Frozen Tourism

I am currently sitting in the lounge area of a hostel in Chicago! (Although, by the time you read this I will have moved on because the free internet isn’t working and I had to write my post in a Word document before finding a place with real wifi in order to put it up online. K ) Anyway, this hostel experience has been quite exciting! I feel very European… but also very American at the same time.  It’s a strange mix of an identity crisis.  When we checked in we were given a key card like the ones you get at a hotel and we had to swipe it to get to the elevators and into our room.  The room had 10 beds and most of them were filled (girls only) by the end of our stay.  I ended up with the top bunk and Danielle got the bottom bunk.  The bathroom was right across the hall from us.  I was impressed with everything we got for the small price we paid!  Security is really good and the free sheets, towels, and breakfast were great as well.  Also, the staff was extremely nice and helpful.  I think we will look for hostels in other cities as well since our first experience was so positive.

Anyway, I’m getting a little ahead of myself.  Danielle and I packed up our rental car yesterday (Sunday) morning and happily left the -16* temps behind for a balmy 14* in Chicago! The roads were bad through Indiana and then into Illinois where it started snowing heavily.  Visibility was terrible for the last part of our drive but with Danielle’s help navigating we made it to Chicago and found our hostel. 

After we settled in we decided to bundle up and brave the snow and cold to go do the tourist thing around town.  With some advice from the front desk, recommendations from the Mindell's (our last stop in MI), and a good map, we set off in search of some classic local destinations.  Our first stop was Grant Park -  literally only 2 blocks from where we were staying!  Buckingham Fountain was not working but it and the surrounding park were gorgeous anyway covered in freshly fallen snow.  When we looked up from watching our feet so we wouldn't slip and fall, we were rewarded with a view of Lake Michigan that was quite beautiful despite the weather.  From there we went in search of the Cloud Gate sculpture (also known as the Chicago Bean).  That, also, was covered in snow! But we took some good pictures and ventured underneath which provided some shelter from the wind and a surprising optical illusion that we enjoyed trying to figure out.  By then we were frozen… literally! Starbucks was nearby and offered a brief reprieve from the cold while we planned our next move.

For a while we debated between the John Hancock tower and the Skydeck Chicago/Sears tower.  Skydeck won out mostly because of the shorter walk but we definitely made the right choice!  The view at the top was spectacular at night with all the city lights turned on!  I enjoyed learning the history of the tower.  The height was a little daunting, though.  It is 103 stories tall.  Taller than most everything else in the world except, maybe, the new Freedom Tower in NYC! 

After our climb to the top of the city we were quite hungry! So Danielle and I walked to Gino’s East for some deep dish pizza.  It was totally worth it!  That pizza was some of the best I've ever had.  Last night I also had the honor of buying Danielle her first cocktail!  I had been meaning to do so ever since she turned 21 but it never worked out until now.  What a special way to celebrate our visit to the official Eastern terminus of Route 66!!  Today we leave the city and begin our trek west.  We don’t know where we will stop next…….