A Brit hits the Windy City - the 2006 Igougo get-together

Chicago – for the average Brit whose only images of the city are from movies, the name conjures up celluloid visions of gangsters, prohibition, Elliott Ness, baseball, the elevated railway rattling down the streets, smoky blues clubs, cars the size of trucks and overall, a heaving metropolis overflowing with people only intent on rushing to their destination in as quickly a time as possible.

When Chicago was announced as the venue for this year’s get-together I knew that I had to go at all costs. To visit the town where many of my musical heroes originated was not an opportunity to miss. That and of course the chance to meet my American friends and just maybe, to establish whether the images I held were in fact anything remotely like the reality.

This section of my overview is supposed to detail the highlights of the trip. My goodness, where do I start? The entire five days were a delight and to separate individual parts would be nigh on impossible but I’ll try anyway.

Lets start with the people – friendly, polite and courteous. A real eye-opener for an out-of-towner who didn’t quite know what to expect. One syllable of Brit-accented English always did the trick but everyone was just as pleasant when we travelled as a group. The city transportation system – cheap, reliable, efficient, and clean, the ideal way to get around with the minimum of fuss. Oh yes, how could I forget the weather? – five days of wall-to-wall sunshine in October, wow, I must be hallucinating. The UK might have a sunny day or two in October but it’s usually somewhat cold.

Now to the events themselves……

The Sears Tower Skydeck – a view of the city from 103 storeys is simply mind-blowing and words cannot convey the experience. The Field Museum – a beautiful building holding 20 million artifacts from around the globe, you’d need a week to see everything for sure. The architectural river trip was superb, with our highly knowledgeable guide detailing the history of every gigantic structure on the hour-long ride. Strolling along the wide streets and boulevards in the bottom of a man-made steel and concrete gorge never much less than 500 feet deep……I could go on and on enthusing about this town. Tony, Dan, Cameron, Eve – lets make this our regular get-together venue please!

Quick Tips:

For a Brit availing himself of a .84 exchange rate, Chicago is inexpensive compared to other cities I’ve travelled to. Oak Park as a base initially appeared to be somewhat remote from the main events but the "El" stopped just a few blocks down the road and with the expert local knowledge of Carole (cls223), we used this daily to travel into the city. At .75 for a single trip it represented exceptional value-for-money and the Green Line trains we used were clean and usually on time.

I would certainly hesitate to use the "El" much after 6pm but cabs are the logical alternative and again, these are cheap by UK standards although a couple of the drivers we had could certainly have done with removing the lead boots from their right feet.

One aspect that will strike a Brit upon visiting Chicago is the huge portions of food that are served everywhere so tread warily if you actually believe that you can wade your way through a multiple-course meal. Most streets have a coffee shop or bakery and I found that a pastry (standard size = huge) and a hot drink were ample to last from breakfast-time till mid-afternoon.

For a Brit living in rural Wiltshire visiting such a large city I have to say that I never felt intimidated or threatened in any way. Yes, I know, the news channels tell us there are more homicides in Chicago in a year than there are in the entire UK but other than avoiding the "El" in the evenings, personal safety was never an issue for me.

Best tip of all? – without a doubt, invest in a good guide book and city street plan. There is literally so much to do and see here that you will need to prioritise especially if you have just a few days. Decide what you want to see and stick to it. OK – the Sears Skydeck is probably the tourist trap in town but it deserves its "must-see" status and is large enough that the crowds aren’t really an issue anyway.

Tipping is an emotive subject bearing in mind that us Brits only tip waitresses and cabbies. Around 15% seems to be the normal here plus your barman expects a dollar or so with each round of drinks. Also remember that just about everything you buy will have sales tax added.

Best Way To Get Around:

I flew from Heathrow to O’Hare via British Airways on an e-ticket booked in August. The actual cost for the return trip was £263 but with taxes and fees this bought the price to a still reasonable £410 (). The hotel in Oak Park was good value for money with my share of the cost coming out to just for five nights’ stay, cheaper than most British B&B’s.

The flight time over was just short of eight hours but BA’s World Traveller seats provide decent legroom, are very comfortable, and also have their all-singing all-dancing entertainment system that features films, videos, radio and a selection of contemporary music CD’s.

