Illinois - Chicago

Today is one of 2 days for us to get out and really enjoy the city. The leaves are still in the process of changing and the maple trees are in shades of green to red and every shade in-between.

Once we figured out where we were located in relation to the downtown core, we picked a landmark and looked up the local bus information. We had a bus stop only 2 blocks away from our place and it came every 15 minutes. We have learned that when you are in these big cities is is just best to park the car at your AirBnB and take the bus, train or walk in between to get to where you need to go. The

traffic, hassle of finding a parking space and the cost of parking is a stress that I defiantly do not need. So.. go like the locals.. hop the bus and enjoy the ride to where every you are going.

We thought that we would start out day by heading to the Navy Pier to start our exploring. It took 40 mins by bus to get to the far side of downtown and to the Navy Pier. We were sitting at the front of the bus and a gal got on and sat beside Rick. She was wearing some sort of costume being that it was halloween. The interesting part is that she applied a full face of makeup, including applying false eyelashes (glue and all) the entire trip to downtown. I have a feeling that she is well practiced and often uses her time on the bus to get ready for the day. I was amazed that she actually could apply false eyelashes, glue and all, while bumping down the road and using only a compact mirror to guide things. Wow!

The Navy Pier opened to the public on July 15, 1916. Originally known as the "Municipal Pier" and was built by Charles Sumner Frost, a nationally known architect, with a design based on the Plan of Chicago (1909) by Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett. Its original purpose was to serve as a dock for freights, passenger traffic, and indoor and outdoor recreation; events like expositions and pageants were held there.

In the summer of 1918 the pier was also used as a jail for draft dodgers. In 1927, the pier was renamed Navy Pier to honor the naval veterans who served in World War I. In 1941, during World War II, the pier became a training center for the U.S. Navy; about 10,000 people worked, trained, and lived there. The pier contained a 2,500-seat theater, gym, 12-chair barber shop, tailor, cobbler shops, soda fountain and a vast kitchen and hospital.

Starting in 2014, the redevelopment plan called The Centennial Vision was implemented. The purpose of this plan is to fulfill the mission to keep Navy Pier as a world-class public space and to renovate the pier so it will have more evening and year-round entertainment and more compelling landscape and design features.

The Navy Pier currently encompasses more than fifty acres of parks, gardens, shops, restaurants, family attractions and exhibition facilities and is the top leisure destination in the Midwestern United States ("Midwest"), drawing nearly nine million visitors annually. It is one of the most visited attractions in the entire Midwest and is Chicago's number one tourist attraction.

We continued on in our adventures and walked around the waterfront until we came to Millennium Park. Millennium Park sits on space that was previously occupied by rail yards and parking lots. Through a massive civic effort, generous private donations and six years of tireless work, the Park ceremoniously opened on July 16, 2004. Today, 25-acre Millennium Park is the second most popular tourist attraction in Illinois (following close on the heels of Navy Pier), and contains some of the greatest public art pieces in the world.

Millennium Park released the plan for Frank Gehry's bandshell

auditorium in early 2000, after the city announced its expansion of the park and some $25M in private donations. The centerpiece of Millennium Park is known for its trademark curving plates and stainless steel beams. With room for 11,000 visitors and a state-of-the-art sound system, the Pavilion is a popular open-air concert and film screening venue.

Anish Kapoor's first public sculpture in the United States came as the result of $26M in private donations and, well, a giant headache. Composed of close to 200 stainless steel plates and weighing 100 tons, Cloud Gate (The Bean) faced numerous technological and upkeep issues before being unveiled in early 2005. Thankfully, Kapoor and a team of experts ironed out early shortcomings and, ultimately, created one of Chicago's iconic landmarks and selfie locations.

What a spectacular park! A great tip from Katie to check out this unique public space. We have a busy day planned.. so we were off for some lunch before an exciting afternoon in the theatre district.
We headed over to Max's Take out to try one of the best downtown places for a traditional Chicago Hot Dog.

