Chicago, United States

Going on this trip was something of a different sort- a weekend getaway. The only other times I remember of going on these weekend trips was when I was younger and going on a family trip by car or bus. But this time, with Air Canada's 50% promotion to select eastern United States cities, I managed to snag a cheap airfare to Chicago with a friend. With the flight already booked, finding accommodations for that weekend, the civic long weekend in Ontario, proved difficult as it was also the Lolapalooza weekend in Chicago.

Through researching all sorts of different accommodations from Bed and Breakfast Inns, hotels, AirBnb.com, Priceline.com, Expeida, and hostels. But there were no vacancies available, so it did become a bit stressful. But we always had the backup cheaper option of staying at a hotel by the airport. Luckily, I found a sweet deal of 20% off from the Air Canada website for booking our flight at the Fairmont Chicago- Millennium Park. The location was ideal, just steps away from everything, shopping, Millennium Park, Lake Michigan, and the Chicago River.

Our plans were simple that weekend: See as much of Chicago as we could in the two days, be relaxed and enjoy our time there, and eat deep-dish stuffed pizza. To see the city, we walked around the downtown area along State Street for shopping as well as the 'Magnificent Mile' along Michigan Ave. We also took the train towards the former Sears Tower, now named the Willis Tower and walked back to the hotel from there. We also had the chance to take a river cruise that showcases the architecture of the city and concluded with a fireworks show by Navy Pier. The second day, we also took part on a biking tour which was also very informative and allowed us to explore the northern part of the city.

So the bike tour brought us to the northern part of the city where we rode past Streeterville, Near North Side, Old Town, and to Lincoln Park. Our guide had instructed us to rub Lincoln's shoe as a sign of good luck. We stopped by at a cathedral which was unique and beautiful. We then had a break at Lincoln Park, so we quickly walked around the free zoo in the city and it also had a nice view of the skyline in the back. We then rode along Lake Shore Drive with its beautiful beaches and skyline (shown as the first picture), most notably known as the world's third most beautiful skyline after New York City and Hong Kong respectively.



As our tour concluded, it was almost time to go home; but we had to just make one more stop on the way to the airport, and that was to Giordano's for their famous Chicago stuffed pizza. It was so much more delicious than expected, (we had it as a midnight snack the night before) but eating in and having it freshly baked, and in tropical Hawaiian (my favourite) was just so mouthwatering, also considering we didn't have much of a breakfast and after a 3hour bike tour.

I had a wonderful time at Chicago, truly amazed with its beautiful architecture, green parks, its river, and its food (stuffed pizza and Chicago hot dog). If we had one more day, it would have been perfect to just spend it at the beach or to explore the south side of the city.