I travelled from O’Hare to Oak Park by the Blue/Village Cab Co (708-583-6900), the ride taking around 25 minutes with the fare pre-set at , great value indeed. The cab had been very kindly pre-booked for me by Carole and within five minutes of me giving them a call to say I was ready, they turned up to whisk me away. This cab company only operates out of Oak Park. They will take you anywhere in the city from there but will only make return trips to Oak Park and none of the other suburban areas.

Oak Park sits close to both Green and Blue "El" lines as well as the Metra, the suburban rail system so getting into the city was always easy, quick and inexpensive. The Green Line "El" and Metra station is found at the junction of Oak Park Ave and South Boulevard. It’s 13 stops via the "El" to State and Lake, the downtown transfer station that we used the most. Here you can transfer to Brown, Purple, Orange and Red Lines at no charge. The Metra takes the Union Pacific/West Line in from Elburn and after picking up in Oak Park, stops just once before the Loop. A cab to the Loop worked out at around but coming back anytime after 3.30pm will inevitably lead to serious hold-ups on the I-290 Eisenhower Expressway so be warned.

A 7-day pass for the "El" works out at a highly inexpensive and can also be used on the city’s bus network. You can also buy a travelcard that will hold up to . The fare is automatically deducted when you pass through the turnstiles and the cards can be topped up at every station.

An eagerly anticipated night out for us all was the chance to dine at this wonderful restaurant situated in the Greektown area of the city. After having spent a fair amount of time during Saturday exploring the Field Museum, and then spending a couple of hours walking in the Loop to see Macy’s and the wonderful Savvy Traveller bookshop, a relaxing evening was definitely required. Initially, Carole, Fleance, Iz, Al, Dianne and Dawn met outside at the prearranged time and just as we had been ushered to our table, we were joined by Arlene and Mark.

It was certainly a pleasure to meet Dawn, one of the Igo originals. We spent some time discussing our travel backgrounds and it was interesting to note that Greece was a place that was on her "hit" list. We therefore spent some time talking about some of the Greek islands I had been fortunate enough to visit over the years including Crete, Kos and Rhodes, and the respective delights of those sun-drenched destinations.

One or two of the assembled guests had not eaten Greek before, so a selection of appetizers was ordered including stuffed vine leaves, taramosalata and utterly delicious lightly fried squid. A dry house red was chosen from the list to complement the food. The appetizers were soon all gone and everyone pronounced them to be superb. More wine was ordered and arrived swiftly at the table. Now for the main course…

Although one of the simpler dishes on the menu, chicken souvlaki has always been a favourite of mine. Here, it was served as it should be; no chips, no rice, and no piles of overcooked vegetables, just several large pieces of charcoal-grilled chicken on a skewer with pieces of onions, peppers, and sauté potatoes. It was truly excellent and along with my fellow diners, most of the main course disappeared within 30 minutes, washed down with even more wine.

The ambience of this restaurant was wonderful with lively conversation, traditional background music and polite and attentive waiting staff. At least twice during the meal, the head-waiter came to the table to ask if everything was alright, which of course it was.

After an hour and a half, most folk had declared that they were replete and the dessert menu was politely declined. My share of the bill including the tip came to $40 (£22) which, when you consider the quality of the food, the size of the portions, the atmosphere, and the serious amount of wine that had been consumed, I thought to be great value.

It had been a truly wonderful dining experience and with the opportunity to engage several of the guides in conversation about all things travel related, it was a great evening out.

The Venus Greek-Cypriot Restaurant is to be found at 820 Jackson Boulevard. Tel. (312) 714-1001. To get there take the Blue Line train west from the Loop and alight at the UIC-Halsted stop, then walk about three blocks.

Having hugely enjoyed the boat trip along the Chicago River, we decided to have a quick look at Navy Pier and then find somewhere decent for lunch. It is situated at the end of E. Grand Ave and is the city’s top tourist attraction, having started life in 1916 as Municipal Pier #2. It was acquired by the US Navy shortly after and renamed in 1927. This vast area was used for both military and civilian purposes until it was totally renovated in the '70s before taking on its role as a pleasure attraction in 1995. We didn’t have too much time, as we needed to be at the Sears Tower by 2:30pm, so we decided to eat first.

