Chicago = shi-ka-go!

Jul 26, 2008 | Tags: Daily, Travel

Thanks to an awesome friend, I finally got to check off a city I’ve always wanted to visit: CHICAGO!

Ever since I’ve heard of Chicago, I always called it Chick-ka-go. Imagine my surprise when I learned it was really pronounced Shi-ka-go!   ShiiiiiKAAAAAgo!! Ya hear me? Sheeeeeeeeeee Kaaaaaaaaaaa Goooooooooooooooooo.  Okay, I’m done being a retard now. Here’s a photo that shows how “Chicago” is cued in Cued Speech.

What an awesome city! The weather was definitely in our favor. We had constant sunshine with great temperatures.  Chicago didn’t even live up to it’s name, “The Windy City,” because there was barely any wind! All the while, Washington DC had constant rain, which was nothing new. DC’s been rained on so much this summer, it’s ridiculous.

We took the Metra into Chicago to the Taste of Chicago festival (and to see the city in general). This was awesome, because I felt like I was in the movies. I’ve seen these types of trains before. Not quite a subway, but a much extended suburbs train! Very convenient for those who live farther out!  The Taste of Chicago festival was definitely satisfying. Why? We got tons of good food samples, especially Hot Asian Buns. Yummm. Tons of laughter, tons of goofy moments, and tons of fun! There was a WiiFit on display where you could try it out, a Karate show, and a concert that was actually good: Ash Avenue. The music was pretty good, and it prompted one of us to buy their CD.

The Cloud Gate (Aka “The Bean”), made by Anish Kapoor, was marvelous! Sitting right in Millennium Park is a 110 ton elliptical sculpture that boasts a reflection of the Chicago skyline. Not only do you see the reflection of the Chicago skyline, but also the sky, clouds, and a million reflections of people. Ultra cool!

Here’s some useless information (which I find important as I get older!). Taking a picture of the Bean wasn’t free before. You had to PAY to be able to take a picture. Not surprisingly, because the Bean is one of the best architectural achievements for 2004, according to Time. Twice a day, the Bean is wiped down by hand and cleaned two times a year with detergent.

“Love and Marriage, Love and Marriage,
Go together like a horse and carriage,
This I tell ya brother, you can’t have one without the other.”

In Grant Park, surrounded by the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan, you’ll find the Buckingham Fountain, which was donated by Kate Buckingham.  This is the fountain that is in the introduction credits of the Married… With Children TV show.

By looking at the fountain, I would have never guessed that it was built in 1927! Every hour, the center of the fountain shoots water up 150 feet into the air. The fountain holds four sea horse statues that spit out water to the fountain, and those represent the four states that touch Lake Michigan: Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana.

See the Navy dudes? Yes, I know they look hot and all, but there’s a funny story that you would have laughed at if you were there.  Jeff asked, “Why is the navy in Chicago?  Are they here to defend us from Canada?” We were all, “Well if that is their mission, it’s failing, because there’s Canadian bacon here!”  And, “Our friend here is French Canadian, and she is in the USA!”  For you all that were there with me, I’m sure you’re giggling now!

We took the Water Taxi to get over to the Navy Pier, which was a total blast! Why? Because we got wet.

While we were on the Water Taxi, all of a sudden the boat came to a halt. So of course that got our attention. We noticed a big spray shooting out of a wall! Us girls got all reactive. One friend took cover, another was going “It’s raining!” And I was going, “Oh my god, a PIPE BURST!”  The boys, on the other hand, were completely calm:

Apparently the water sprays every 10 minutes. For fun, I guess, and indeed, it WAS fun! Whoo! $3 bucks for a water taxi ride, and a water spray!

The Navy Pier was absolutely too crowded because of the 4th of July holiday.  The women’s bathroom at the Pier was a mile long, but guess what? So was the men’s bathroom line!  So, we just had one beer and got the hell out of the Pier. Luckily, we caught the last Water Taxi and we were pretty much the only passengers, which made the ride worth it again.  The fireworks started going off right when we were on the boat, so that was cool to see it from the water.  Yep, we got wet again, probably more than the first time. We got to see more fireworks on the Metra going home.

Other than the city, we got some great chill time at the pool, playing games, and just hanging out.   If only we all lived close to each other!

Chicago, you bet I’ll be back.

You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.