Chicago – Don't You Wanna Go

I took my act on the road last week to the Windy City… Chicago.  The trip was part business, part pleasure.  Flew into O’Hare, which is a bit of pain because I couldn’t get a nonstop flight from LA to Chicago Midway for the dates I needed.  On the plus side, I did get to fly Jet Blue, which was extremely comfortable.  I got the cheapest thing I could from Hertz to drive around in, it was a torqueless Chevy Cobalt sedan.  In its defense it was easy to find spaces for parallel parking.

When I arrived the city was buzzing about three big local news stories:

• Jay Cutler’s trade from the Denver Broncos to The Bears.

• Former Governor Rod Blagojevich indictment

• The city’s 2016 Olympic bid

The stories were pretty much in that order in print and on TV.  The idea of the Chicago Bears with a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback boggles the mind, with the run oriented offensives they’ve had over the years. I wish Jay Cutler well, considering the way that he sulked his way out of Denver.  At this point he’s won just as many games as I have as a Bear…zero.  Blagojevich– are we surprised by anything in this case?  I think not.  Anyhow, I broke with tradition and got the required deep dish pizza at a place called Giordano’s at Prudential Plaza instead of Gino’s.  I loved the sign in the restaurant.

Went to the Museum of Science & Industry, which I hadn’t been to in at least twenty-five years.  Even now being able to go into a coal mine, see a captured WWII Nazi submarine, walk in a Boeing 727, and see an RAF Spitfire all in one afternoon is really cool.  The general admission ticket of $13 is well worth it.

I wanted to go onboard the sub, but the $6 extra tours had sold out earlier.  Back in the 1980s the submarine was parked outside the museum, now its got its own exhibit hall with video and artifacts from its capture.  Almost forgot the Galaxy Dress, 24,000 LED lights in a special fabric that create the largest wearable display in the world.  Frankly, it looks like something out of Star Trek.

Later in the trip I was working my way up Michigan Ave with the wind howling in search of some of the city’s other landmarks, I got to see the couple from American Gothic.