Walking along the main walkway into the Pier, we spied Charlie’s Ale House on out left. Al, Mark, and I were gagging for a beer, and this seemed to fit the bill seeing, as they also had an extensive menu and the place was packed with happy-looking diners. We elected to eat inside, and two tables were found for us close to the bar. Drinks were ordered and I availed myself of an excellent "Sam Adams," probably the nearest I found to a premium British ale. This was served cool enough to be refreshing, but not that cold to detract from the taste.

Menus appeared, and seeing as I had yet to enjoy a real American beef-burger, I opted for the "Charlie’s Special," a half-pound chunk of dead cow served with a bucket full of fries and a large bowl of coleslaw. The other diners made their choices, and within 10 minutes, the food was deposited in front of us. Although I don’t tend to eat much that would be considered "junk food" in the UK, I have to say the burger was delicious, although I stood no chance of finishing the fries or slaw.

One peculiarity of Charlie’s is that the place is decked out "cobweb" fashion, courtesy of what appeared to be reams and reams of cotton wool strands stretched between door frames and hanging from just about every surface in the place. I have no idea as to the significance of this, although I wouldn’t like any of it to fall into my lunch or beer.

Conversation over lunch was relatively quiet, so I took this as a good indicator that the food was hitting the right spots. The service was quick and polite, as it was everywhere, and my bill for two beers and the burger came to around $16.

Leaving the Ale House, we had a few minutes to spare, so we ventured partway into the Park to see the 148-foot-tall Ferris wheel and the car that was dredged out of the lake containing two honeymooners back in the '50s. Unfortunately, constraints of time only allowed us this short exploration of the pier, giving me the perfect excuse to return one day to see all that is on offer.

This large sports bar is to be found on 1059 W. Addison St. and was to be the venue for the traditional opening evening of the 2006 get-together. It sits just across the road from Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs and the interior walls are festooned with sporting paraphernalia and huge TV screens enabling you to drink and watch the game all at once.

Carole, Dianne, and I arrived a little after 7pm and were pleased to find several distinguished guides already in attendance including locals Bill (billmoy) and Cheryl (Sierra). The IgoUgo team were all there and it was good to meet Tony, Cia, and Cameron again as well as Eve, Dan, and the others who’d worked so hard to organise this event.

People were a little slow to arrive and Tony finally took centre stage a little later than anticipated at around 8pm to welcome one-and-all to the gathering. With the state-of-play of IgoUgo being the major topic on everyone’s lips, he also brought us all up-to-date with the situation, not least of all the fact that Travelocity are now the owners of Igougo and the corresponding impact that the acquisition could have for everyone here, most of it by all accounts good!

Tony wrapped up his talk after which I had the pleasure of relating my favourite travel memory to the thronging crowds, swiftly followed by zabelle and Sierra. Now it was time for the food and a chance to get to know one another better as we all guzzled bottles of Bud from the open bar.

I’d met Iz and Al in Devizes last January and was so pleased to see them again. Other firm friends were also here, namely Carole (cls223), Brenda (artsnletters), Kay (Idler), Lorrie (lcampbell), Natalie (nmgann), Dianne (Wildcat Dianne), Fleance (lashr1999), Bill (billmoy), Ed (Ed Hahn), and Arlene (travelprone), as distinguished a line up of top contributors as you could wish for.

Of course, as at London last year, "virtual" pals we might have been but there was certainly no ice-breaking required and we soon split into smaller groups with "where’s the next trip to" of course being pretty much the sole topic of conversation.

Well, the time flew by and pretty soon the big hand was on the nine and it was time to depart. The three of us cabbed it back to Oak Park, full of eager anticipation for the feast of great events lined up for the next few days, whilst I, having had a 30-hour day due to Chicago being 6-hours behind the UK, was feeling like I could sleep forever.

The House of Blues is one of the premier clubs in Chicago although all genres of music are catered for here including jazz, rock, and of course blues. It is part of the Marina City complex and is found at 329 N. Dearborn St. Seven of us had tickets to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and had arranged to convene at 6pm to dine prior to seeing the show.

Brenda, Kay, Arlene, Mark, Fleance, and Lorrie were my dining companions so we took our seats, ordered a beer, and perused the extensive menu. I eventually opted for the jambalaya and this arrived at the table within ten minutes, not bad considering how busy the place was. The portion was enormous and although I wouldn’t dream of leaving shrimps, sausage, ham or chicken, I did have to leave a mountain of rice that there simply was no room for. The total bill for my food and two large Sam Adams’ was around $25 which I thought to be very good value (Kay, I still owe you for that too...)

