Taste of Chicago

Last year while returning home via the Lincoln Highway, our nation’s first transcontinental road which ran from Manhattan to San Francisco, I stayed in Chicago just as “Taste of Chicago” was winding down. “Wow!” I thought “I’ve got to get back to see this next year!” And so I did.

“Taste of Chicago” is a nine-day food and performing arts festival which takes place in Grant Park along Chicago’s waterfront. This is a big deal! All the music concerts are free and included such acts as Hootie and the Blowfish, Barenaked Ladies, Buddy Guy, and much more. To get a sense of scale, take a look a the map below. For food alone there were 56 restaurants! 

My first stop after arriving was the Apple Store to buy an iPhone … finally.

I had decided that Chicago was where I was going to get and explore all that the iPhone and its applications had to offer. I could geek-out all I wanted and not distract my ladies; the plan had much appeal.

With iPhone in hand, when I wasn’t enjoying Taste, I was getting to know Chicago. I had been visited the Second City many times but had never taken the time to explore it. As I ventured out I learned how vast it was, how varied it was, and how much it had to offer. In a week I was only going to scratch the surface so I made an attempt to visit some of the best of Chicago.

Basic orientation came in the form of a variety of self-guided walking tours which each focused on a theme: theatre, landmarks, and art. Then using the AAA web site I started to focus on their most highly recommended sites and organized visits based on geography. Within the Loop (core downtown) is were I focused most of my energies but I also ventured out to the Near North and Near West Side. As I got more comfortable I used busses and trains.

I could tell you a thousand stories but that’s beyond the scope of my blog. Much like NYC, Chicago really impressed me and I’ll definitely be going back there to soak up more. For now, as I usually do, I’ll simply leave you with a visual impression from pictures I took. Not a lot of elaborating will be done but then perhaps that will encourage YOU to go to Chicago and to see it for yourself.

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