Sunday, 20 August – Chicago

Must have been tired, we are not up at the crack of dawn today but don’t waste too much time.  Another clear sunny morning though. Breakfast over in the hotel is better today, bacon instead of sausage and gravy, which looked like white mush you wouldn’t recognise – glad there was a sign to help us out!

We are on the road around 10am and head back into Chicago city – first stop is the Obama’s house which was a bit hard to find but we did the block again and found it second time around.  There was a ‘black and white’ police car parked outside – a bit of a clue!

Then we stopped at a beach on the south side of Chicago.  Two separate paved paths one for bikes and one for joggers shadow the lake front.  You pay for parking here though.

Then we are off on a search for a car park close to the beginning of Route 66.  The Mother Road starts right here in Chicago!  After a couple of block rotations we unknowingly park right outside it – yay us!

Sadly not much of the original Route 66 is left : (

We parked here under the L train lines, next to the Route 66 sign

And this is what you come back to, dastardly birds!!

We have a couple of hours here on the meter so wander west and see what is there.  Come across the Willis Building, previously known as the Sears building and the second highest in Chicago.  I am glad this is it, as I have been taking photos of it for two days from various points of the compass.

Back in the car and decide we want to have a meander along the River Walk so find a car park over the bridge and walk back and alongside the Chicago River.  It is humming, the river is busy with tour boats, private runabouts, party boats, hire electric boats, jet skis and kayaks etc. and on the shore are many lively café’s, bars, more bars and restaurants, oh and lots of people.

Chicago River Walk

All the time our necks are craned skywards as the supersonic boom of the fighter planes echo overhead and we have to search between the high rises to catch a glimpse.  The noise echoes so much it is hard to know which direction to look and often you just see the jet stream following the amazing stunt they just did and you missed.  There is a big line up of participants.

The Blue Angels are my favourite

We head north to more open spaces to see if we can see more the air shows but traffic is a bitch, every possible space you might pull off to get a view is cordoned off, sometimes by snow plows and guarded by police vehicles.  They move you on pretty smartly if you stop.

The show is over by 3pm so we should leave the big city of Chicago and so decide to take a ‘no motorway’ route to get back to Joilet.  We see much more of real Chicago, where the real people live which is a mix of old graffiti-ed brick apartment buildings and new free standing expensive looking three story homes.

 

We must have tuckered ourselves out yesterday we are ready for home by 5pm. Tonight’s dinner is the reheated left over deep dish pizza “box” from last night, ¾ of it was left and it reheated perfectly in the convection oven.  All gone tonight though, no holding back.