Now, one of the main reasons for dining here is that, according to the club website, diners get preferred entry into the concert hall before the people who’ve just come for the music, thus availing themselves of the best seats or standing areas. Not quite so in reality; we entered the hall via security that would grace Heathrow Airport to find every single barstool or chair had a "reserved" sign on it. So what was the point of dining here then? Lorrie had a sore foot and parked herself upon a stool only to face the wrath of a security guard within ten seconds who told her to move. Lorrie replied that she’d be happy to move once the seat’s "owner" turned up, but this fell on deaf ears and she was asked to vacate the stool immediately.

The bar inside the concert hall was extortionately expensive, $6.50 for a small beer in a plastic glass. On principle, I didn’t buy one but just had a Pepsi (that was expensive, too). A couple of the ladies went to check their coats and were staggered to be charged $5. Arlene was also asked to check her camera and was charged $2 for the privilege. Talk about a rip off!!

Soon, the "warm up" act took the stage and quite frankly, I wish she hadn’t bothered. Some daft bint with delusions of grandeur trying to sound like John Lee Hooker didn’t do much for me I have to say and the song that included those immortal words "scratch my kitty" was quite frankly awful.

GET OFF!!

At least BBVD made up for it with his wonderful blend of blues, jazz, and swing, and he soon had the place hopping. The House of Blues has great acoustics and although it is a reasonably large venue, it does retain the atmosphere of a small club. It’s just a shame about the rip-off attitude of the management...

Carole had enthused about this joint, affectionately referred to by her as the "dive bar", whilst we were dining at the Venus and suggested we pay a visit for a few beers after eating. This sounded like a good idea, especially as the place was just a few minutes walk away.

The entrance was lit up by an orange neon sign and my first impression was "this looks like my type of place". The interior was dark and smoky with a U-shaped bar surrounded by tall stools, and several wall-mounted tables down either side, also equipped with stools. The beer "menu" was extensive by UK standards and as well as the standard fare, there were several continental ales on offer. The waitress was very polite and took our order which materialised within a couple of minutes, just the bottles, caps off, exactly how it should be without a glass in sight.

As with everywhere else we’d been, the beer was ice cold, seemingly a pre-requisite in the States but rarely found in the UK where in most places "luke-warm" suffices for "cold". The beers slipped down a treat, with the joint rapidly filling up.

The area immediately in front of the window was set up with drums, keyboards and two propped up guitars, one a Gibson lead, the other a Fender five-string bass. With just the barest of introductions from the barman, the "Chicago Blues Rebellion" launched into a supercharged Buddy Guy-type number which had feet tapping and hands playing table-top drums within ten seconds flat. These guys could really play, with the lead guitarist making forays into the darkest recesses of the bar area, eye-closed in musical ecstasy as he plucked his 6-strings in a fashion very reminiscent of the late, great Albert Collins, one of my blues heroes. In true 12-bar blues style, each vocal verse was followed by an instrumental solo, with the lead guitar, bass and keyboards swapping licks in a way that made it look so easy. The drummer was no slouch either, and used every drum and cymbal on his kit to maximum effect on every fill-in.

More beers were heading south and what with the atmosphere in this place and the wonderful music that was right up my street, the alcohol started to have the desired effect, particularly considering the amount of wine that had gone down during our meal at the Venus.

The band continued for another 30-minutes or so before halting for a break, well-deserved judging by the perspiration that was coursing down the guitarist’s face.

We had another beer or two before somewhat reluctantly deciding to bid farewell to the Spectrum, and head for the next "dive", just along the street. This place rocks, the beer was great, music superb, and you could have eaten your lunch from the washroom floors, such was the cleanliness throughout the bar. Do yourself a favour and check this place out.

The Spectrum sits at 233 S. Halsted Street, telephone (312) 715-0770

At 1554 feet tall, the Sears Tower is currently the tallest structure in the USA. It sits in S. Wacker Drive, on the South Branch of the Chicago River, between Adams and Jackson and was for me, one of the highlights of this wonderful trip. Overshadowing everything in its vicinity, this huge, black but graceful monolith reaches for the sky with its simple, no-nonsense style of architecture in stark contrast to some of its fussier, but none-the-less beautiful neighbours.

