Great Weekend in Chicago

Enjoyed a great get away in Chicago over the weekend of October 22-24, 2010. This is my report on the trip recorded here for posterity's sake and so that future generations may learn from our wonderful experience in a great city (ok, so maybe that's overstating the importance of this blog which nobody reads - not even my wife).

We traveled down to Chicago by car on Friday night. OK, so, I realize I do not live in a high traffic part of the country, but the Friday evening bumper to bumper love fest on I-90 coming in to Chicago was just silly. It was 90 minutes of pure joy from O'Hare to downtown. How, people, how can we live as a society with this type of traffic?? OK, back on point. Got to the hotel (more on that in a moment) and dined at wonderful Pizano's Pizza on State and Chestnut. Great spot, jumping and busy when we got there at about 8:30 pm. Baseball games on TV and watching the Yankees get bounced from the playoffs and the whole bar erupt in joy watching them lose. No Rangers fans, just Yankee haters it seemed. The wife and I enjoyed a pizza with garlic/mushrooms (1/2)/ spinach (1/2). Great food, a couple of beers, and kind of fun to be somewhere that was still cozy, crowded and jumping late on a Friday evening.

Back to the hotel. The Talbott Hotel is a great option. Rates were $225/night and $32 for parking, which given the quality of the rooms and service, and its location (just a block from the John Hancock building and close to Michigan Ave.) was great. The service was great, the room was huge (300 plus sq. feet) for Chicago, and again the location was really solid.

On Saturday, we took the Chicago Architectural Foundation river boat tour. It rained mercilessly during our boat ride, and we froze our butts off. However, after purchasing a $2 garbage bag/poncho, we stayed dry as best we could only went below deck to stave off hypothermia for a brief time. The tour was outstanding, lots of great information and views of all the big Chicago landmarks with good details on the history of the city too. Highly recommended.

Went then for lunch at Miller's Pub. Solid, not oustanding. Menu was pretty basic, but place was crowded like they were giving away free stuff (which they were not).

After lunch on Saturday, we spent most of the afternoon at the Chicago Art Institute. If you are looking for a museum in Chicago, this is it. No disrespect to the other options (Field Museum, etc.) but the Chicago Art Institute is incredible. Just get lost in this huge, varied and fascinating place. The art runs over all periods, styles, and forms, and it is ultimately a great way to spend the afternoon.

After some shopping on Michigan Avenue on the way back to the hotel, we went to visit some friends in their neigborhood in the Lakeview area of Chicago. We went to Fiorentino's on Ashland and it was great. Stuffed gnocchi with pesto. Yummy. Lots of great stuff on the menu.

Packed up and came home Sunday morning. We definitely had a great time, and were happy to get home. Chicago 2010 - great trip, good food, great hotel.