Getting Together in Chicago

"Eventually, I think Chicago will be the most beautiful great city left in the world." Frank Lloyd Wright

Chicago was a big surprise to me. When I first found out that this was where the get-together was going to be held, I was less than impressed. I know, don’t hate me, I just didn’t know. Now, as I look back, I can’t imagine how I could have thought there wasn’t a lot to see. I did as much as I could in the time I allowed myself, but I didn’t even scratch the surface. I would suggest allowing yourself a week at the very least to see most of the main sights.

Navy Pier: you could spend an hour or two here or spend a day. There are restaurants, the Ferris Wheel and the carousel, the Smith Stained Glass Museum, The Chicago Children’s Museum, shops, and miniature golf, and don’t forget the Shakespeare Theater. If you want to take a tour of Lake Michigan, this is where you will get on the boat, and there are exhibits of vehicles that have been pulled from the lake all along the pier.

Sears Tower The tallest building in the United States offers unparalleled views of the city of Chicago from every angle. Just the ride up in the elevator is an experience. It will make your ears pop and your stomach will still be on the 20th floor when you are on the 70th. Still, it is an experience I would not have wanted to miss.

Trolley Tour This is the best way to see the whole city in one day and to get a good feel for where everything is. You can get on and off as many times as you like, and if you opt for a second day, there is a reduced price. There are 13 stops that cover most of the locations that a tourist would want to visit, and while you are traveling around, you are entertained with tales of the history and mystery of Chicago.

Theater We went to Cadillac Palace Theater to see The Pirate Queen. Prices were big city high, but it was a nice evening and a good show.

What I Wish I Had Seen
The History Museum of Chicago
Hull House
Frank Lloyd Wright House

Quick Tips:

Websites I used:



Chicago Transit Authority The trip planner is awesome.

Chicago Convention and Tourism Board



Chicago Office of Tourism

Stop at the Visitor Information and pick up brochures and coupon books. One called Chicago Guidebook of Special Values offers lots of great deals. You will get two-for-one coupons to such things as the Victory garden Theater, "Menopause the Musical," Adler Planetarium, and the Art Institute. It also offers percentage discounts at select restaurants and savings on purchases at select shops. And if that wasn’t enough, there are two-for-one tours and discount cruises. Free, this booklet is a great bargain.

While you are at the visitor center, pick up a free copy of "Chicago, Windy City Guide." It is loaded with useful information about where to eat, what to see, and what's happening during your visit. It is a monthly publication.
Another good thing to have is the "Chicago Official Visitor Guide" and "Chicago Where." There is no such thing as too much information.

Chicago is a fantastic bargain because a great deal of what you can see is free. Just walking and admiring the outstanding architecture is a feast for the senses and no strain at all on the purse. Navy Pier is also free to walk and admire the views, and entrance to the Smith Stained Glass Museum is also free.

If you enjoy visiting churches, the two we chose were the Fourth Presbyterian Church and Holy Name Cathedral. You can enjoy the history and interesting architecture, and it's also a peaceful place to gather your thoughts.

Best Way To Get Around:

Chicago has to be my favorite city for getting in from the airport. From Midway to our B&B it was . Yes, I said , I can’t think of another major city where the rate is so inexpensive.

If you are staying for a few days, I recommend buying a pass; we bought a 3-day pass for . It gives unlimited travel on the L and on city buses. Used in conjunction with the trip planner from the Chicago Transit Authority, it makes getting around, easy and inexpensive.

Even though we had purchased the ticket, and used it often enough to make it worthwhile, we also used cabs on several occasions. By walking up to N. Michigan Avenue, we were able to get a cab very easily, and for just a few dollars, get where we wanted to be quickly. Sometimes I was just too tired to walk to the next L stop, so stick out your arm and hail a cab. We actually had some very nice cab drivers.

Chicago is serviced by two major airports, O’Hare to the west and Midway to the south. We used Midway because we were traveling on Southwest and also because it is much closer to the city.