The entrance to the Skydeck is clearly signed and the IgoUgo team have arranged for our ascent to be at 2.30pm. Unfortunately, due to the water taxi service from Navy Pier to the Tower having finished at the end of September, and with no-one having had the thought to take the timetable down from the taxi office, we are forced to walk and several of us miss our slot by almost 30 minutes. No problem though, we could simply join the queue and go up under our own steam.

The queue is quite long and it takes a while for us to shuffle towards the high-speed elevators but at last we’re next in line. The doors close behind us and we’re off! Wow! – this thing moves; 103 floors in 55 seconds with ears popping all around, probably the nearest thing to being strapped into an F-15. The car eases to a halt, the doors open and there we are, on top of the world.

The central core of the building up here is decorated with various full colour displays of all that is great or famous about the city, from the architecture to the blues, from baseball to the roaring gangster days of the 20’s and 30’s. The viewing area is huge, providing an unsurpassed panoramic 360-degree vista of the city and outlying areas. It is so clear today that I can clearly see planes taking off at O’Hare some 20 miles to the northwest as well as freighters chugging across Lake Michigan that would normally be way beneath the horizon for me. It is simply breathtaking. North, east, south, and west, each compass point reveals another aerial shot of the city, the freeways, the wide boulevards, the river and the never-ending suburbs, it’s like a constantly changing three-dimensional map.

You are free to spend as much time up here as you wish. Telescopes are provided along all four viewing areas as well as interactive displays to tell you exactly where and what you are looking at from your lofty perch. It really is quite mind-blowing so I take as much time as I want, seeing as this is an experience that I will never forget.

The clock is moving towards 4pm and seeing as I have an appointment at the House of Blues at 6.15pm to dine with several of the other guides, I reluctantly have to curtail my activities and get back to Oak Park to change.

Having strolled the considerable distance along Grand Ave after having left the "El" I was certainly ready for this long-anticipated boat ride that would follow both branches of the Chicago River to highlight the amazing buildings that form the backdrop to the water. The boat was ready to go as we arrived and along with around 60 or 70 other people, we took our seats on the open-top deck.

The captain exercises a neat reverse turn and we start by looking to our right at the impressive Lake Point Tower, dating from 1968. At 645 feet, it was in its time the tallest apartment building in the world. Its three wings are spaced at a 120 degree angle to each other affording privacy for the residents. Almost immediately to the left is the unmistakable sheer face of the Aon Centre, dating from 1973, and to my mind, bearing a certain resemblance to the Twin Towers. At 1136 feet it was the city’s tallest building before the completion of the Sears Tower the following year.

Although somewhat set back from the river, the dark, looming presence of the John Hancock Centre is never out of sight on our right. This impressive structure takes third place behind the Aon Centre by just a few feet and dates to 1969. We continue down the river to the next building of note, this being the NBC Tower, a post-modern development that certainly owes its design to the Art Deco movement. Almost next-door is the amazing Chicago Tribune Tower, it’s top third more resembling a Gothic cathedral than a commercial building with its intricate but massive flying buttresses. The Tribune Tower sits at 464 feet tall and can certainly claim to be one of the most recognisable landmarks on the Chicagoan skyline.

The next building of real note has to be the Wrigley Building on our right. Its two towers date from 1922 and 1925 and it was the first in a series of landmarks at the end of the Magnificent Mile. It was based on the Giralda Tower of Seville Cathedral and was constructed in two sections, the southern building being some 30 storeys and the northern 21 storeys. Both sections are linked with elevated walkways on the 3rd and 14th floors. Almost opposite is the Jewellers Building at 35 E. Wacker Drive, completed in 1926. It holds the distinction of being the first commercial structure on Wacker Drive and originally housed many jewellery stores. It is said that during the Depression years, the domed top-floor housed a speakeasy where many of the local politicians went to secretly avail themselves of alcohol.

A little further downstream on the right is the IBM Building, at 695 feet the 14th tallest in the city and pretty much alongside are the truly amazing twin corn-cobs that are Marina City. Each of the two towers rise to 61 storeys with the first 15 on each tower being utilised as parking garages. The buildings are part of a complex that includes the famous House of Blues live music venue and the towers overtook Lake Point Tower as the tallest apartment building in the world upon their completion in 1967.

