Chicago has always been an excellent place for short visits. Whether visiting friends, relatives, football games, or others – Chicago offers many New York experiences, but with a mid-western flair.
This trip was no different. The concept of the trip was to explore the beautiful town of Evanston, Illinois on Lake Michigan, and the home of Northwestern University. The scenery of Evanston and the university was wonderful, and the architecture of the buildings and homes was very impressive.
Driving down Sheridan Road towards the City of Chicago was equally impressive, viewing the dazzling scenery of Lake Michigan and its shoreline. There is nothing like driving down Lake Shore Drive and seeing the massive number of buildings that make Chicago the huge city that it is. We stayed at the Sheraton Grand on Water Street and on the Chicago River, and this was the only disappointing aspect of the trip.
Normally an excellent stay, this hotel has been crippled by COVID and was virtually shut down with very few guests and very limited hotel operations. Again, there is nothing like walking down Chicago’s 5th Avenue, Michigan Avenue and feeling the city’s elegance. The walk on the Chicago River and the view of the buildings are equally dramatic. If you get a chance, visitors need to experience Chicago’s deep-dish pizza at Giordano’s, dinner at Volare, and breakfast at Lou Mitchells. Depending on the season, visitors love the general boat tours on the lakefront, Chicago River, and the Chicago River Architectural Cruises.
A couple of weeks later, several Delta Agents were able to enjoy one of America’s Best Christmas Markets — the Chicago Christmas Market at Daley Plaza. This Christmas Market was just the right size so that the visitor would not be overwhelmed, but able to slowly enjoy the market and the people visiting. The secret to visiting Chicago is, to begin with, the CTA Blue Line Subway from O’Hare Airport to the downtown. The trip is 45 minutes and the best way to beat Chicago’s massive traffic.
The joke in Chicago is that it could take you longer to go from O’Hare to downtown Chicago, than from LaGuardia to O’Hare.
The Delta agents stayed at the Residence Inn-Chicago Downtown/Loop which was not only very close to the CTA Station from the airport, Washington Street, but also very close to the Christmas Market at Daley Plaza. All in all, Chicago is a terrific place for a short-term visit and all of us felt confidently safe.
