"Another Slice of Chicago's Artistic Pie"- Chicago Pt. 2

“Cities were always like people, showing their varying personalities to the traveler."

-Roman Payne

Part 2

A clear blue sky summoned us into our next explorative day in the Windy City. With our coats bundled around us, the coolness of the breeze nipped at any uncovered skin. However, we welcomed this Fall weather that we rarely see in Southern California and utilized it to our advantage as our bodies warmed up with each stride through the city. Arriving at the Sears Tower (now renamed Willis Tower), I honestly felt a bit underwhelmed. After seeing all of the various buildings on our tour the previous day and walking beneath the enormous buildings along the way, it just did not seem worthy of its status as 2nd tallest building in the United States. As we entered the lobby, we were surprised to find it bustling with office workers briskly passing by to their next item of business.

Following the aptly marked "To Observation Deck" signs, we perplexingly founds ourselves down two floors where we checked in and made our way to the elevator that would take us to the Sky Deck. There was no line for us to wait in, so we took time in their small informational exhibit to read and learn about the history of Chicago before heading into the elevator. As we ascended, I conducted a self check of my level of nervousness through my feet and palms moisture status... surprisingly, dry as could be. The elevator shot up quickly and we were at the 103rd floor within 90 seconds! As we exited the elevator, the views from the windows began to capture my attention. The picturesque day allowed us to actually see sections or glimpses of four different states. Being able to look down on the structural art of the buildings, that we had seen from below on the boat tour, was a contrasting perspective that helped me gain even more appreciation for the work the architects achieved.

As we viewed the landscape, from the comfort of the indoors, I recognized that I was feeling so much more at ease strolling around at 1,353 feet up, than I had anticipated. After ample time observing each area of the interior, we made our way over to the "Sky Deck". This unique observation area is made entirely of a glass floor and windowed walls, connected with nearly invisible steel supports. This glass box juts out a little over 4 feet from the building. As we stepped onto the clear foundation, our comfort level dissipated. Dustin and I both started to truly process what we were doing and, simultaneously, made the crazy decision to look STRAIGHT DOWN! Palms and feet status...drenched. The slight creaking sound we heard from our steps only compounded the nerves that enveloped our senses. A temporary paralysis seemed to encompass our arms and legs as we inched our way further out onto the ledge. We managed to smile for the camera above us and laid down for a few more selfies but were so nervous that we only spent 40 of the 60 seconds we were allotted in the glass case of adrenaline. The Sky Deck combines the art of architecture and amusement for a memorable experience.

Feeling amped up from our heightened experience, we found our way to a place where we could get another one of my food goals for the trip...a Chicago Dog. While there were MANY different establishments to choose from, we ended up settling on U.B. Dogs due to proximity and Yelp reviews. We were pleased with our delicious Chicago Dogs accompanied by chili cheese fries and were once again happy with our choice to walk to our next destination.

Walking from the Willis Tower to the Navy Pier allowed us to utilize the Riverwalk pathway that runs next to the Chicago River. An hour later, we had walked by multiple riverfront restaurants, breweries, and wineries, over a bridge, and arrived at the Navy Pier. We were mesmerized by the indoor garden and impressed by all the activities available on the pier. Since the ferris wheel was first debuted at the Chicago World Fair, we began to make our way further along the walkway with plans to ride the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel. However, we began to feel the effects of time change and weariness from walking, so rather than revolve in the air, we ended up grabbing a coffee to sip on as we sat at a table and enjoyed the various sights from the pier.

As we recuperated from our fatigue, our stomachs began guiding our thoughts. An additional food objective for this trip was to try some Chicago pizza. We struggled deciding between a few different recommendations, but ultimately chose to partake in the deliciousness that Lou Malnati's serves up. The thick crust was reminiscent of a pie and the gooey cheese was just the right consistency of thick and melted. The toppings were precisely crisp enough to add the perfect texture combination. Visually, it culminated into the most exquisite pizza palette and, flavorfully, triumphed the taste palate. With the darkened sky and our final destination nearby, there was no opportunity for walking to hold off this food coma. We blissfully surrendered to the sleep we had earned from our excursions and excessive eating.

Wednesday brought with it a reward for acting on a spontaneous whim. By Tuesday, we had accomplished many of our sight-seeing goals and ended up having an extra day due to an unforeseen change in plans. The kindergarten teacher I was scheduled to observe and interview had to cancel last minute and while I was disappointed to miss that opportunity, I was eager to experience even more of the city. One Google search later and we found out that "Hamilton" was playing in Chicago. Hearing that "Hamilton" was playing at one of the theaters, made us ecstatic and yet, also, conflicted! On the one hand, we had already seen "Hamilton" performed in Los Angeles. On the other hand, we absolutely loved the show and I listen to the soundtrack pretty much daily while I workout. Additionally, we would be able to get closer seats at a lower rate than our previous experience. Should we? Shouldn't we? Should we? Shouldn't we? Round and round our conversation went, until finally...click, boom! We ordered the tickets, Tuesday morning, and were overjoyed that we would be seeing Hamilton the following evening!

Prior to our night at the theater, we were able to venture into Wicker Park for an incredible lunch and spending time soaking in the atmosphere of the neighborhood. The personalities of the different areas of Chicago, though distinct, seemed to also be woven together into a quilt of commonalities in being citizens of this remarkable city. Our lunch was an appropriate representation of the Wicker Park vibe that we had experienced. We ate at a restaurant recommended to us called Mindy's Hot Chocolate. Aptly named, while the food itself is wonderful, this restaurant has the most delectable hot chocolate I have ever tasted in my entire life. I'm not sure that I would even say I am a fan of hot chocolate normally, but I continue to crave the creamy cocoa drink laced with hints of caramel and adorned with a scrumptious homemade marshmallow that immediately melted in our mouths. I continue to crave this hot chocolate and urge Mindy to branch out to Southern California!

Following our time in Wicker Park, we spent our later afternoon getting ready to be "in the room where it happens" and had a quick meal over at the Revival Food Hall. Stepping into the Majestic Theatre (now named CIBC Theatre) was like stepping back in time. The decor of the theatre added to the electricity of the crowd. We took our seats four rows back from the stage and waited in anticipation for the show to begin. In true "Hamilton" fashion, the show had a beautiful way of transporting and translating the past to the present. The music, the themes, and the magnificent way that the cast executed it reminded us "how lucky we are to be alive right now." Another inspirational and enjoyable day, in a city that was teaching us so much more than we had expected.