Top 10 Best Things about Chicago

I’m writing this from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, on my way back to London. I’ve just spent 7 full days in Chicago, which is more than I’ve done in quite some time. (Regular readers will know that although I consider myself a New Yorker, I lived in Chicago for eight years before moving to London.) It was a great week, and at every turn, I was impressed by the ways the city has grown in my absence. Have you been? If not, you should go.

10. Books on the El. (Chicago’s public transit system.) Really, everyone was reading. Not crappy throw-away newspapers. Real books. A city of readers.

9. Cheap and omnipresent manicures and pedicures. One of the first things I do whenever I land. Call me superficial.

8. Hot dogs. Although I didn’t get any this trip, no visit is
really complete without a stop at Hot Doug’s for the gourmet stuff or The
Wiener’s Circle for a chardog and a few insults. A food blogger’s paradise.

7. Michigan Avenue. (Aka the Magnificent Mile.) All the shopping. And WIDE sidewalks. (Pavement to you U.K. folk.) It’s really a pleasure to meander. Oxford Street is just so manic in comparison.

6. Goose Island. I love Goose Island Beer. I had a 312 last
night, which is a new one. They call it an “urban wheat beer.” (Wheat
beers are very popular in Chicago, probably because of the city’s
German heritage.) I’ve seen Goose Island at Utobeer in Borough Market. You should check it out.

5. The Billy Goat. Dirty. Old. Dark. But still infinitely
lovable. While I was having breakfast, a guy walked in and announced
“Two slices of wheat toast, please.” The guy behind the counter didn’t
even look up and shot back, “What’s wrong with you?”

4. The Blues. As I walked over to The Billy Goat on Friday
morning (a terrible walk through the underbelly of Chicago that I would not recommend), I was
reminded of the time I was driving home from business school and took
the shortcut under Michigan Ave. I was listening to WXRT and Rock Me
Baby by Memphis Slim came on. Love Memphis Slim. Love the blues.

3. The lakefront. Thanks to my jetlag, I took a walk early Saturday morning–like 6:30 a.m.–and there were TONS of people out there, running, biking, roller blading. Maybe I need to get to Hyde Park more, but it seems to me that Londoners aren’t really morning people.

2. The Architecture. I love the long and tall canyons of Chicago. The boulevards lined with the retro temples of American entrepreneurship. The House of Blues Hotel, for example, is in the old Carbon & Carbide building. The Hotel Burnham, where I stayed for the first half of my trip, is one of those hotels I just can’t stop looking at…lots of wrought iron and tilework. (The Sheraton, where I stayed for the second half of my trip, is a soulless monster in comparison.)

1. Millennium Park. I missed the genesis of Millennium Park so I’m still surprised whenever I return to Chicago and catch a glimpse of Cloud Gate. (The photo above.) Gorgeous, particularly at 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning when you have the gate to yourself.

So…that’s it from me! See you on the other side!