Episode 9-Chicago

Hello Everybody,

The last week end saw us take Route 55 to Chicago. Amongst various reasons to visit, Ikea was one, meeting Anju & Jack another, besides stepping on the same soil walked on by 2 entirely different types of people. Swami Vivekanand, ( recall his famous opening words!) and Al (The Scarface) Capone!

Having left at around 5:30 pm, we were at our Hotel (Sheraton Suites) at Schaumberg, by 11pm. Like last time, we were carrying packed dinner, which was dispatched with practiced efficiency! 

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Sheraton Suites,Chicago

A good nights sleep, a quick, but fortifying b’fast, we were on our way to explore the City. Stop No.1 was the Navy Pier, where, after taking a short cruise on lake Michigan, we were on a City Pass, valid for 2 days.

View from our room

You may recall my comparing Washington D.C.  &  NYC to Delhi & Mumbai respectively, very loosely. Chicago, to me, seemed more vibrant, very classy and clean. The architecture is to be seen to be believed.(The photos here are but a small sample). But you have to learn the history of the city first, to realize this spirit. In a nutshell, the great fire in Oct 1871, all but destroyed the City. One of the reasons I believe, is that most buildings, etc. were all made of wood, hence the utter destruction. But it was the spirit of the City and some far thinking persons, who decided to re-build Chicago. And rebuild it, they did. Steel was used instead of wood, engineers & architects who came forward were given a free hand. Town planning was very evident. In fact, the  flow of the Illinois River was reversed, the dumping of sewage, carcasses etc. totally stopped. A 10 storey building was the first skyscraper to come up. Rightly so, the city has some of the most unusual & impressive edifices.

Back to the Pier, we boarded the Tall Ship Windy, a 4 mast ship, which was to take us on a hour plus cruise on the lake. Incidentally, when we were at Michigan & visited the Silver Beach at Benton Harbour, it was the same lake (Michigan). Today, we were approx 90 miles away from our first visit!

Navy Pier from the lake

A Lighthouse in the lake area

Hard Port!

On Board the 'Windy'

The cruise was fun, with the crew dressed up as pirates & tourists were roped in to hoist & lower the sails. The lake was full of all kinds & sizes of craft, from Water Scooters to Cruisers.
From the waters, Chicago’s skyline was looking beautiful. Famous landmarks like the Trumpp Towers, Hancock Observatory, Sear’s(Willis) Tower (Skydeck), Soldier Field Stadium, dedicated to the Men & Women of the Armed Forces, and others.

The cruise was a lovely affair, easy going, with matching weather. For the more adventurous, there were faster craft like the Seadog, a huge, jet propelled, open boat or the standard cruise ships (smaller versions of course!). We also fired a canon on the ‘enemy’ ships (more smoke than noise).

High Class buildings

This bldg is supposed to resemble a Champagne bottle

An hour and a half later, we were headed for the Hancock Observatory, a 94 storey building, which had a viewing deck on the top floor. Prior to this, t there was a short film on how Chicago came to be the city of skyscrapers etc. etc. At the viewing deck , we were all given a small gizmo like an I pad, with earphones etc., so touching the required button, there was this recorded info.

From the 94th floor!

J & J at the viewing deck.

The beach area from above.

So a birds-eye view + commentary & we were on our own for almost an hour. Lovely view from all sides + opulent living styles, as the photos show. A quick lunch at one of the eateries and we hopped on to the Grayline Trolley(most convenient) and were off on a conducted tour, the next stop being the Sear’s (now renamed Willis)Towers. Till a few years ago,  was the tallest building in the World. It still remains the tallest structure, by virtue of the communication towers on top.The star attraction of this place was the  4  ledges on the Skydeck. These are glass balconies, jutting four feet outside of the wall. So, when you stand or sit on them, you get to see the streets, 104  storeys  below as though you are in the air! Not for all. Anyway, we all enjoyed the photo sessions, as though it was an everyday affair!

Jenny on the ledge.

104 floors above!

K & J at the deck

From Willis(or Sears), it was time for a coffee, so what better than Starbucks, that too on Michigan Ave. High rise buildings, having shops selling high price items! But you don’t go the USA everyday & especially Chicago. So, a few blocks down the line, we were at Crate & Barrel. As ‘lowly’ as the name sounds, the prices are in keeping with the altitude of the buildings! So, while Jenny & I cooled our heels, mother & daughter spent some time & ‘some’ money on a few things of daily use.

From here, a few blocks away, we dropped in for a quick look at Hershey’s and in the next block Ghirardellis, both  well-known choc makers.

More chocs coming

The world's largest choc bar!!

One thing I noticed here, is that no one drinks water, in the sense, even at restts./counters, one has to ask for water! The flip side is that they have these water fountains all over, which I’ve always been fascinated with. So, I did not  let the chance go by when we came across a very quaint, old-style fountain & still working! (Such trivia is good to pass on, isn’t it?)

'Old Faithful' of another kind.

After the loot!

