We had breakfast at Hannah’s new favourite place. It’s called Caffe Cafe, and does free wi-fi, fair trade coffee and (best of all) it’s cheap. After that we met Dwain, our greeter, and strode off into central Chicago.
The greeter programme is manned by local volunteers who take visitors around the city and show them anything and everything they want to see. We didn’t really know what we wanted, so opted for an architecture/history type walking tour. You also get 24 hours of free public transport, but we’re saving that to get back to the train station tomorrow.
Dwain took us around the Loop, the central business district, and chatted about Chicago historically and today. The city was founded by two Frenchmen, one a clergyman who was looking for souls and the other a businessman who was looking for furs. It has enjoyed massive immigrations from every corner of the world and feels more integrated even than New York. Today was “Pulaski Day”, a state holiday commemorating a Pole who helped in the civil war (the city’s Polish population has quite a bit of political clout).
The city’s current mayor is hugely popular, and has been trying to model Chicago after Paris’s public spaces. We also got to go into several skyscrapers, and whereas European grand architecture tends to be in religious buildings in America it’s all in the business ones (“our religion”, Dwain observed). Lobbies and lifts are chock-a-block with art deco designs, mosaics, murals etc. etc. The best bit was the Methodist skyscraper – the top is a church, the next two storeys the pastor’s penthouse. Perhaps my father-in-law would consider converting...?
Dwain (I just love that name so much) left us outside Giordano’s pizza. It’s a Chicago classic. Instead of a stuffed crust, it’s an entire stuffed pizza: a layer of dough, a layer of cheese, another layer of dough and then the topping. After lunch we and our stomachs sauntered back to the hotel via the Freedom Museum, which is all about some declaration of independence that the American’s made against the British. I’d never heard of it. There was, however, some interesting info there: it isn’t illegal to burn an American flag as long as you own it and you aren’t in violation of any fire restrictions, for example.
A short breather at our hotel and we were at the top of the John Hancock Building. He had some part in this independence rubbish too, but more importantly there’s a cocktail bar on the 96th floor. It’s $10.95 to go to the observatory on the 97th floor and only $11 per cocktail on the 96th. Which do you think is the best deal?
A Frozen Blue Martini and a Rush Hour later we descended to the Apple Store where “Clinic”, a band from Liverpool, were giving their only Chicago performance. They’ll probably have to pay to play next time. We left after five minutes to buy some takeaway cheesecake and they’d managed to empty the store when we passed again.
My Craig’s Crazy Carrot Cake Cheesecake awaits me. We’re off tomorrow but could easily spend four weeks here. Chicago is a city that exists for its residents. One day a month, for instance, all the museums and galleries have a free admission day. The city has the largest central library in the US, endless sculptures and many public spaces constructed and funded by it’s alumni. Barack Obama who (please America!) will be the next US president is a senator here.
What was just a convenient stop on our way to LA has become my favourite bit so far. Kansas has a lot to live up to.
Hannah and Dwain look up during our greeter tour
The Methodist skyscraper
This skyscraper is made out of stainless steel - a giant advert for the steel company that built it.
Interesting sculpture in the Freedom Museum
David proudly displays his own personalised bill of rights, which includes the right to eat marzipan without distraction.
Chicago from the John Hancock Building.
Hannah drinks a cocktail above the city.
Clinic play the Apple store. Their gimmick is that they all wear surgical masks. Gags might have been more useful.
Hannah is unimpressed by the performance.
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