Oh What A Beautiful Morning, Oh What A Beautiful Day.
Greetings, all!
My birthday was a few days ago and all that means is I officially made a successfull journey around the sun with my limbs and breath intact. Huge shout out to planet Earth for having me onboard as it spins through the cosmos.
I had a great day, thank you for asking!
My wonderful partner treated me to a weekend full of tourist like delights which was quite a lot of fun given that I spend so much of my time engaged in the daily hustle and bustle of Chicago. It was nice to see this city I’ve lived in for nearly 2 years from different vantage points. Look, there’s pictures!
We checked into the historic and iconic Ohio House Motel. Right away I was greeted with a smile.
If you’re looking for a simple, clean place to stay that won’t break the bank, I highly recommend Ohio House Motel.
After an early breakfast, my partner and I headed to 360 Chicago, an observatory deck located in the John Hancock building. Here, we observed the city from the 94th floor. It was quite special to see the sprawl of the city from on high. I was able to identify a few buildings, including the United Center and I felt like a right ol’ explorer!
Views From The Lake.
My wonderful partner purchased GO CITY ACCESS PASSES which gave us the ability to try out different attractions. I picked the Architecture Boat Tour and was not disappointed! Our guide, Darren with Sea Dog Company, was fun, knowledgable and genuinely cared about the city and it's awe inspiring buildings. I definitely learned a lot of cool facts about skyscrapers and structures which I've seen a hundred times but perhaps, taken for granted.
Marina City AKA The Corn Cob Towers. Designed by Bertrand Goldberg, who wished to show that buildings can be both functional and artistic.
There were dozens of other buildings that were magnificent in stature but also had fascinating back stories. Alas, I was quite immersed in the experience and didn’t take pictures of all of them. I’ll never look at those buildings though and not think of the lore behind them. Definitely a highlight of my day.
After the architecture tour, we sped across parts of the lake in a speedboat and those of us who listened to the tour guide and sat closer up front had a wonderful, mostly dry experience. One family who opted to sit in the back row of the boat despite there being plenty of space upfront got absolutely soaked and their youngest child did NOT have a good time. Oh well.
On the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier, we spotted the James J. Versluis - a tugboat owned and operated by the Chicago Water Department and named after the former director of the department. She's a good, old girl, having been built in 1957 and still hard at work. Some may learn from her work ethic...
With our handy Go City Pass ( I HIGHLY recommend this by the way!) I had my pick of activities to do. Still at Navy Pier, I decided I wanted to get on the drop tower. I was tall enough but unfortunately for a young girl eager to get on, she wasn’t. I skipped past her as her no good father asked the ride attendants if they’d “make an exception” and let her on even though she was two inches short. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t take it well if they did make an exception and his child went flying out the ride. Absolutely insane!
I got strapped in as did my partner and seconds later, we were shot off the ground and into the open air. Nothing could have prepared me! As my feet dangled and kicked, hoping to feel solid ground, all I could think in my head is “WHAT THE FUCK WAS I THINKING?!” The drop was just as terrifying but I resigned myself to the ride and focused on breathing. It was all I could do. There honestly was something kind of spiritual about not being in control, realizing that I wasn’t in control and just hanging on for dear life and breathing. That was literally all I could do.
And you know what…I’D DO IT AGAIN!
Having had my fill of Navy Pier, we went to Adler Planetarium where we watched an immersive projected display called NIYAH AND THE MUTLIVERSE. While children were the target audience, I’m sure, I enjoyed the half hour show overall.
We capped the trip to the planetarium by walking around the main exhibits and learning about our planetary neighbors in the solar system.
We went back to our little motel and rested after a morning and afternoon packed with fun and sun before dressing up for dinner later that evening. We walked a short ten minutes to the restaurant. That’s another huge advantage of staying at the Ohio House Motel; it’s location places you in walking distance of many landmarks, bars, eateries and nooks.
I was treated to dinner at an iconic Chicago staple, Bavette’s where I once again, neglected to take many pictures as I was more focused on being present. I have no regrets!
Overall, I had a fantastic time doing all the typical tourist stuff. We even went to see the Bean AKA Cloud Gate (as its maker would rather have it known!) I know some may scoff at such things- it's not "cool" or "original" and blah blah blah. That's fair. I certainly don't need to see the Bean again anytime soon. But it was a nice change of pace to see the city with fresh eyes. It is a beautiful city with a rich and vibrant history.
I'm not too cool to marvel and be in awe. I had such a lovely birthday in the city of Chicago and guess what, all the non-tourist things I usually do are still right there, waiting for me on the other side of this.
