To keep things brief and reasonably current, I'm going to sum up the rest of my family's visit to Chicago.
16 Jun: It's Monday and we're greeted by the first bout of rain in days. Fortunately, we had planned a trip to Devon today and since we didn't leave the hotel until almost 11, we managed to miss all the showers. Devon Avenue is essentially Little India (and I guess Little Pakistan...how 'bout Little South Asia?) located south of Evanston and north of Lakeview/Lincoln Park. The street is lined with shops selling everything Indian from sarees to sweets, aliments to accoutrement, and Bollywood CDs to chapatis. The sights and smells assault the senses and for a brief moment one can imagine being on the streets of Mumbai or Bangalore. We strolled around for some time, eating lunch in a couple of different small restaurants and checking out some music and cooking utensils in various shops.
After lunch we decided to head out to the western suburbs to visit the IKEA store in Schaumburg. This adventure took up most of the remaining day and concluded at an Olive Garden in the mall complex near the IKEA. I managed to stock up on some new clothing and found some things for the apartment (some sweet glasses and an organizer). It was back to the hotel after dinner.
17 Jun: Tuesday and we're off to Wisconsin for a couple of days. The Wisconsin Dells are much heralded for their beauty and affinity for water parks, so thanks to some research by my mom and sister, we headed there for a spell. Given the recent flooding in the area, accomodations were easy to secure so we focused on lunch and entertaining ourselves first. Lunch was at a festive Mexican restaurant overlooking a lake. I had a strawberry-mango margarita that was about the size of my head and quite delicious. After lunch we booked ourselves a Duck tour and river boat ride. The "ducks" are amphibious vehicles that were employed during WWII to ferry soldiers to shore from the warships that could not approach the coast thanks to various obstacles such as mines and artificial barrier reefs. Many of these vehicles have since been co-opted into entertainment vehicles that allow civilians, like ourselves, to ride around in them on land and on the water. The river boat ride, although longer and more scenic, did not have the same novelty as an amphibious boat. Alas.
After our boating adventures, it was time for dinner. Thanks to our GPS, we selected a pizza place near the hotel. It quickly became apparent that this place was popular with the locals, though we were seated astonishingly quickly upon arrival, despite the crowd waiting in the foyer. Maybe it was my Indiana Jones hat. Dinner was delicious and a satisfying end to a long day.
18 Jun: Wednesday and it's time to head back to the city. On our way, we did what every real visitor to Wisconsin must do. Visit a cheese factory! (Green Bay Packers fans are not called "cheeseheads" for nothin'). The one we chose was both open to visitors, offered a tour, and was not too far out of our way back south. Perfect. The manager generously gave us about 40 minutes of his time to explain the cheesemaking process and though we didn't get a walk-around tour, he pointed out through the window step-by-step what was transpiring on the floor. Naturally, we bought about five pounds of the cheese including a few bags of "cheese curds", a favorite treat with locals (if it's not squeaky, it's not really fresh!).
Our Wisconsin experience was not complete without a stop at a Culver's restaurant. For those on the West Coast, Culver's is much like an In N' Out burger. I don't know the equivalent on the East Coast. Perhaps a Cook Out for you NC folks. In any case, it's a popular chain that serves comfort food from burgers to fries to various ice cream treats (ice cream is another thing you simply must try in Wisconsin. A state that has that many cows must have good cheese and ice cream. Beer factors in as well, but that's because there's so much leftover grain from feeding all those cows :) ). We ordered conservatively at first, but after some prodding from our cashier, our order rapidly expanded until she was convinced we'd order half the menu. It was delicious.
Finally, back to the city. We stopped in Evanston to pick up Kevin since it's a tradition that we always have to take him out for food when the family's in town. Works out well for him, eh? We moved from our hotel out in the burbs to one right smack in downtown that we got at a deep discount thanks to it's grand opening. After settling down, we walked out to catch a trolley to Navy Pier. Navy Pier, as the name implies, was originally established as a commerical enterprise that also served military purposes during the Second World War. Since it's on a great lake (and not the ocean like naval bases in Maryland and Virginia), the utility was necessarily limited and Navy Pier is long past it's naval days and now the most popular destination in all of Chicago. Taking about 40 minutes to walk up and down, the Pier is a treat for the senses. Lined with food stalls and entertainment options, it's a great place for kids and adults alike on a sunny summer afternoon. There's a Ferris Wheel for those who want a nice view of the Chicago skyline and an IMAX theater for those who prefer to soar to new heights more passively.
After a stroll along the pier, it was time to think dinner. Kevin recommended Khyber Pass, an Indian restaurant he and his Northwestern friends had visited some time earlier. The food was decent, but the service rather deplorable considering we were some of the only guestst that night. Oh well. The real treat came after dinner as we caught the fireworks display from the Pier. The show is put on every Wednesday and Saturday and is beautiful if rather (understandably) brief. We bid Kevin farewell by the river and then headed back to the hotel.