So what makes a Hot Dog a Chicago Dog? I am glad that you asked.
A Chicago-style hot dog, Chicago Dog, or Chicago Red Hot is an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating from the city of Chicago, Illinois. The hot dog is topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices or wedges, pickled sport peppers and a dash of celery salt. The complete assembly of a Chicago hot dog is said to be "dragged through the garden" due to the many toppings. The method for cooking the hot dog itself varies depending on the vendor's preference. Most often they are steamed, water-simmered, or less often grilled over charcoal (in which case they are referred to as "char-dogs").

The recipe does not include ketchup and there is a widely shared strong opinion among many Chicagoans and aficionados that ketchup is unacceptable. A number of Chicago hot dog vendors do not offer ketchup as a condiment. For National Hot Dog Day on July 19, 2017, Heinz created controversy by introducing ketchup, labeled as "Chicago Dog Sauce", to the disdain of many Chicagoans — but their effort also unearthed a minority of ketchup aficionados in the city. Rick of course had the original and I had a polish dog with all the traditional fixings. I think it actually beats the ballpark dogs.. Sorry Betty.

Now for our favourite part of the day.. We found out from our host that

Hamilton was currently playing in Chicago. So last night we went online and found some tickets that were still for sale. We picked seats that were right centre and only 7 rows up. Fantastic seats for only $92 USD. Practically a steal, since the seats across the isle were $122 USD.
I think that Hamilton is my new favourite broadway show. I have never witnessed such a great combination of story, singing and dancing by all the cast.

Hamilton is an American Musical that is unique in that it is a sung- and rapped-through musical about the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. It's music, lyrics, and book by Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspired by the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by historian Ron Chernow. Incorporating hip hop, R&B, pop, soul, traditional-style show tunes, and color-conscious casting of non-white

actors as the Founding Fathers and other historical figures. The musical achieved both critical acclaim and box office success.

I found the production to be entertaining and informative. What I did learn was that Alexander Hamilton was an American statesman and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was an influential interpreter and promoter of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the founder of the nation's financial system, the Federalist Party, the United States Coast Guard, and the New York Post newspaper.

As the first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton was the main author of the economic policies of George Washington's administration. He took the lead in the Federal government's funding of the states' debts, as well as establishing a national bank, a system of tariffs, and friendly trade relations with Britain. His vision included a strong

central government led by a vigorous executive branch, a strong commercial economy, a national bank and support for manufacturing, and a strong military. Thomas Jefferson was his leading opponent, arguing for agrarianism and smaller government.

Hamilton was a leader in seeking to replace the weak national government and he led the Annapolis Convention (1786), which spurred Congress to call a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. He helped ratify the Constitution by writing 51 of the 85 instalments of The Federalist Papers, which are still used as one of the most important references for Constitutional interpretation.

Hamilton continued his legal and business activities in New York City, and was active in ending the legality of the international slave trade. Vice President Burr ran for governor of New York State in 1804, and Hamilton campaigned against him as unworthy. Taking offense, Burr

challenged him to a duel on July 11, 1804... and I won't spoil the ending.

If I haven't given away the plot too much and you get a chance to go see the production, I highly recommend it! It is an interesting way to learn all about the history of the US government and the important people in the early years.

What an amazing day in Chicago. We have always wanted to get here and see the sights. Our 2 days here will only be a bit of a snap shot of the city and a good reason to come back another time - perhaps planned around the local theater performances. (www.broadwayinchicago.com).

On our way home we decided to take the train and bus combination to get home. We got off at "California" and started to wait for the bus. We figured that since we were only 1.6 km from home, and being that it was going to get dark soon, we decided to forgo waiting for the bus and hiked it home. I think that we are neighbouring on a less-than-desireable neighbourhood. So we quickened our pace and headed for home. (Its not that we felt unsafe, just out of place). Roxy was sure happy to see us back and happy to settle in for the night and to hand out candy to the neighbouring kids.