Navy Pier

Stained glass panel

Back to Navy Pier. While Jenny went to keep the packages in the car, K + J – A, went down to the shopping arcade along the pier . I decided to see the world go by & put it on record. Later, we all went down to section where they had displayed some beautiful stained glass panels. This is essentially an old European art, and it’s good to see it is being preserved. Time to call it a day; so we went off to town in search of a good Indian Restt. In passing, I must mention the amazing parking areas & systems available here & mostly unmanned! Even at the pier, the elevators were available straight from the basement, where the arcade was, right up to the parking lot. So, Gaylords it was, for dinner. The food was good and I’m glad we made it just before closing time!

Next day, a long awaited & anticipated visit to the IKEA shop materialized. Prior to shopping, we had a quick b’fast at the Restt.  A few hours later, with a few items in the bag, we headed for Chicago. Finding a parking along the kerb (footpath, baba!) was a problem, being Sunday, so Jenny dropped us at the Architectural Cruise station, while he parked the car. He was back just in time, as the cruise was ready to leave. This was another highlight of the trip. An open to the sky deck, seating about 150 persons, took you through the inland waterways, on a cruise, purely to show you the amazing buildings in Chicago.

NBC Tower

Sarah, our guide was not only well-versed, but made the narration most interesting.

3 bldgs, by the same Archt.

The balconies give a look of a waterfall! 

Referred to as the 'Corn'. See the parking!

For example, there was these 3 buildings, designed by the same person, all along the waterway, in colors denoting      Nature & eco-friendly. The 1^st has a blue frontage, signifying water, the 2^nd green, for trees & the 3^rd, light brown, for earth! No amount of photographs & narration will ever be enough, to bring across the amazing construction. That is the best part about this City; the indomitable spirit, rising from utter devastation & creating it’s own place in the history of the nation.

Lakeshore Drive Area

Lakeshore drive.

After a quick drive to the Field museum & Aquarium, we found a place to pay & park, just opposite the beach, along Lakeshore Drive. This was definitely the upper class section of town, with lovely green patches, lots of flowers & top class facades, each trying to outdo the other. Something like Marine Drive, just to draw a very rough example. The beach is not a very big expanse, but there are lots of tracks off the road, where we found fitness freaks jogging, cycling, skating & of course, beach volleyball. There were a couple of lifeguards, all women, in boats, keeping an eye on the Sunday crowd.

Fitness freaks on the beach!

The beach. 

We had to leave by 6 pm, as Anju & Jack were expecting us by 6:30h p.m. It’s always a great feeling to meet one’s folks outside Pune, and meeting them was a greater thing.  A lovely couple, these two, who divide time between Pune & Chicago. They have a lovely penthouse, with their personal lift, that takes you straight to their entrance. The view from their terrace is beautiful, as the snap shows. It was  home, for all of us, and  we really left with the proverbial heavy heart. Next day, Monday, we had to be at the Indian Consulate for Janu’s passport renewal. So, an early b’fast & we checked out. It was a rainy day and we were thankful that during our sightseeing etc., the weather stayed good.

View of the lake from Jack's penthouse.

At Jack & Anju's. 

The Consulate job was over within half an hour & we were on our way back to good old St. Louis. En route, we stopped for an early lunch at a place called ‘The Cracker Barrel’, an
old country store, serving typical country-style food, in a matching ambience. There  was a small store                     selling typical items, of which we picked up a few!

Old fashioned decor at Cracker Barrel.

A view of store.

 From here, it was not a very long drive and by 5 p.m., we were home & dry. This week-end, we were to head for the Smokey Mountains. Sadly, Janu came down with a bad throat infection & fever, so we’ve had to postpone the visit to the 3^rd week end.
To end this mail, there’s a small story, connected to Al Capone & O’Hare International Airport, Chicago. Those of you aware of this, please bear with me. Capone had , in his service, a very smart lawyer, who they called ‘Easy Eddy’, & it was his legal expertise that kept Al out of prison. Eddy’s one weakness was his son, whom he didn’t want to be exposed to the world he was working in. He gave him the best of education & shielded him from the world of crime. Still, he wanted to come clean with the law, a step he knew that would cost him his life. Butch O’Hare, was a pilot with the Air Force & has successfully diverted  Japanese aircraft away from US planes. His camera had recorded this, as also that he had shot down 5 enemy aircraft. O’Hare was later killed in combat, an declared an Ace. The people of Chicago, in order to perpetuate his memory, named the airport after him. So, what’s the connection? Butch O’Hare was Easy Eddy’s son!

If we look around us, I am sure, we have so many  heroes from the Services, whose memories we must not let fade from our hearts & history!

Stadium dedicated to the Armed Forces, Chicago.

Morwada Jn. Memorial, P:une.

As I write this, we are recovering from a typical week end menu of CB & CB (Chilled Beer & Chicken Biryani!) Need I say more, other than wish you were  here!

Till then, have a ball, TC & keep smiling!!

Bye!

Ashok Gune