We had considered getting a rental car and decided against it because we were afraid of not finding parking. After having been there, I can now say that I would not hesitate to rent a car next time. Not because public transportation isn’t good, but because I want to get to some out-of-the-way places. I saw plenty of parking garages and outdoor parking lots. The prices for parking are, of course, an issue, running about a day. I never saw any traffic heavy enough to discourage me from driving, though.

If you want more than just a cookie-cutter hotel, if you want a premier location right off of N. Michigan Avenue, if you want your every whim catered too (okay, maybe not on that one, but just about every amenity has been included), then Flemish House may be just what you are looking for.

When we got the dates for the get-together, I began to search right away for lodging in what I felt would be a good location, central to most of the activities that might be included. I found several promising hotels, but the price sent me into sticker shock. Anything that even came close to what I was looking for was in the vicinity of $300, a price I refuse to get accustomed to. I decided to look outside of the box.

After several Google searches and a look at Trip Advisor, I came up with Flemish House. My first choice was the basement suite. I admit it was my first choice because it was the least expensive. A quick email to Mike assured me that it wasn’t available, but the two lodgings on the first floor were. I opted for the less expensive, smaller rear suite. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I was with my choice.

First, let me say that owners Mike and Tom are the most accommodating hosts that anyone could ask for. They allowed me to leave our luggage on the day of our arrival at 9am, even though the room was not available until 3pm, and they even delivered our luggage right up to our room.

Our room consisted of a gorgeous wrought-iron canopy bed (with, I have to tell, the most luxurious pillow-top mattress I have ever slept on), two ratan chairs, plenty of lighting, a small table with three chairs in the dining area, and a full kitchen. The bathroom was large with a black-and-white tile floor, a tub with an attached shower (with a rain shower head), and plenty of storage.

Flemish House is not your typical B&B. There are no public areas, so you don’t get to interact with the other guests. You also don’t get a cooked breakfast, but you do get all the fixings to make your own. Everyday English muffins, flavored muffins, a pitcher of orange juice, coffee, cereal, oatmeal, hot chocolate, and milk are all available for you to fix for yourself. It is like having your own apartment with a housekeeper who cleans up after you.

The neighborhood is fantastic. There are loads of restaurants right down the street, a CVS drugstore, and a Dunkin' Donuts, and the L is only 3 blocks away. Cabs are plentiful and easy to catch, as is the bus on N. Michigan Avenue.

For all this we paid just a little more than half what a hotel would have cost—luxury at a bargain price.

Our day started at 3:30am EST, and frankly by 12:30pm CST, I was starved. As soon as we had purchased our tickets, gotten our headphone tour, and picked up a map, I approached a docent and asked him where the restaurant was.

There are two restaurants at the Art Institute, the Garden Restaurant, which is a much more formal restaurant that also offers outdoor seating, and the Café, which is a very upscale type of cafeteria dining. The only resemblance to a regular cafeteria is that you pick up a tray. You then choose which of the three areas you want to receive your meal from.

One area is a deli where they offer soups and sandwiches made to order. There is also a case with some pre-made sandwiches. This would cut down quite a bit on the time involved, and I also grabbed a ready-made sandwich myself, but then I saw the beautiful little pizza made in their brick oven and a sign that said they have paninis. I almost went for one of the pizza, which had grilled eggplant on it, but instead I went for one of the paninis that was the special of the day, heirloom tomatoes and Boursin cheese. It was served with a side Caesar salad. Al went to the final station where they were serving hot meals. He chose the pork loin served with stuffing and grilled three color peppers.

This was very good food, gourmet really, and at a very reasonable price considering that we were a captive audience. The dining room was bright and open, and everyone was looking to get a window seat. We didn’t get that lucky, but we still had a nice view of the interior courtyard. There is a sign saying that the seating in the courtyard is from patrons of the Garden Restaurant; I guess the peons aren’t welcome there.

They had a nice variety of dessert items, cookies, cakes, etc. I had a baked apple and Al had the German Plum Cake. The baked apple was a bit of a surprise, it was served totally cold and plain. It was glazed and quite delicious; however, when I tasted Al’s plum cake, I was sorry I hadn’t tried that. It was perfect, plenty of fruit and not too sweet.