16 Jun: It's Monday and we're greeted by the first bout of rain in days. Fortunately, we had planned a trip to Devon today and since we didn't leave the hotel until almost 11, we managed to miss all the showers. Devon Avenue is essentially Little India (and I guess Little Pakistan...how 'bout Little South Asia?) located south of Evanston and north of Lakeview/Lincoln Park. The street is lined with shops selling everything Indian from sarees to sweets, aliments to accoutrement, and Bollywood CDs to chapatis. The sights and smells assault the senses and for a brief moment one can imagine being on the streets of Mumbai or Bangalore. We strolled around for some time, eating lunch in a couple of different small restaurants and checking out some music and cooking utensils in various shops.
After lunch we decided to head out to the western suburbs to visit the IKEA store in Schaumburg. This adventure took up most of the remaining day and concluded at an Olive Garden in the mall complex near the IKEA. I managed to stock up on some new clothing and found some things for the apartment (some sweet glasses and an organizer). It was back to the hotel after dinner.
17 Jun: Tuesday and we're off to Wisconsin for a couple of days. The Wisconsin Dells are much heralded for their beauty and affinity for water parks, so thanks to some research by my mom and sister, we headed there for a spell. Given the recent flooding in the area, accomodations were easy to secure so we focused on lunch and entertaining ourselves first. Lunch was at a festive Mexican restaurant overlooking a lake. I had a strawberry-mango margarita that was about the size of my head and quite delicious. After lunch we booked ourselves a Duck tour and river boat ride. The "ducks" are amphibious vehicles that were employed during WWII to ferry soldiers to shore from the warships that could not approach the coast thanks to various obstacles such as mines and artificial barrier reefs. Many of these vehicles have since been co-opted into entertainment vehicles that allow civilians, like ourselves, to ride around in them on land and on the water. The river boat ride, although longer and more scenic, did not have the same novelty as an amphibious boat. Alas.
After our boating adventures, it was time for dinner. Thanks to our GPS, we selected a pizza place near the hotel. It quickly became apparent that this place was popular with the locals, though we were seated astonishingly quickly upon arrival, despite the crowd waiting in the foyer. Maybe it was my Indiana Jones hat. Dinner was delicious and a satisfying end to a long day.
18 Jun: Wednesday and it's time to head back to the city. On our way, we did what every real visitor to Wisconsin must do. Visit a cheese factory! (Green Bay Packers fans are not called "cheeseheads" for nothin'). The one we chose was both open to visitors, offered a tour, and was not too far out of our way back south. Perfect. The manager generously gave us about 40 minutes of his time to explain the cheesemaking process and though we didn't get a walk-around tour, he pointed out through the window step-by-step what was transpiring on the floor. Naturally, we bought about five pounds of the cheese including a few bags of "cheese curds", a favorite treat with locals (if it's not squeaky, it's not really fresh!).
Our Wisconsin experience was not complete without a stop at a Culver's restaurant. For those on the West Coast, Culver's is much like an In N' Out burger. I don't know the equivalent on the East Coast. Perhaps a Cook Out for you NC folks. In any case, it's a popular chain that serves comfort food from burgers to fries to various ice cream treats (ice cream is another thing you simply must try in Wisconsin. A state that has that many cows must have good cheese and ice cream. Beer factors in as well, but that's because there's so much leftover grain from feeding all those cows :) ). We ordered conservatively at first, but after some prodding from our cashier, our order rapidly expanded until she was convinced we'd order half the menu. It was delicious.
Finally, back to the city. We stopped in Evanston to pick up Kevin since it's a tradition that we always have to take him out for food when the family's in town. Works out well for him, eh? We moved from our hotel out in the burbs to one right smack in downtown that we got at a deep discount thanks to it's grand opening. After settling down, we walked out to catch a trolley to Navy Pier. Navy Pier, as the name implies, was originally established as a commerical enterprise that also served military purposes during the Second World War. Since it's on a great lake (and not the ocean like naval bases in Maryland and Virginia), the utility was necessarily limited and Navy Pier is long past it's naval days and now the most popular destination in all of Chicago. Taking about 40 minutes to walk up and down, the Pier is a treat for the senses. Lined with food stalls and entertainment options, it's a great place for kids and adults alike on a sunny summer afternoon. There's a Ferris Wheel for those who want a nice view of the Chicago skyline and an IMAX theater for those who prefer to soar to new heights more passively.
After a stroll along the pier, it was time to think dinner. Kevin recommended Khyber Pass, an Indian restaurant he and his Northwestern friends had visited some time earlier. The food was decent, but the service rather deplorable considering we were some of the only guestst that night. Oh well. The real treat came after dinner as we caught the fireworks display from the Pier. The show is put on every Wednesday and Saturday and is beautiful if rather (understandably) brief. We bid Kevin farewell by the river and then headed back to the hotel.
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1 comment:
Mango -Strawberry Margarita big as your head!!! Think you got slightly drunk by looking at it before even taking a sip!
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