Well, we had three days of fabulous weather in Chicago, which for the end of September was much better than we ever expected. But for our last day, there was a distinct change in the weather, with a ten degree centigrade drop in temperature, and a chill wind and rain. I've heard about how quickly the weather can change in the Midwest and to be honest it was fun to experience it. And of course, how can you visit the windy city without a bit of wind.
Our final day began at the South west corner of Grant Park and the intriguing 106 headless and armless creatures of the Agora sculpture by Magdalena Abakanowicz. It is definitely a sight to behold and a fun sculpture to walk through and explore.
The Sarky Traveller meets Agora.
I loved the spacing, some clustered close together, others with much more space around them. A very thought provoking piece and another wonderful free sculpture on the streets of Chicago. Bringing art to the people.
A short hop skip and a jump away, you enter the Museum Campus, containing The Field Museum of Natural History, The Shedd Aquarium and The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum. You could easily spend more than a day exploring the vast array of treats at each of the museums, however, you would also spend quite a bit on admission fees. But, as the 57 acre site contains three of the top 7 museums and attractions in Chicago, then you might want to check it out. And it is a super child friendly destination too. If you are likely to take a trip to one or more of these museums then it would be worthwhile to pick up the Chicago City Pass: http://www.citypass.com/chicago. This will save you money, and time, and does allow you a couple of choices on how to spend your time over the nine days it is valid for.
If you are more of a speed tourist and only have time to really walk around and look, rather than go in and touch, then there is plenty to see. In fact, just a walk along the lake shore path gives you some great views back on The Loop and over the lake.
12th Street Beach, just south of the Planetarium would be nice on a sunny day, and the rest of Northerly Island - once a small private airfield - is a prairie grass filled oasis, so if you're sick of crowds or just want a bit of peace, you can head there.
American Football fans may enjoy a wander over to Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Bears. It has a bizarre 'old meets modern' look, which seems a little out of place, but if Football is your thing then tours are available and the field is used for many huge stadium concerts and events. http://www.soldierfield.net/
Okay, enough transgression, I read about an interesting little pie shop between West Side and the Ukranian Village. The closet tube stop was Chicago, but what I failed to check was whether it was Chicago on the Red line, Brown line or Blue line. Mistake. On exiting from the Red line at Chicago, we couldn't understand why we kept walking and did not hit the pie shop. Eventually we realised by checking other street names and had to take a bus the rest of the way. To make it easier for everyone else, it's the Chicago on the Blue line. And then a very easy walk west until you hit the Hoosier Mama Pie Company. And, oh my, are you in for a treat! http://www.hoosiermamapie.com/index.html
All the sweet ones are on those metal shelves.
Hmmmm, the savoury pies.
The small shop and cafe has only a handful of tables, but huge charm. You want traditional American pies, look no further. And please go in and buy one, or two, they're amazing! Savoury pies are per pie - small, medium or large. Whereas the sweet pies are generally by the slice, or the whole pie. As it took us much longer to get there than originally intended, we of course opted to eat in for lunch - to be fair we probably would have done anyway, even if it was 10am. You can't not buy a pie here. That would be wrong.
Small Chicken Pot Pie, shared with my other half. A very happy Sarky Traveller right there.
It took about twenty minutes to heat up. I think a lot of the business there is take outs to reheat at home, but we had no complaints. Outside was cold and damp. We were inside, warm and dry with the smell of pies enveloping us in a pastry hug. You can't get much better than that. Besides, it also gave us loads of time to chat with the lovely man in the shop, who was very kind and was thrilled to have visitors from the UK.
Now for the sweet ones. We shared a slice of Raspberry Peach and a slice of Apple Cherry. Words cannot express, only the action of sampling one for yourself can. So go. Eat the pies and be happy!
And when faced with such a list of pies to choose from, you cannot possibly sample them all, but you can take some with you for later: Chocolate Chess and another slice of Peach Raspberry - because it was just too damn good - left the shop with us. Along with lots of incredible smells and tastes. Two very happy travellers left that pie shop.
Can I have been any more enthusiastic about the Hoosier Mama Pie Company? Yes? No? Well, there's good reason, so check it out on your next visit to Chicago and you will wish they delivered to London, like I do. Maybe I should buy their pie book and make some myself.............
On full stomachs we headed on up to Damen on the Blue Line to explore Wicker Park and its array of independent shops. A cool area full of book shops, record shops, vintage stores and fashion. You're bound to find something to take home with you.
The Flat Iron Building at the intersection of North Avenue, Damen Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue. Let the shopping begin.
Quimby's. A great store full of local authors, comics, rarities, and interesting gifts and cards, focusing on the visual and illustrated. Think handmade magazines and hand drawn graphic novels. A great place to chill. http://www.quimbys.com/
There are also a great deal of bars and coffee shops and places to eat around this area, if you haven't already stuffed yourself with pie, though I do suggest stuffing yourself with pie. But hey, I love pie!
Murals mingle with graffiti to brighten up the brick walls of these old factories-come-shops.
Looking for cowboy boots? Look no further.
Myopic Books. An amazing used book store. For a while just let yourself get lost within the stacks. You might not find your way out again, but there are worst places to lose yourself. They also buy books, but check out the website for more details on that. http://www.myopicbookstore.com/
Having shopped ourselves out, we jumped back on the Blue Line up to Logan Square for a wander along some Historical Boulevards. It is also quite the hipster haven around here with art galleries, shops and plenty of bars and restaurants to whet your appetite. It is a pleasant place for a walk too, though the main sights are the huge houses that make you drool.
Illinois Centennial Memorial Column.
One of the mahoosive properties along Kedzie Boulevard.
An impressive dwelling on Palmer Square.
And so our exhausted legs took us back to the El train and back to our accommodation and a wander through the lovely Palmisano Park, for one last afternoon with the heads.
It was a tough decision for our final night in Chicago, but with so much packing to do, and extremely tired legs, we opted for a meal local to our accommodation, somewhere we could go by taxi. We chose the Italian: Bacchanalia at 2413 South Oakley Avenue. It's the kind of restaurant where you should expect to wait up to an hour for your main course, but it will be worth it, and besides, they bring you all sorts of breads and starters. The staff were lovely and attentive and it had a nice atmosphere. You weren't in the city, you were out in the Tuscan mountains.
http://www.bacchanaliainchicago.com/home2.html
http://www.bacchanaliainchicago.com/home2.html
Chicken Vesuvio.
Well, thank you Chicago. What a fabulous city. Four days was never going to cut it, but with only two weeks holiday and a schedule including three more US states and a few days in Canada, four days was more than enough to leave us wanting more. A walking City. An architectural City. A musical City. A City of art and sculpture. A friendly City, much smaller than some, but with a huge heart. Oh, and a food City. Take your appetites, you will need them!
Well that's all from Chicago, except to pick up the hire car, and so join me next time when the Sarky Traveller heads North to Milwaukee in search of the ultimate Harley, the Bronze Fonz and a jog along the Lake.
Thanks for reading.
Keep travelling.
The Sarky Traveller.
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