We drank some bottled water and just sat and enjoyed the atmosphere. The restaurant filled up quickly, and there were families, singles, young people, and seniors, a very eclectic group. I highly recommend eating here, and if not for a meal, it would make a perfect place to stop for a cup of tea and a snack.

We had originally planned to have dinner at Morton’s Steak House with Guide Ed Hahn but when he had a last minute change of plans we also had to change plans. Luckily as we were taking a cab back to the Flemish House from the Sears Tower I saw my favorite chain restaurant Cosi. I couldn’t believe it, it was just around the corner from the Cadillac Palace Theater (where we were going to see The Pirate Queen).

Now if you have read my Philly or Washington D.C. journals you already know that Cosi is a chain sandwich/coffee shop that offers brick oven pizzas and excellent salads and bread. They began in the late 80's in Europe and have spread all over the US. My usual choice for dinner is an appetizer of Brie, grapes, strawberries and Cosi bread served on a wooden paddle. So I went up to the counter and asked for the brie. What I got was a confused look and a question "Is that on our menu?". Damn straight, well at least at every other Cosi I have ever been to but guess what not this one. You should have seen my face, what do you mean no brie? That’s why I was here. Wonderful, now I had to come up with something else to eat. Just for your information they also don’t serve wine or beer here.

I decided to have a mozzarella and tomato with basil sandwich on Cosi bread with vinaigrette dressing. It was basically a Caprese salad in a sandwich. It is called a TBM (tomato, basil, mozzarella). All of their sandwiches are served with either a small bag of chips or a bag of baby carrots. It was delicious, the chewy bread adds a whole different dimension. Al had a limited time sandwich with barbecued pork. We drank bottled water and because we wanted to get to the theater we didn’t stop to enjoy a cup of their very good coffee.

They serve breakfast lunch and dinner. They have a few choices for dessert, one in particular is interesting. S’mores, they bring you a little brazier, marshmallows, Hershey bars and graham crackers. You toast the marshmallows and make you own s’mores. It’s lots of fun. And if you become addicted you can order a s’mores kit and some of their coffee online at Cosi online

There are three Cosi’s in downtown Chicago.

From its very humble begins as the Chicago Academy of Design in 1866, the Art Institute of Chicago has grown into a world-class Art Museum and School. It has hosted many traveling exhibits over the years, in addition to its own very fine collection. The current main building was designed in 1893 by the Boston firm of Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge. The building has been expanded and added to over the years but still holds true to its neoclassical design.

What they are known for in particular is their collection of Impressionists, both American and French. Though their first major acquisition was a collection of Dutch masters.

Visiting here does not come cheap, with entrance at $12 a person. Thursday evenings from 5 to 8pm are free. In addition, you will want to take the headphone tour, which is an additional $6. There are discounted rates for seniors and children. There is a special tour, especially for children. We accidentally listen to several of the offerings, and they are very good. We found the director's tour particularly interesting.

Let me begin by saying this is a beautiful museum, and the rooms are light and bright and well set up. Having said that, this has got to be the most confusing museum I have ever visited. Because it is made up of several different buildings, the flow is not easy. It is very difficult to find some of the galleries, and the maps are not much help. There are two different sets of elevators to the upper floors, and to see the full collections you need to use both of them. Don’t be afraid to ask for directions.

We began our visit in the café, which is in the far rear of the lower floor. When we left, it seemed natural to view what was the closest which was the ancient art section. There was a beautiful collection of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman items. I am always in awe of the glassware that has survived 2,000 years; mine at home seldom survives 10 years. The audio tour was our guide to the import pieces in the collection.

From here, we passed through a small exhibit of Renaissance jewelry, which led right into the modern furniture of Frank Lloyd Wright. The desk is of particular interest, since he didn’t do a lot of office furniture and this was done for the Johnson Wax Co.

There is a particularly nice section of American historic paintings and furniture. It is done very well and highlights the work of Winslow Homer on one whole wall. If you have ever wondered where Grant Wood’s "American Gothic" is located, look no further.

The Old Masters Collection is very deep here. Two Rembrandts, Rubens, Goya, Cranach, and much more.

Allow 3 or more hours for your visit here.

