looking south on Michigan Ave. 

View from Lower Wacker Dr.

Plaza outside the Wrigley Building looking south to the London House Building on the corner of Lower Wacker Dr. and Michigan Ave.

Views from the London House rooftop bar. Looking north at the Wrigley and Tribune Buildings.

Looking west up the Chicago River.

Looking east on the Chicago River toward Lake Michigan.

The Chicago Water Tower was built in 1869 and is one of the only buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The castle-like building houses a gallery that showcases the work of local artists and photographers.

We had some rain and a lot of cold weather while we were in Chicago, but we also had a lot of clear blue skies that let us explore and take beautiful pictures of the area. One morning we enjoyed walking through Millennium Park. Cloud Gate affectionately known as The Bean is an elliptical sculpture forged of highly polished stainless steel plates that reflect Chicago’s skyline. A 12-foot-high arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their image reflected back from a variety of perspectives. Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest of its kind in the world. It has become one of Chicago's most iconic sights since opening in 2004. 

Millennium Park

The Bean looking south.

The Bean looking east.

Reflections on the Bean.

The Bean looking west.

Along with beautiful architecture Chicago has wonderful places to eat and you can find any type of cuisine you're looking for. Making a choice of where to eat was difficult. Here are some of the places we enjoyed.

Our first night we had a very flavorful meal at Fisk & Co. Stan had the Roasted Faroe Island salmon with crispy potato gnocchi, oyster mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, smoked tomato broth and arugula pesto. I had the Brick Amish chicken with roasted herb potatoes, grilled corn relish, feta cheese and a chicken reduction. 

Lunch one day we decided we better have a Chicago deep dish pizza, so we went to Giordano's. We each had a Caesar salad and a personal sized pizza. Both were delicious, but even their thin pizza was a little thick for us.

The second night we chose The Purple Pig and we were not disappointed. Each of our meals were the best of the trip. Stan had the salmon served with potato gnocchi, green vegetables and pesto. Sounds a lot like what he had the first night, but the flavors were completely different and he enjoyed it. I had the Agnolotti with a mushroom ragu, black truffles and fried goat cheese. I have to say it was the best pasta dish I've ever had.

On our last night we decided to visit a place that was a little different. We went to an Indian Gastropub called Bar Goa. We enjoyed a couple of Gimlets and shared some small plates. We ordered the Avocado Pakoda (chickpea batter, smashed avocado chutney), Samosa Bomb (activated charcoal pastry, sweet corn, cheddar cheese) and the mushroom fried rice made with portobello and shiitake mushrooms, fried egg and madras curry aioli. All the dishes were very good.