Even with the predominantly cheerless weather AND 10 days of required isolation (yes, COVID), we are Chicago’s newest fans. The waterfront, the bike-friendliness of the city, the architecture, the art… and of course, the pizza!
Quarantining in Chicago
We moved into DuSable Harbor which sits on the Lake Shore Drive bike and pedestrian trail. From this vantage point we could watch the world go by… and get gelato & groceries delivered!
Our Neighborhood
With no ability to do much until we could be “sprung from jail”, we masked up and walked. The harbor was right downtown so Grant Park, Millennium Park, Navy Pier and the River Walk were all easily accessible. There was also a beautiful little park tucked into a block of four residential towers between the harbor and the Aon Center (Chicago headquarters for Heinz, Microsoft and the like).
Cloud Gate at Millennium Park, known to the locals as “The Bean”. The picture on the right is taken from underneath, looking straight up.
Crown Fountain at Millennium Park
The River Walk
Free at Last
Once we were able to, we took advantage of being tourists in the city. We rode the Lake Front Trail to its northern end and had lunch in a little restaurant in Edgewater, we rode to the southern end and visited the Chicago Science and Industry Museum. We saw an exhibition of work by Banksy, the British graffiti artist, and Barbara Kruger’s nightly display on the Mart (a 4 million sq ft building). We caught the beginning of the Chicago Marathon, then rode to the finish line and watched some of the fastest runners come in. A shout out to Dana & Sarah who provided the highlight of our time in Chicago: a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s house and studio, as well as a walking tour of the Wright houses in Oak Park. Many thanks for making that happen…
Some of Banksy’s most irreverent and rebellious works were on display.
A Barbara Kruger projection at the Merchandise Mart