Go to Art Institute for general information. The Art Institute does not have its own parking—keep that in mind.

I usually make it a practice to take some sort of a trolley tour when I visit a city for the first time. After dropping our bags at Flemish House, we walked up to North Michigan Avenue and headed south. I had no specific agenda in mind just trying to get our bearings. Mike had told me that the tourist office was down in the building that looked like a castle, so we walked in that general direction. As it turned out, it isn’t much of a tourist office but they did have a lot of magazines and booklets with discounts and information.

The tourist office was one of the stops on the trolley tour. There is a cart out in front where you can buy your ticket. Make sure you look for a discount coupon; there is one. If you can’t find it, you can get $2 off per ticket if you have AAA. Regular-priced tickets are $25. You can also get a 105 Internet discount if you pre-buy your ticket. Just be aware that even if you buy your ticket late in the day, it is only good on the day it is issued, so it is wise to get on as early as possible. (You can buy a second day cheaper.) There are trolleys and also double-decker buses. They run approximately every 25 minutes. Try to sit toward the front of the trolley; the back half has windows covered with plastic, which makes photography difficult. At one point I unzipped the window cover so I could take a picture.

There are 13 stops on the trolley. We got on at stop no. 12. We road the bus as far as the Art Institute. You can hop on hop off as often as you like. Along the way our driver kept up a continuous spate of trivia and interesting information about Chicago and its many interesting inhabitants.

Among the interesting facts that we learned are that three of the top-10 hospitals in the United States are located in Chicago, and that the Water Tower was constructed of Joliet Limestone and that is why it survived the Chicago Fire. On the subject of fire, the fire pole was invented in Chicago. The original one was made of wood, and when the firemen got splinters, it was decided to go with another material.

Chicago is famous, or maybe a better word would be infamous, as the home of Al Capone. We learned that Hymie Weiss was killed across the street from Holy Name Cathedral, and if you look closely, you can still see where they covered up the bullet holes. Chicago is also famous for all the political conventions that have taken place there. Probably the most famous was the 1860 Republican Convention, which nominated Abraham Lincoln.

I guarantee that you will be very entertained and get to see all the main sights too.

Chicago Trolley Tour

Tut Exhibit

When the first exhibit toured the US, I was never able to visit it. When I heard that a new exhibit had been mounted and would be visiting Chicago and Philadelphia, I was ecstatic: finally I would be able to see it. Even before the get-together was planned for Chicago, my girlfriend and I were planning to visit to see Tut. Plans changed, the get-together came up, and Al and I headed out Saturday morning to meet up with the other guides.

You can get to the Field Museum on the Trolley Tour, on a regular bus, on the L (though it is a pretty good walk to the stop), or, as we did, on the way there by cab. From our B&B, with tip, the fare was $10.

We did not tour the rest of the museum, so I can’t tell you if it is worth a visit. I do want to go on record as saying that the Tut exhibit was fabulous, but I am less than impressed with how the Field Museum handled the crowds that were visiting on that particular Saturday.

Because we were part of a group, we didn’t have to wait in line to pick up our tickets. It looked as if they were trying to control the size of the groups entering, but they completely failed. As we entered the first room, people using the audio tours were stopping in front of the featured exhibits and totally blocking the view for anyone else. People were five or six deep around each and every exhibit. We were herded along like cattle, barely able to read any of the signs on the exhibits. It was extremely warm and stuffy, and frankly claustrophobic.

We tried to move a little quickly to get ahead of the audio tour people, and for a while, it actually thinned out, but we never seemed quite able to get to an area where we could really enjoy viewing the amazing artifacts that had come from so far away and so long ago.

To say I was disappointed is a vast understatement. I am going to have to try to see the exhibit when it comes to Philadelphia and hope that perhaps the crowds will be better controlled. I know one thing: I will not visit on a Saturday morning. I am hoping that by visiting on a weekday, I will be able to take the time to see and enjoy this long-anticipated exhibit.

Like most exhibits, it ends at the gift shop, and they have plenty of the usual items packed into special Tut bags.

