Now
that you have seen how busy I am when I am in Chicago it is no wonder that I
still have many sites and places I would like to visit. The more I read and
research the longer my list grows. As of now these are the most pressing
restaurants and activities that will be the first things I conquer on my next
trip out there.
I
will list my future itinerary by category, the first up is of course food,
followed by museums/attractions, shopping, and sightseeing vehicles.
I) Food
a.
Eli's Cheesecake- Famous Chicago cheesecake that has been served at high
profile events like Presidential Inaugurations.
b. Gino's East- Classic deep-dish
pizza, made famous by graffiti covered booths. Its Duff Goldman’s favorite as
seen “On the Best Thing I Ever Ate.”
c. Lou Mitchell's- Local breakfast
place around since 1923 that greets you with doughnut holes and milk duds while
you wait. You can’t ask for more than that!
d. Hot Chocolate- Desserts are the main
attraction here. Go on a weekday (late lunch or early dinner) to avoid a wait.
Try mini hot chocolates, apple cider potpie, and banana napoleon.
e. Ann Sather- A real Chicago
institution. Go before 11:00 a.m. for weekend brunch to avoid massive crowds.
Sticky cinnamon rolls are a must, “On the Best Thing I Ever Ate.” The sign out
front reads " Once one of many neighborhood Swedish restaurants.” Ann
Sather’s Andersonville location has closed but two others remain open.
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/ann-sather-restaurant-and_n_3762654.html?utm_hp_ref=chicago-restaurants) The last time I was planning on
going but I was too sick and had to cancel. I think I miss those most of all.
f.
Jeni’s Ice-cream- Sells all kinds of exotic flavors and was previously only
available in Michigan and online. Now Chicago has its very own store. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/09/jenis-ice-cream-chicago_n_3895370.html?utm_hp_ref=chicago-restaurants) I am dying to try the
Salted Carmel and Goat Cheese with Red Cherries.
II) Museums/Attractions
a. The Driehaus Museum- A mansion still
intact from the Gilded Age. It was a family home over a hundred years ago and
now can be cherished for the style both inside and out. Note all of the pieces
of lighting from the original Tiffany’s.
b. Field Museum of Natural History- Has
the largest T-Rex (Sue, named for the PhD who made the discovery) her head was
so heavy that they created a fake one to mount. Inside: Ancient Egypt realistic
scenes of funerals, social practices, Underground Adventure, Traveling the
Pacific, Africa, Bushman: legendary gorilla made headlines at Lincoln Park Zoo,
Man Eating Lions featured in the film "The Ghost and the Darkness"
pair of male lions that munched nearly one hundred and forty British railway
workers constructing a bridge in East Africa in 1898.
c. Chicago History Museum- Tells the
story of Chicago’s past, present and future. Exhibits worth noting are
Lincoln’s Chicago, Chicago as a Crossroads of America, and items from the World
Fair. I would be most excited to see Abe Lincoln’s deathbed. I have no idea why
it is here but when in Chicago….
d. Unity Temple- As I mentioned in the
last blog I have seen the outside but did not get to go inside. Frank Lloyd
Wright, creator of the Prairie Style architecture, was a member and was asked
to redesign this church after a fire in 1900.
e. Robie House- Is another Wright
masterpiece and I had too seen this from the outside on the tour I took (see
previous blog). However I did not have time to take the tour of the inside and
I very much am looking forward to that. This house was completed in 1909;
during the time he left his family. The bookshop is in the former three-car
garage, which was very unusual for its time.
f. Jane Addams Hull- House
Museum- Hull House was on this site until 1963 (continuing as a service agency
known as Hull House Association); here displays show how Addams was able to
transform her 1856 dismal neighborhood into stable inner city environments
worth fighting for.
g. Hemingway Museum/ The Ernest
Hemingway Birthplace Home- Memorabilia now in Oak Park Arts Center, but this
where the infamous author was born in 1889, which was his grandparents’ house.
A few blocks away is the house where he spent most of his years that home is
still privately owned.
h. Original Playboy Mansion- The
9,000-square-footer is rife with marble and vintage chandeliers and its huge
rooms, a sky lit atrium, and five bedrooms find relief in the form of casual
outdoor terraces and gardens (the sum total of which still doesn't equal a true
yard). There's a grand foyer, elaborate wainscoting and full-blown paneling,
high ceilings, an elevator, and an attached two-car garage. The home turns one
hundred this year.
i. Wrigley Field- I am not a
baseball person but because this field is so legendary I would like to take the
tour offered Saturdays during the summer that shows you around the entire
building as well as the field.
III) Shopping
a. Abraham Lincoln Book Shop- Most
thorough collection of rare and antiques on Lincoln including academic works.
IV) Sightseeing Vehicles
a. Chicago Trolley Company- San
Francisco style trolleys stop at a number of popular places year round like the
Navy Pier, Water Tower, Willis Tower, Grant Park, and Museums.
The
only hard part about visiting Chicago is that I still love everything I have
already seen and would not mind going back to show someone new or even just for
my own enjoyment. The only negative thing I can say about a weekend in the
Windy City is that a weekend never seems to be enough. I could definitely stay
there a week and still be plenty busy. But when you love a place or a
person I suppose you never get enough.
For
These Activities:
For
a Wonderful Weekend in the Windy City Part VII, the conclusion of my Chicago
series is next.
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