Now, to a true monster and I mean that literally, the enormous if not overly tall Merchandise Mart to our right, finished in 1931. It is second only to the Pentagon in floor area and was built for the Marshall Field Company as a showroom and administrative headquarters. This building is just colossal from any angle and today still houses over 600 showrooms, a two-storey shopping mall, a cooking school and a food court. Just across on the opposite bank is the fabulous 333 West Wacker, its curved front wall reflecting the bright sunlight on this beautiful morning provides a canvas for the buildings on the other side of the river.

At this point the boat turns right and continues along the North Branch of the river for five minutes or so although there isn’t much to note here. We u-turn, then head down the South Branch, past the Boeing World HQ Building to the daddy of them all, the mighty Sears Tower. The Tower sits immediately to the north of 311 South Wacker, whose shadow attempts to climb the face of the Sears but is never going to make it.

The Sears’ black facade looks stunning again the blue sky of this unseasonably warm October morning. It reaches for the sky in a proud and uncompromising way and is just awe inspiring. It is constructed with bronze tinted glass and stainless aluminium and was originally built for the Sears & Roebuck Company, being topped out in May 1973. It is formed with nine interlocking tubes in a 3x3 configuration. Two tubes stop at the 50th floor, two stop at the 66th, three stop at the 90th, leaving just two to make the final ascent to 108 storeys. The Sears Tower was the world’s tallest building prior to the opening of the Petronas Towers in 1996. Words fail to do it justice really….

The final building of note on our tour today is the Chicago Board of Trade Building that sits just to the southeast of the Sears Tower. It was finished in 1930 and was at this time the tallest building in Chicago at 605 feet, a title it held until 1965. The statue of Ceres on its roof makes it the tallest Art Deco building in the world outside of NYC.

With everything seen, and with cricks in our necks, the boat returns to the harbour side at Navy Pier. This is a stunning feast of architectural delight and I would recommend that anyone visiting the city makes this tour a priority.

For more info see www.shorelinesightseeing.com

Shoreline Sightseeing
474 N. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago,
IL60611
Tel. (312) 222-9328

After having rushed around at breakneck speed since Wednesday and feeling the need for something a bit less frenetic, Carole suggests that a ride out to Chinatown might be a good way to relax on this warm, sunny morning. We take the "El" from Oak Park to State & Lake where we switch to a Red Line train that drops us at Cermak-Chinatown. The station sits at a higher level than many others and from our vantage point, it’s clear that this is no ordinary Sunday for the inhabitants here.

As we descend from the "El" into the thronging crowds, it all falls into place. It’s October 8th, and as the huge banners tell us, it’s China’s National Day. Wow – what timing on our part!

Almost immediately we are being swept along on a tidal wave of locals, all very evidently intent on having a darn good time. We stop for 15 minutes or so to watch the incredible Jesse Wright Tumblers, more about them in their own entry. We walk beneath the green and red gate and wander down S. Wentworth Ave. to the sounds of banging drums and crashing cymbals, with ornate, colourful dragons weaving their way between the marchers and those photographers standing in the road to catch that special shot.

It’s a magical atmosphere and I have to say that I see very few "non-Chinese" faces. Everyone here, from the youngest child to the tiniest, wizened old ladies and gentlemen is hell-bent on enjoying themselves and don’t seem to care who knows it. I click away at the myriad signs that line both sides of the street advertising everything from Buddhist Temples to Dim Sum restaurants, it must be fantastic here after dark.

Carole tells me that she would like to eat and she steers us to the Evergreen Dim Sum restaurant where we take a table and order cold soft drinks as it’s so warm outside. We are the only "foreigners" in here, a good sign we reckon. Soon, a young girl wheels the cart to our table and we choose four of five of the dishes which are steaming hot and exceptionally tasty. I even manage to use the chopsticks without spilling it all down my front although we do ask for forks just in case. After 15 minutes or so we are replete, I ask for the bill and am amazed to see that this feast has cost us all of $11.50, great value indeed.

We return outside to the balmy sunshine and spend a while exploring some of the shops selling tea, herbs, spices, fruit, and vegetables, most of which I can’t even identify. We also stop for a while to look around a Buddhist bookshop and are greeted warmly by one of the monks. We have a quick look down one of the side streets and find a beautifully carved black statue of Confucious, perched upon what looks like a granite plinth. There’s no translation underneath and as my Chinese is non-existent, I have no idea as to what the wording says.