Now, keep in mind that I come from a town of less than 10,000 people. Even though I am very comfortable in places like London and Paris, I am very nervous when attempting one of the large US cities. What amazed me about Chicago is that even though it is obviously a large city, it didn’t intimidate me once I was there. What a great choice for our get-together.

After having received an email from Dan asking me to be one of the speakers the first evening at Cubby Bear's, I had something else to worry about. I mulled over several possible topics to speak on, and finally, at the last minute, I decided to tell everyone how many mistakes we made on our first trip to Europe. Everyone seemed to be able to empathize with us as we stumbled from one blunder to the next. The fact that we are still traveling is a testament to our refusing to be defeated by our own stupidity.

I had hoped to hook up with some of the other guides before we attempted the L ride to Cubby Bear's, but thanks to my handy laptop, we had a map with directions in hand as we headed out. Chicago has the best site for telling you exactly how to get from point A to point B and which form of public transportation to use. Even the country cousin could manage this.

Cubby Bear's offered a great chance to reconnect with guides we have met before, Lorrie, Arlene and her son Mark, Brenda, Graham, Bill, Tony, and Dianne, and also some new friends, Carole, Natalie, Fleance, Ed, Paul, Sierra, and all the wonderful staff members who worked so hard to make our weekend so successful. And yes guys, I managed to get my super-sized umbrella home. We all sat around munching on snacks, sipping our drinks, and filling each other in on what we had been doing since the last get-together and where we had been traveling. It was great fun, and I think all of us were reluctant for the evening to end.

Friday morning saw most of us gathered at the Navy Pier to begin our architectural tour. Kay joined us at this point after a daybreak flight from Washington. We all took our seats (okay, plastic chairs) on the deck for the 1-hour tour that highlighted such things as the Wrigley Building and the Sears Tower. It was, however, not limited to just that. We learned a lot of information about the history and building of Chicago, from its humble beginnings as a fort through the Great Fire and into present day.

When the tour was over, we split into two groups. The more energetic contingent headed off to bike along the lake. The rest of us headed off to the Navy Pier to grab a bite of lunch before taking the water taxi to the Sears Building. Oh, the best-laid plans: when we arrived back to take the taxi, it was to find that it was no longer in service. After consulting the man at the booth, we decided to walk. I would guess by now that you know this was a terrible idea. It took us over 45 minutes to complete the walk, which made us 15 minutes late for our meeting with the Igo staff for our trip up the tower. Luckily for us, Tyler was still out front and told us that we were only a few minutes behind the other Igo staff members.

Since we didn’t catch up with the other staff members until we got to the observation desk, we had to buy our own tickets to get to the top. (We were reimbursed on Saturday.) After purchasing your ticket, you go by elevator to the second floor to see a short film about the construction of the Sears Tower. You then get in line for the elevator ride to the top. Be prepared for your ears to pop and your stomach to lurch: it is a fast ride. It’s all worth it when you get to the top and see the stunning views you have from every angle. If you have the time, along the inside wall of the deck you can read the plaques about the history of Chicago.

On Saturday morning, we met up with the other guides and the staff, including Tony, at the Field Museum. The Tut exhibit drew immense crowds, and that for me detracted from my enjoyment, but it certainly was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of moment.

After we had a viewed the exhibit, a group of us met on the steps and decided to go to Chinatown. We were going to take the bus, so we walked around the building. After waiting a few minutes, we decided to take the L. It was around back where we had started. Actually, that was quite lucky, because we met up with the staff again and Tony, and we all headed off together.

At some point, the members ended up with Tony at the Phoenix Restaurant eating dim sum and talking about what we like and don’t like about some of the new upgrades. Thank you, Tony, for being so patient and for really listening to us, and also thank you for knowing what to order, because I didn’t have a clue. It was all wonderful.

Saturday night, a group of members under the direction of Carole met in Greektown for a fantastic meal, and we were joined by Dawn ,who was one of our founding guides. The food was delicious, the company was delightful, and the service was beyond perfect. We all hated to see it end.

And for Al and I, it did end here. We flew out at noon on Sunday, so we didn’t get to Millennium Park, but I still think it was the best get-together ever. Thank you to all the staff for the hard work you put into making everything so fantastic.