24 Hours in Chicago

I just visited Chicago for the first time, and I really loved it! It has beautiful architecture, great food, friendly people, and it's both drivable and walkable, depending on your needs.

​Here's how I spent twenty-four hours there. By the way, it was a beautiful August day, with unusually mild weather. I hear it can get quite steamy, windy, icy, sticky, slick, sultry, cold, or hot. Check the local weather before you go.

Stay downtown. Chicago is pretty spread out, so if you only have a short time, pay the money and stay close to the action. We stayed at the Doubletree, with a deal I found on hotels.com. It’s a nice hotel with a rooftop pool, restaurant, bar, and paid parking.

Eat at Giordano’s. You can get some serious deep dish pizza, a salad, and drinks, for a reasonable price. The waitress brought my teenager free Shirley Temples. Everybody wins!

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​Get up and walk the Magnificent Mile before it gets too hot and the crowds take over. It’s like your hometown main street, all grown up.

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​Walk to Millennium Park. You'll see the Bean, pictured above, which is a stunning piece of art. I don't know why. It's a big, shiny bean, and it makes you feel like life is full of pleasant surprises. Again, I don't know why. That’s just Art, doing its job.

There are fountains, paths, trees. It's a lovely place!

Go to the Chicago Institute of Art. Get the early admission ticket so you don't have to wait in line. It costs extra, but the museum is fabulous and climate-controlled, so get inside quick. Look up your favorite artworks in the guide and see those first, noticing the building’s architecture as you go.

I saw the Impressionists first, then found Georgia O’Keefe. Then I wandered around. ​

There was a terrific exhibit with photographs by Gordon Parks and text from Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. They collaborated on two projects in 1948 and 1952, but this is the first time the works have been displayed. It was quite moving, seeing such beautiful images of Harlem and reading the quotes. However, it also made me sad, because we are still struggling with the same issues today. When will we ever learn how to treat each other kindly? I was trying to give everybody respect before I saw the exhibit, but you can bet I'm thinking more about it now that I’ve seen it. Again, art doing its job.

We had a quick lunch at the Navy Pier, knowing we'd have a big dinner later.

Take the Shoreline Sightseeing Architecture Boat Tour! Why? First of all, I love a good boat tour. There's just something relaxing about being on the water, away from crowds, looking at the beautiful city scape. Second, this is a really good tour. It covers mainly architecture, but that clues you in on the history and culture of the place.

Fun fact: when Chicago realized she’d polluted the river which was polluting her drinking water in Lake Michigan, she REVERSED THE RIVER so that it flowed somewhere else. Ta-da! Clean drinking water! (Sorry about the mess, St. Louis.)

If you don't care about architecture or history, there's a full bar on the boat. To each his own.

After the tour, walk along Lakeshore Drive. Fresh air, sunshine, plenty of photo ops. Maybe get a cool drink.

We had dinner at Minghin Chinese Restaurant. It's downtown, delicious, and climate-controlled.

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We tried to look at President Obama’s house on the way out of town, but his street is blocked to non-residents. Nice neighborhood!

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We left Chicago and drove to Toledo, en route to New York. You don't have to do that. But we did. If you do, get a fistful of cash for the toll roads! The roads are as bumpy as any highway, but the Travel Plazas are to-die-for. Clean restrooms, fast food, gas. Everything you want in a stretch-your-legs stop.

Nice meeting you, Chicago! I’ll be back!

What would you do with 24 hours in Chicago? Favorite restaurant? Shopping? Concert? Sporting event? Let me hear from you!