No Chicago Blues
Jet lag ensures our first full day in the US starts really early but the sun is already shining at 7am so we can’t complain too much. We had a day of leisure planned in Chicago before picking up the car tomorrow and so we start by getting a bus up to the Streeterville district to take a river tour around Chicago that highlighted the diversity of the architecture of the city.
After the tour we took a stroll along the Magnificent Mile, the shopping district with high end stores such as Tiffanys and Cartier, but the only thing we bought was a SIM card for my phone to stop us running up a huge bill while we’re here.
Lunch was spent at Lou Mitchell’s, a famous Route 66 hang out situated near the starting point, and then we walked off the calories with a walk back up to the river to take a look at the stones inserted into the Tribune building. These are pieces of buildings from around the world that have been incorporated into the structure, including the Panthenon, Houses of Parliament and Pyramids at Giza.
After a look around the Millennium Park we went up to the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower for some spectacular views across Chicago and Illinois. You can see for around 50 miles in all directions but the big draw are the Sky Decks. These are glass boxes that extend a few feet outside the building giving you the chance to look straight down those 103 floors, not for the faint hearted!
In the evening we popped into a local blues bar for a bit of music and beer before heading back to the hotel to pack so we can leave early in the morning to pick up our car and hit Route 66.