Just to the north of the main street here is Chinatown Square, divided into the old and newer areas and again, we wander around the busy little walkways that are lined with yet more restaurants and grocery stores. Rather surprisingly, there are also Thai and Vietnamese eateries here but most now seem to have dropped the blinds after the lunchtime rush. The main square is ringed with twelve statues that represent the various animals used by the Chinese to denote the years within their 12-year calendar cycle. It is without a doubt a magical place and we continue to wander at our leisure, taking in the sights, smells and sounds that pervade the warm air on what for me is becoming a wonderful day.

The Field Museum here in Chicago must rate as one of the planet’s greatest collections of exhibits of natural history. Several guides along with the IgUgo editorial team visited here on a warm Saturday morning, specifically to view the Tutankhamun exhibition but also to try and see some of the other fascinating displays.

The building sits at 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive within a huge, landscaped complex that includes the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium and affords wonderful walks along part of the Lake Michigan shoreline with superb views of the downtown area across the open parklands and marina.

The entrance to this wonderful building is akin to walking into a Greek temple with its twin rows of massive Doric columns sitting at the top of the monumental stone staircase. Once inside, the first aspect that hits you is the light, airy feel of the interior along with of course the sheer physical volume of the space. The editors had pre-booked our tickets and within a few minutes we were ushered into the beginning of the King Tut exhibition where, alas, no photographs were allowed.

The exhibition was busy meaning that we often had to wait for several minutes at various displays but this didn’t detract from the experience. The differing displays dealt with every aspect of the boy king’s short life and included some staggeringly beautiful gold artifacts such as a diadem, brooches, bracelets, and necklaces as well as perfume bottles, dining bowls and statuettes of various gods and deities that were worshipped 3000 years ago. Also on display is the ebony throne from where Tutankhamun ruled his subjects.

Of course, the biggest mystery surrounding Tutankhamun is his particularly short life and several displays show objects such as ceremonial daggers that would have been placed inside his sarcophagus to assist him on his journey to "the Fields of the Blessed" after his body had been mummified. Of particular interest are the CT scans taken of Tutankhamun’s body which were intended to give some information regarding his death at the very young age of 19.

I found the exhibition spell-binding and it was with some regret that I eventually realised I had seen all that there was to see and emerged from the subdued lighting of the exhibition back into the main ground floor area of the museum.

With an itinerary to adhere to for the remainder of the day, Carole, Dianne, and I decided to see the displays of Native American Culture which included two enormous totem poles as well as wonderful exhibits detailing every aspect of their lives including clothing, tribal hierarchy, weaponry, head-dresses, food and hunting and how their future was placed in severe jeopardy by the virtual extinction of the North American buffalo as the frontiersmen pushed ever further west.

With time now running out, we decided that there were just two more exhibits that we wanted to see and these were arguably the two that the museum is best known for. The first was "Sue", the virtually complete T-Rex skeleton, first unveiled to the public in May 2000. When she was discovered her skeleton was complete save for one foot, one "hand" and a few back-bones. It is believed that she met her fate in a mudslide, causing her skeleton to remain almost complete for some 65 million years.

Next door to Sue are the two impressive Mastodons, huge elephant-like creatures that walked the Earth during the more recent Ice Ages.

It was a shame that constraints of time precluded us from exploring further in this majestic building. It was such a bright, warm day outside that we felt we needed some fresh air and with that in mind, we took a half-hour stroll around the lakeside pathway towards the Aquarium, after having filled our empty stomachs with genuine Chicago Hot-Dogs from one of the vendors down by the parkland. "Don’t ask for ketchup", advised Carole, "or he may well decline to serve you!" This was no problem as I hate the horrible stuff anyway!

The Field Museum has so much to see that an entire day wouldn’t be sufficient time. Add to this the great walks, the Aquarium and the Planetarium and you have a complex that in all reality would need a week to explore fully.

Information

Standard admission is on two levels, for resident Chicagoans and for non-residents, as follows:

Local Chicagoan Visitors
Adult $10
Child (3-11) $6.25
Senior (65+) $8.75

Non-Local Visitors
Adult $11
Child $7
Senior $9.50

A cab ride from downtown will cost around $8-$10. Red, Orange, and Green El lines all stop close by.

The Museum has recently stopped offering free admission on Thursdays. It does now however offer free admissions on various dates throughout January, February, June, September, October, November and on December 24th. For a full list of dates and times see www.fieldmuseum.org