The best in town

Last Saturday, on our last night in Chicago, our plan had initially been to go back up the Hancock Tower to say goodbye to the city over a G&T and then grab a bite to eat, after packing though, we realised that we were a bit behind, it was bitter cold outside again and swirling with snow on the still northerly wind.

Now, there is a swanky little arcade below the hotel, with boutiques (Chanel!) and up market giftee shoppees, a bar and a restaurant called the Cape Cod Room. It had come recommended and had had good write-ups in all the guidebooks we had by now accumulated and it seemed a bit silly not to investigate it, not least as it would mean we wouldn't have to get wrapped up to go out in the cold again (pathetic I know, but sometimes it's just too much effort).

I'm glad we did investigate. We had planned to pop out for a gin, then pop back, but hey, we were there, we were tired, and we were seduced by the smells, and a particularly fine G&T too. Oh, the food was delicious too, by the way.

I'd recommend the Lobster Bisque if you're ever in the vicinity and a bit peckish.

The frozen lake

The change in the weather has made the almost thawed lake freeze again. The view from the room looks over the beach area and during our stay, the crashing waves have been really dramatic. As things started to get colder, the edges on the sand began to freeze and the waves crashing on the frozen sand froze and the ice got bigger and bigger and bigger. I ventured out to brave the cold and ice to take some photos...

It didn't stop the joggers though!

Less is more

It might be vaguely sacrilegious to say, but I/we really didn't enjoy the deep dish pizza we had for lunch at all, sorry.

Didn't enjoy the dry, vaguely biscuity, yellow (corn?) dough that made up the base.

Didn't enjoy the sloppy sloppy topping.

Didn't enjoy the fact that we had to wait 45 minutes for the the strange abomination to cook.

I did enjoy the lemonade though, and thank goodness for garlic sticks with dip (almost a meal in themself!).

North, South, East and West

To conclude our walk, and allow us a little time inside to thaw out we, decided to visit the observation platform at the top of the Sear's Tower. The day was a little murky but the views were still amazing!

Views to the north:
to the east:
to the south:
and to the west:
We needed a drink after that. It's a shame there wasn't a bar up there!

A walk in the park

On Tuesday we went for a walk...

We walked down Michigan to the river,
Through Millennium Park,
past the Anish Kapor sculpture,
down to the lake,
along to the Museum Campus,
back into town to a fantastic acrhitecture/design bookshop called Prairie Avenue Books,
past the elevated train tracks,
through the square which houses the Mies van der Rohe federal buildings and a huge Calder sculpture
and along to the Rookery (I stood on the stairs and got told off by the security guard)
How our feet ached!

You're the top

After venturing out to buy a guidebook or two from Borders we partook of a little general retail therapy in Banana Republic along the way, we were recommended by the sales assistant to take the elevator up to the 96th floor of the Hancock Tower to the Signature Room for cocktails as the sun went down over the city.

We took his advice. It was astonishing!

Thank you Terry.

How grand are we?

After a long, and thankfully uneventful journey (3.00am alarm in Vienna, to be at the airport by 4.30am) we arrived in Chicago tired and excited (a strange combination). After realising that the hotel didn't offer the free airport shuttle as I had thought, we decided after some debate (had I said already that it had been a long day?) to take a taxi.

We sped along, through the wide flat landscapes populated with big skies, highways, overhead railway lines, billboards and low-slung apartment buildings and then suddenly, as if by magic, skyscrapers appeared on the horizon. More and more and more skyscrapers until it felt like we were being swallowed by the city.

Our hotel was rather grand. We stayed at the Drake Hotel in the fashionable (!) Northside of the city and ended up with a room with a lakeside view and walk-in wardrobe that was almost as big as the flat in Vienna!